From Bizarre To The Banal, Bondi Brings It All
Sydney Morning Herald
Wednesday October 18, 2000
It was in some ways a quintessential Bondi scene uniting the surreal, the banal and the simply strange.
There they were a model, a soap star, a bouffant-haired drag queen and others, clasping identical Christmas beetle-green torches in front of a Japanese taiko drumming troupe.
At its last overnight stop before heading towards Homebush Bay, the Paralympic torch swept into North Bondi late yesterday afternoon, borne aloft by Allan Butler, a retired Paralympian. Butler, who won gold in the 4x100m sprint relay at the 1992 Barcelona Paralympics, followed the seawall down to Biddigal Reserve, almost surfing on the gentle cheer.
``We deserve the same recognition that other athletes get," Butler said defiantly, facing a crowd of hundreds massed along the point.
Had he any concerns the Paralympics would be a kind of Cinderella Games? ``Yes, actually. But Australians love their sport, and a lot go for the underdog, so the Paralympics actually tap a lot of those very Australian values."
Former Waverley councillor Norman Lee described his run simply as ``a great thrill".
Events manager for the Paralympic torch relay Di Henry dragged the crowd kicking and screaming through a cheerleaders' medley. Dogs bounded into the weak surf, Rastafarians strolled by. Short of a blue sky, it was Bondi to the core.
Bondi boy and Home and Away soap star Justin Melvey, who carried the torch along Campbell Parade, spoke of his pride at being chosen to run; mayor Paul Pearce outlined the power of communal symbols.
``The torch relays have brought communities together in a way certainly not seen since World War II," he said.
Good News Week panellist Mikey Robins was relieved simply to have survived his short journey: ``Fortunately for me it was all downhill. My only fear was that I would build up so much momentum I wouldn't be able to stop."
© 2000 Sydney Morning Herald