Second Act Gives Jim Double The Enjoyment
Newcastle Herald
Tuesday August 29, 2000
IN 1956 it was a low key torch run for Jim Rixon but second time around, the 63-year-old was a bundle of nerves.
Owning torches from Australia's two Olympic Games, Mr Rixon couldn't have been happier when he carried the flame through Belmont yesterday.
He was 19 when he carried the torch through the tiny north coast town of Woodburn, with just a few family members to cheer him on.
But 44 years later, the father of four was lost for words when he looked down the crowded Pacific Highway.
`I'm overwhelmed,' Mr Rixon said.
`I am just so excited to be here.'
Mr Rixon reckons he has all the luck in the world after getting the chance of a lifetime twice.
But it was nearly not to be.
He missed out on being named as a torchbearer in the first 5000 offers.
`I was very disappointed,' he said.
`But then I found out I'd got in the next 1000 and I was so happy.'
Mr Rixon said he tracked down a torch from 1956.
The torches, now considered as collectors' items, sell for up to $10,000.
`The relay was nothing like this in '56, this atmosphere is great,' he said.
And when it is all over, Mr Rixon plans to frame his two torches together because he figures there won't be a third time lucky.
© 2000 Newcastle Herald