…So captured a fortnight of stunning sporting moments and the efforts of a community to turn the Melbourne 2006 dream into reality.
They were the words of Ben Lee — an out-of-towner from Sydney — whose song, had more than 80,000 spectators at the ‘G swaying their arms and singing as one.
“I started smiling, cause you were smiling. And we are all in this together,” sang Lee, echoing scenes played out on trams, in sporting arenas, along streets and in pubs over the past two weeks.
Earlier, the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony was ‘kicked off’ by dozens of footy players.
As they charged through a race banner bearing the words “Mighty Melbourne,” rock band Grinspoon played Hard act to follow.Was it a veiled warning that tonight’s show would fail to match the mystical splendour of the opening ceremony?
Perhaps. Instead of a wonderful Melbourne tram floating in from the rooftop, we were given a rather insignificant flying guitarist. Then came cheesy props that looked like they had been painted at the last minute by school kids.
Sure, the icons were there — the Melbourne Cup, the Skipping Girl neon sign, the Luna Park smile — but it was hard not to think you were watching a high school Rock Eisteddfod.
Then came the much-hyped Bollywood extravaganza. It was colourful, and somewhat mesmerising, but the Indian tourism ads playing shamelessly on the big screen at the same time killed the mystique.
Above all else, the night was about Melbourne — its icons, its love of arts, its devotion to footy, and, of course, its characters.
And for a city that has just put on the most sublime of sporting spectacles, it seemed only fitting that Australia’s most recognisable spectacles - those worn by Dame Edna Everage — were the symbol of the closing ceremony.
As far fetched as Barry Humphries’ alter-ego is, so too have been the sporting highlights of the Games — feats so unbelievable, they could have only been born of dreams.
Triumphs like John Steffensen’s barnstorming run in the 400 metres, Kerryn McCann’s endurance in the marathon and the Australian swimmers’ disrespect of world records.
The opening ceremony was about the dreams of a child. And in keeping with that theme, the closing ceremony reminded us that dreams never have to end, even if great sporting events do.
The Melbourne’s 2006 Commonwealth Games officially come to an end with tonight’s closing ceremony at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Online reporter Jesse Hogan brings you the highlights of the night’s events from inside the stadium.
10:25PM
Ageing Australian rocker John Farnham brought the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony to an end tonight after an absent Dame Edna Everage stole the show.
Farnham — or ‘Farnesy’, as he is affectionately known — belted out his sporting mantra Playing To Win before predictably ending the show with You’re The Voice.
While the athletes and officials can be seen dancing on the arena — not all, but a lot — the darkness around the rest of the MCG it’s hard to see if the crowd is similarly enthused. But the cheers during the bagpipe solo part of the song suggests he is still a big hit.
As the song ends, many of the athletes turn to wave to the crowd in the stands, who gratefully applaud the performance. One athlete in front of me even does a standing backflip!
This was a night for fun, but the night is still young. One can only expect that it’s going to be a big — very big — night in Melbourne tonight.
And now to the task of removing the 8,568,933 Games-related signs and posters that have been placed around Melbourne in the past few months. I pity whoever has that job!
10:18PM
After a short fireworks display bursts out with blazes of colour coming from the top of the stands all around the MCG.
Then a young boy begins to sing: “What about the world around us? How can we fail to see?”
Those words sound familiar — and for good reason. Suddenly, popping up from under the centre stage, it’s Johnny Farnham making (yet) another musical comeback.
First it’s Age of Reason, then I Remember When I Was Young. As he sings, the athletes begin filing onto the arena to join the hundreds of volunteers and Dame Edna-lookalikes already here.
The effect of the ‘Commonwealth Dames’ waving their illuminated gladioli to the beat of the music looks fantastic as they stand in a giant ring shape on the arena.
Most of these athletes in the centre have probably never heard of Farnham, but it doesn’t stop them from jumping around and randomly hugging other athletes. It’s party time!
10:08PM
As any patriotic Australian would know, it’s almost treason to hold a major event Down Under and not include Dame Edna Everage in some capacity. And so it went tonight.
While Michael Klim made a speech of behalf of the athletes, he was interrupted by a video of Barry Humphries’ famous alter-ego on the big screen.
It was disappointing that Dame Edna himself, I mean herself, was not here in person for the ceremony, but the jokes on the big screen still seemed to go down well.
