The Beijing Olympic Torch Relay - Canberra 24 April 2008
By Wanda on Apr 24, 2008 in Canberra, ACT, Australia
The Olympic Torch for the games to be held in Beijing in August passed through Canberra today.
The capital is the only Australian city that the torch will be going to. So we set off nice and early because the roads into the city center are all being closed off to through traffic.
So Val (husband) and I are in my car and are following Varinia (daugher) my three grandaughers - Ayla, Demelza and Ce’Nedra, in her car. Well what a wild drive this turns out to be. I don’t think Varinia is aware that there are speed limits or that crossing lanes at a manic pace is probably not really acceptable. However, we finally arrive at her work to park and set off down towards King Edward Ave. Our Grandson Sebastian was a no show having missed his flight from Brisbane to Canberra due to a heavy night on the town last night.
We are among the first to arrive at this particular spot and it’s not long before we are joined by a Chinese contingent in full national costume waving large flags and beating a large drum.
We have a photo taken with them and they are very obliging to everyone who requests photos.
An elderly Italian gent arrive and tells us that he ran a leg of the relay for the last Olympic Games when the torch passed through Bundaberg in Queensland. We are then joined by a Chinese gent who keeps us entertained with tales of his life in China, Thailand and Malaysia along with his view on the Tibet situation.
There aren’t any protesters along our stretch of the route, simply lots of supportive fans and lots and lots of police.
There is an extremely large police contingent, in fact when the runner finally arrives with the torch it’s almost impossible to see her because of the large number of police surrounding her. Fortunately, Demelza manages to get a clear photo of Fiona Stanley, former Australian of the Year and leading epidemiologist from Subiaco WA.
The route for the Olympic Torch Relay, known as the Journey of Harmony, is the longest route measuring an impressive 137,000 kilometres. That is enough klms to cross the globe three and a half times. Other host cities for the torch relay includes san Francisco, Paris, London and Buenos Aires.
The ancient Chinese trade route -The Silk Road- inspired the global route. It was the Silk Road that opened up cultural and trade transactions between China and the West in 114BC. Canberra was never part of The Silk Road, but is included in the torch relay route as recognition of it’s sister city relationship with Beijing, and it’s status as the Australian national capital.
Not only is the route the longest torch relay in history, but the torch had been especially created to burn at high altitude as it ascends Mount Qomolangma, (Mount Everest).
There were pockets of protesters along the way and a number of scuffles broke out in other sectors of the relay route which resulted in 7 arrests in Canberra. However, we did not see any of this from where we were standing. We enjoyed standing on the sideline watching the torch go on its way. When the relay had passed us and we started to make our way back to the car the Chinese around us began chanting ‘One China’ as some of the ‘Free Tibet’ protesters came past.
There were a number of activities such as hot air ballooning and the relay was followed by a concert at Stage 88.
Here is a list of the Beijing Olympic Torchbearers for 2008 in Canberra, in the order in which they carried the torch.
1. Tania Major
2. Elizabeth Patrick
3. Megan Marcks
4. Jonathon Welch
5. Qiaobo Ye
6. Jacquelin Magnay
7. Neale Lavis
8. Rachel Imison
9. John Mackay
10. Changbin Yu
11. Carol Keil
12. David Bussau
13. Heath Francis
14. Robert Innes
15. Christian Williams
16. Gerrard Gosens
17. Libby Trickett (Lenton)
18. Phillip Cameron
19. Paul Narracott
20. Robert De Castella
21. Matt Welsh
22. Adam Pine
23. Jodie Henry
24. Nova Peris
25. Lee Kernaghan
26. Alice Mills
27. Fiona Stanley
28. Ian Frazer
29. Mark Beretta
30. Peter Sharp
31. Michael York
32. Louise Sauvage
33. Karyn Reis
34. Katrina Fong Lim
35. Louise Padgett
36. Sophie Bowen
37. Janelle White
38. Andrew Heslop
39. Aaron Fleming
40. Andrew Behrndt
41. Jai Taurima
42. David Dickson
43. Petria Thomas
44. Fiona Wood
45. Matthew Vincent
46. Julius (Judy) Patching
47. Jake Warcaba
48. Marjorie Jackson-Nelson
49. Heather McKay
50. Judith Clarendon Cox
51. Matilda House
52. Craig Wallace
53. Ian Ruff
54. Raymond Smee
55. Emma Beadsworth
56. Michael Hellessey
57. G.Q. Max Lu
58. Alby Woolmer
59. Don Whitbread
60. Hanna Lord
61. Margaret Scott
62. Susan Zhuang
63. Tim Cuddihy
64. Donald Stanley
65. Kerry Saxby-Junna
66. Edmund Thomas
67. Gilian Hicks
68. Amanda Fraser
69. Jo Brown
70. Ngaree Ah Kit
71. Michael Milton
72. Stasia Dabrowski
73. Michael Gallagher
74. Daria Joura
75. Howard Gilmour
76. Clementine Pickwick
77. Doug Hall
78. Wolford Parsons
79. Ron Clarke
80. Ian Thorpe
