BATON RELAY DOES DRY BUSH RUN THROUGH TOWNS
A COUPLE of country towns have hosted the first Australian leg of the Queen’s Baton Relay. Well, sort of.
As part of the build-up for the baton’s arrival in Australia on Christmas Eve, Queen’s Baton Relay organisers hosted a training and operational exercise through Warwick and Gatton. With the real baton in Papua New Guinea, Saturday’s simulation involved a replica, pretend batonbearers, a moving convoy and school and community celebration stops, following the exact route the relay will take on March 29 next year.
GOLDOC deputy chief executive Brian Nourse said the exercise was an opportunity to induct and train crew members, and work through systems and processes.
“The outcomes of (the) exercise in Warwick and Gatton have reaffirmed our operational assumptions and demonstrated that we are ready for the Queen’s Baton Relay in Australia,” he said.
The ‘batonbearers’ selected for the exercise were not those who will participate in next year’s relay leg – not that they minded.
“It was so exciting and an awesome opportunity to be part of the exercise,” Loren Conlon said.
“It gave us and the people of Warwick and Gatton a sneak preview and an idea of what to expect when the real Queen’s Baton makes its way around Australia next year. It’s going to be epic.”
The Queen’s Baton arrives in Australia in three weeks, with about 3800 local legends to carry it around the country before it arrives at Metricon Stadium for the opening ceremony on April 4.
Official batonbearers will be informed of their street-specific slotting locations this month.