“This is an historic event because only 10 minutes ago Melbourne finished paying off the 1956 Olympic Games, which really introduced Melbourne as one of the world’s most hospitable cities,” she told the crowd.
(I wonder how long it will take to pay off these Games?)
This was then followed by 1000 `Commonwealth Dames’ on the arena, women dressed up with Edna-esque purple wigs, garish costumes and gladioli, all singing along to her song We’ve Made The Most Of Melbourne.
“We’ve proven here today, That Melbourne loves to play, And sport is not a sin,” they sang in unison.
“It’s not as small as Adelaide, Compared to Canberra, it’s bliss, And if you’ve been to Melbourne, You can give Sydney a miss.”
Then, “As the world gets scarier, It’s a pretty decent area, Melbourne, The envy of the world.”
Classic Everage.
And now for the fireworks!!
9:59PM
After thanking Melbourne for a great Games — and having to pause when he mentioned John So’s name — Commonwealth Games Federation president Michael Fennell announced the most outstanding athlete.
The David Dixon Award, named after a former Federation administrator, went to Indian shooter Samaresh Jung, who won an incredible five gold medals in shooting events, as well as a silver and a bronze.
It was then on to Prince Edward, the vice-patron of the Federation, to end the formalities.
“In the name of the Commonwealth Games Federation, I proclaim the 18th Commonwealth Games, Melbourne 2006, closed,” he announces to rousing cheers.
It was then on to former Australian Idol winner Casey Donovan to begin a musical tribute to the 4500 athletes who competed at the Games.
Tonight they are all seated in what used to be the Ponsford Stand at the MCG. If the `G were in footy mode, they would be sitting behind the goals at the city end.
As Donovan sings Better To Love many of the athletes sway in unison. So why no lighters being held in the air?
9:46PM
And I thought the earlier part of the ceremony was overwhelmingly confusing. Ladies and gentleman, we have a new winner — Delhi!
At the close of every Games, the next host city is given a chance to perform at the closing ceremony.
Delhi officials apparently reacted with fury when told they had only 11 minutes to perform, and by the looks of this performance it’s as if they’ve crammed two hours of entertainment into this tiny slot.
It started with a short video presentation on India, before the focus shifted onto the centre stage to Indian dancer Isha Sharwani doing a “yoga-inspired dance”. The other dancers used petals to come together form a rose, from which former Miss World and now Bollywood superstar actress Aishwarya Rai emerged.
With Bhangra music in the background, a lively form of Indian folk music, hundreds of dancers in traditional Indian costumes — some dressed as elephants, camels and peacocks — jived their way around the arena.
As Bollywood pair Saif Ali Khan — the “heart throb of Indian cinema” — and actress Rani Mukherjee performed on the centre stage, a grand Roman-style chariot appeared carrying by Indian models Lara Dutta and Priyanka Chopra and sports stars such as Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar. There was also Shera, the Royal Indian tiger which is the mascot of the Games (well, a man dressed in a tiger costume, anyway).
As a stunning final farewell, the dancers stood in formation on the arena to spell out “See you. Delhi 2010″.
If that 11-minute section is anything to go by the Delhi opening ceremony is going to be extraordinary (and probably quite baffling, too).
9:35pm
It’s now the turn of the next Commonwealth Games host, India, to officially accept the Games Federation flag ahead of the 2010 event in Delhi.
“Melbourne 2006 has set high standards, and Delhi too shall deliver a fantastic Games in 2010,” Games committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi told the crowd (after having to pause due mentioning John So’s name, that is).
“Thank you Melbourne - you people were truly very friendly. Thank you volunteers - you did a magnificent job. And now, a glimpse of what awaits you in Delhi.”
Then it’s onto the much-anticipated Bollywood extravaganza. Will they keep to their 11-minute limit? Time will tell . . .
9:28PM
After welcoming all the dignitaries - including Commonwealth Games Federation president Michael Fennell and Delhi’s Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit - Melbourne 2006 chairman Ron Walker proudly tells the crowd how “3654 days ago, the staging of the 18th Commonwealth Games was just a glint in the eye of us all. Tonight we celebrate the closing of one of the world’s greatest sporting events”.
He thanked every conceivable person he could - politicians, officials, volunteers, emergency service officers, television viewers and the athletes - and could scarcely hide his delight when doing so.
