WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

THEY were some of the offtrack players at last year’s Commonwealth Games, but where are they now?

The blimp of Australia’s most famous whale made a rock-star entrance at the Games opening ceremony. Since that debut the giant white artwork has been moved to Gold Coast’s Home of the Arts and is set to emerge again for coming council events.

In September, the Baton was presented to Mayor Tom Tate and councillors. It remains on display at the Gold Coast City Council foyer. The 36th Premier of Queensland served as the Games chairman during the event. Mr Beattie, who admitted organisers were wrong to snub the athlete walk-in during the closing ceremony, is now chairman of the Australian Rugby League Commission.

Solli Raphael, the poet who appeared in the closing ceremony, has gone on to be a “champion of change”. He performed at the TEDx Sydney conference and launched his own book, Limelight. He is the youngest author to be published by Penguin Books Australia.