Celebrate the Queen’s baton

THE Queen’s Baton Relay over the next three days in the greater Cairns area is a time to bring the community together and celebrate being proud members of the Commonwealth.

While, most of us do not get a chance to carry the baton, we can embrace the event and cheer on the bearers as it traverses the streets of Cairns.

Plus there are three community celebrations with entertainment, a chance to see the baton up close and participate in the spirit and unity of the games.

The baton arrives today but will be almost out of the public eye, arriving at the Pier at 7am before heading to Skyrail early afternoon and doing a tour of Kuranda before it returns on the Kuranda Scenic Railway and travels to the Great Barrier Reef.

Tomorrow is the first day of full public participation with a free community breakfast at Palm Cove from 6.30am when the baton receives a guard of honour from surf lifesavers before doing a relay run on the northern beaches.

On Friday there are two stages at Cairns North, Edge Hill, Manunda and back to the city in the morning and a CBD circuit in the afternoon before community celebrations when league legend Justin Hodges brings the baton into the Munro Martin Parklands at 5.30pm.

A sporting spectacular will kick off the relay at the Walker Rd complex at Edmonton at 9am on Saturday.

While, there are some high profile names carrying the baton, most are members of the community who have been selected because of their selfless acts of service for their fellow citizens.

That’s what the Queen’s Baton Relay is all about. Nick Dalton Deputy editor