“Words cannot convey how grateful I am to the staff, volunteers, athletes, Christine Nixon and her 9000 police officers, and of course you, the spectators and viewers, for making the Games such an inspiring success,” Mr Walker said.
“We are all united by the moment. Melbourne, we did it!”
9:25PM
It may be the closing ceremony of the Games, but they might as well call it the `So Show’. For non-Melburnians, this is in reference to the almost rock-star popularity of the city’s Lord Mayor, John So.
In rehearsals early ago I heard the volunteers go bonkers when he walked past, and when Games chairman Ron Walker was going through the formalities of thanking people at the ceremony, he had to pause each time he mentioned Mr So’s name because of the huge cheers from the crowd.
Nothing for Prime Minster John Howard, nothing for Premier Steve Bracks, and virtually nothing for Prince Edward. But John So? The reactions couldn’t be more different.
9:16PM
In every Games ceremony there is apparently a formal `entrance of the flags’ for each of the 71 nations which competed, and it is happening right now.
It’s really just 71 marshals standing in a circle around the arena carrying a four metre-high flag pole with the flag of each competing nation.
Listening to the MC call out each country’s name, and then seeing the spotlight on them for a second or two, it took me back to roll call during my school days.
A nice touch was the small cheers you could hear from the athletes’ section, obviously delighted to hear their nation’s given recognition on the big stage.
It then finished with a giant globe coming up from under the centre stage, but upside down so Australia was no longer down under but on the top of the world.
9:10PM
The ceremony now turns to thanking the 15,000 volunteers who devoted their time over past fortnight to make these Games run smoothly.
Australian Sarah Blasko then appears on stage singing Crowded House’s Don’t Dream It’s Over.
Bizarrely, snow-making machines have been lifted high over the arena to spit out fake snow, to create an artificial winter wonderland inside the arena.
There’s not a lot of snow coming out, but it looks very effective flattering through the air in the spotlight.
Some of the snow even flew far enough to reach me on level two. Hey, it’s not even snow at all! It’s just little shreds of white paper.
Ah well, the illusion was good while it lasted.
Next, it’s back to Paul Kelly to sing Rally Round The Drum as Melbourne’s official farewell to the Games.
There’s the ballerinas, the skipping girls, the acrobats, and they’re all dancing around gleefully.
8:58PM
We’ve gone from rock (Grinspoon), to folk (Paul Kelly), to top 40 (Ben Lee) and now it’s on to dance with The Bodyrockers, with their song I Like The Way You Move (or, as they sing it: “I like the way you moooooooooooove”).
While they sing there are hundreds of Gymnastics Victoria performers doing their thing on trampolines on the arena, with National Institute of Circus Arts performers doing amazing acrobatic feats while being hoisted into the air on rings.
Seriously _ there is so much going on it’s hard to work out where to look!
To finish the section, all of the people holding those photos came into the centre of the stage and flipped the photos over to show — when put together — a picture of Federation Square.
8:55PM
Next it’s onto Melbourne folk/rock legend Paul Kelly, who appears on the centre stage.
“I’m high on the hill, looking over the bridge to the MCG,” he fittingly sings as he breaks into Leaps and Bounds.
The song is accompanied by six Melbourne icons: the flame towers at Southbank, the Skipping Girl sign in Victoria Street, Richmond (represented by young skipping girls); Flinders Street Station (commuters hurrying about); the Melbourne Cup (glamorous women with hats, and jockeys on hobby horses); Luna Park (children feeding ping pong balls to clowns), the Arts Centre spire (Shakespearean characters); the Royal Exhibition Buildings (Victoria’s Fruit Fly Circus performing) and the Formula One Grand Prix (kids in F1 car costumes).
In the next section, 100 representatives from 100 ethnic groups in Melbourne appear carrying photos of their ancestors while singer-songwriter Ben Lee sings We’re All In This Together.
According to the guide, this section is dedicated to many different communities within Melbourne.
Judging by the number of people in the crowd clapping and singing along, it’s obviously a very strong message.
8.46PM
The drums grew louder, the pace of the beats grew faster. The crowd was hushed, then the countdown began on the scoreboard.
“Five, four, three, two, one.” A huge cheer, fireworks around the stadium, and a guitarist suspended from the roof of the Great Southern Stand.
He unleashes a huge rift — with sparks coming out the end of the guitar — as he is carried down to the stage by seemingly invisible cables, just like for the tram in the opening ceremony.
As soon as the guitarist reaches the ground, Australian rock band Grinspoon appear on the centre stage, with lead singer Phil Jamieson belting out Hard Act To Follow.
The crowd screams as a footy banner appears at the side of the arena, with scores of leading AFL footballers running onto the arena to kick the footy around. Melbourne’s Russell Robertson and Carlton’s Matthew Lappin are two that I can spot.
The band then moves on to a ballad, Better Off Alone, co-inciding with ballerinas coming onto the ground wearing tutus in AFL team colours.
According to the program guide, it’s a tribute to Melbourne’s two great loves — football and the arts.
The footballers and ballerinas provide an interesting contrast, but it still looks very impressive. And a good rock band is always handy when you want to excite a huge crowd.
8.36PM
We’ve just had the official royal welcome for Prince Edward, followed by a rendition of Australia’s national anthem, Advance Australia Fair.
Then there was an almost eerie lull over the crowd, until four small fireworks shot up over the arena.
The sound of a giant drum is played over the PA system, with the clowd clapping along in time to the music. It sounds exactly like the start of Queen’s We Will Rock You.
Veteran radio announcer Barry Bissell, the MC for the night, announces: “We have two minutes to go”.
The crowd starts to cheer. It’s almost showtime.
8:19PM
Any hint of sunset is well and truly gone now, although the darkness does make the fluorescent blue light illuminating the stage look even more impressive. It’s almost spooky.
Speaking of spooky, the crowd has been enjoying — or enduring, depending on your opinion — a pre-ceremony show with comedy duo the Scared Weird Little Guys.
I’ll admit, those guys aren’t my cup of tea but they seem to have done a pretty good job of warming up the 80,000-plus crowd with their comical musical contributions.
They also managed to co-ordinate a Mexican wave among the crowd, but one with a difference. It involved getting spectators to set off the camera flashes in unison, which looked amazing as the ‘wave’ moved around the stands.
There certainly does seem to a friendly, celebratory vibe around the stadium. It augurs well for a successful ceremony.
8:03PM
There’s just over half an hour to go and the MCG looks like it’s pretty close to full capacity, albeit helped by the thousands of freebie tickets given to volunteers to plug gaps in the crowd.
The running track in the centre of the ground has been covered by a giant tarpaulin, with a stage in the centre.
But what will happen during the ceremony? That’s still a secret, unfortunately. It’s probably a fair chance to include copius amounts of fireworks, though.
7:30PM
The athletics track has been covered at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the athletes are arriving in their droves with video cameras aplenty and the volunteers are celebrating a fortnight of hard work.
It can only mean one thing: the Commonwealth Games are almost over.
With all events now completed, the atmosphere inside the stadium among officials, athletes and spectators alike seems to be buoyant in anticipation of tonight’s closing ceremony.
While all the details of the ceremony are still a closely guarded secret, Australians singers such as Ben Lee, Paul Kelly and Casey Donovan have all revealed they will be playing some part in the ceremony.
It will also feature an official handover of the Games to Delhi in anticipation of the 2010 event, to be followed by an Indian ceremony featuring Bollywood stars.
But with disputes between the Melbourne and Delhi organising committees over the length of time allotted for the presentation - Melbourne 2006 says strictly 11 minutes, despite the Indians’ protests - it will definitely something to keep an eye on.
The ceremony is officially due to begin just after 8.30pm, with the MCG stands more than half full with an hour to go.
WITH aerial ballerinas and body-rockers, sweetheart dollies and snowstorms, formula one kiddy-carts and a 1000-strong congregation of Dame Ednas, Melbourne gave the the world’s athletes a “gladi-atorial” goodbye last night.
From ducks, flying trams and footy legends walking on water, to the Commonwealth Dames making a spectacle of themselves, literally, in just 11 days. It was an unforgettable, Moonee Ponds moment.
If the opening ceremony was, in the words of the executive producer, Andrew Walsh, ethereal and oblique, the final curtain came banging down like a boisterous family party.
Plenty of fun. Plenty of thank-yous. Plenty of promises to stay in touch, possums. Plenty of good, gutsy Australian music, from artists including Paul Kelly, John Farnham, Ben Lee and the Lismore band Grinspoon. Their guitarist Pat Davern kicked the show off from the roof of the MCG before flying down to join the rest of the band on stage. Presumably, he missed the tram.
Nostalgic, affectionate and fast-moving, the ceremony was presented as an “unashamed celebration” of Melbourne and its icons, from Flinders Street Station to Makybe Diva.
Justifiably so. As the Prime Minister, John Howard - one in a procession of world leaders to drop by - put it with rare, understated elegance, a “genial magic” had settled on the city and its people during the Games.
Fine weather, of course, helped. Far from being blasted with four seasons in one day, visitors were blessed with 10 straight days of autumn, here a season of morning mists, shimmering, sunny days and mellow pink dusks and dawns.
But in this, its second, great gold rush, Melbourne, “marvellous Melbourne”, never looked more colourful, never sounded more exuberant, never felt more hospitable.
Daily, in their hundreds of thousands, its people embraced - no, created - a sporting and cultural festival but, more, a community celebration to which the world was warmly invited.
Federation Square rocked with revellers. The Yarra was transformed into the Seine of the South, a ribbon of lights, a stream of artistic consciousness. And exotic fish.
The Botanic Gardens provided a stunning backdrop for the cyclists. The MCG echoed nightly with a mighty roar that swept back and forth with the flow of competition. It was the star of the show.
How else may the success of the Melbourne Games be measured?
By medals won? Australia discovered new heroes, its team overshot its tough target of 208 medals. More importantly, perhaps, more than half the 71 countries took home at least one gong.
By bums on seats? More than 1.6million tickets were sold. Rugby sevens alone accounted for 150,000. Economists said $3 billion was pumped into the local economy, although idle taxi-drivers, shopkeepers and pub landlords disagreed.
By its smooth running? Forget the so-called Sydney Olympics factor by which some feared the Games might be judged. Melbourne demonstrated once again its panache when putting on major events. A perfect 10 for execution? Close.
Inevitably, some remained immune to Games fever. One underwhelmed man wrote to The Age: “Never before has so much been said, written, yelled and screamed about so little.”
Others complained about ticket prices, road closures, one-sided competition and, as they always do, one-eyed TV coverage. They were mere details.
It took a 13-year-old Ghanaian girl, Fatimata Bolly, brought to the Games by an international children’s charity, to articulate a more fundamental misgiving. Fatimata was thrilled by the opening ceremony, but wondered, “Forty million dollars … it’s a lot of money they have used do such action, while people out there are crying for help.” And not just overseas, but nearby, in Innisfail.
Helping others and having the occasional, extravagant party are not wholly exclusive. And, perhaps, in a small way, these genuinely friendly, generous, inclusive Games awakened, rather than sedated, a privileged society to the plight of others.
As Bondi’s Ben Lee sang, hopefully, We’re all in this Together.
Meanwhile, as the fireworks fade from the mind’s eye, the Commonwealth Games caravan moves on, the media dogs stop barking, and the athletes (well, most of them) return home, what memories will survive of Melbourne 2006?
For this dog, Australian highlights were athletic: the women’s marathon; Craig Mottram’s grace; the victory dance of the discus thrower Scott Martin, which was tutu much; the disabled competitors; and the acrobatic theatre group Legs on the Wall.
And so to New Delhi, for the 2010 Games. As last night’s extended Bollywood section confirmed, they should be spectacularly colourful; as the preceding media launch suggested, they may also be several days late.
While the Commonwealth Games will travel in rude, good health, Melbourne turns its attention to this weekend’s formula one grand prix and the new football season.
Thanks, possums. So long, Melbourne. And, as they said in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, “thanks for all the fish”.
Sydney’s Olympic Games were famously dubbed the best Games ever, but Commonwealth Games Federation president Mike Fennell yesterday declared Melbourne had set a new Games record.
“Performances by the athletes have been amazing, the crowds have been phenomenal and the support services have been truly outstanding,” he said. “All in all, very successful.”
On the last day of competition yesterday, Mr Fennell joined Melbourne 2006 chairman Ron Walker and other Games officials to praise the efforts of volunteers and trumpet the Games’ success.
Mr Walker said the 15,000 volunteers had been the Games’ greatest asset.
“I think they’ve done Australia a huge credit. Nothing has been too much trouble for them,” he said.
Commonwealth Games Minister Justin Madden said the atmosphere surrounding the Games had been largely due to the goodwill of volunteers.
“If there’s one thing in particular people will remember from their experience of moving around the city, it will be the orange and blue uniforms and big smiles of volunteers,” Mr Madden said.
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