The Yak Shack Forum

So did anyone watch the opening ceremony?

Is anyone interested in the games?

It is such a great feeling here in Melbourne to have the commonwealth games in our beautiful city. I went down into town to see the Queen's Baton Relay a day ago and there was an air of excitement....and a party in the main city square. The ceremony last night was a nice one...albeit a bit obsure...but im very happy that our fair Queen made it to Australia to open the games.

I am currently going to see the gymnastics and weightlifting...and trying to get tickets to the athletics.  ;D Exciting

So do you reckon it will be the last time the Queen gets to Aus? Did I hear she'd been like 16 times, it's an exhausting trip for anyone, and apparently  on one one visit she is said to have seen something like 2/3 of the popn of Australia? I wonder if she managed a cup of tea with all of them :rofl:

I'm glad you've got tix - take lots of photos if you are allowed :D and maybe of the outside of the stadium etc ;D

Yea I honestly think it will be her last trip...although she is pretty agile for an 80 year old...walks around fine. But I do think that it is a big trip and she is always so busy when she comes here. The crowds are pretty big, they all come out to greet her and give her flowers. Yea she has been here 16 times...in her younger days she used to be out here for a few weeks at a time.

Only a special few got to have a cuppa with her..unfortunately I was not one of them. Actually they had a competition to have a cup of tea and a chat with the queen, but you had to be born the same year as she was. 3 ladies won it and they had a cuppa with her, it was either yesterday or the day before I think.

I will take photos of the events if im allowed to and post them here...im not going until next week.

The ceremony was great, but I agree there were a few strange moments (ie football with a (toy) Koala head), but overall it was fantastic and I wish I could have forked over the cash to be there.

Ive got tix for the gymnastics too! what day are you going?

Not sure if we are allowed to take photos, but Im sure we can try  ;D

These are from the opening last night:

(http://theage.com.au/ffximage/2006/03/15/koala_gallery__255x400,0.jpg)

(http://theage.com.au/ffximage/2006/03/15/angel_gallery__470x339,0.jpg)

(http://theage.com.au/ffximage/2006/03/15/flyingtram2_gallery__470x275,0.jpg)

(http://theage.com.au/ffximage/2006/03/16/fireworks_gallery__470x313.jpg)

This does sound like a hard job.. ;) :P drinking tea... accepting flowers... ;D

The Queen is going to be back in England and doing a 'walkabout' in Windsor on her birthday (21st of April) - which happens to be my birthday as well ;) do you think I should go and demand (or offer) a piece of birthday cake?

I think you are definately entitled to a piece of the cake...the Queen is not the only special lady in England with that birth date!!

Kate...im going to Rhythmic Gymnastics on 25th March at 12:30...when you going?

argh, im on the 26th. I tried to get that one on the 25th but wasnt able to...

argh, im trying to get another ticket..hopefully 26th or one during the week...would like to see it a couple of times.

GUESS WHAT!!! Im pretty damn sure that the QUEEN just drove past my work!!!!!!!  :o

I didnt see her car :'(  but apparently a whole heap of police bikes and police cars, followed by that black car she drives around in (forgot what it is called) and then more police cars just drove past. I caught the end of the journey, saw some police cars and heard the helicopter above us..but my work colleague just saw it all. She is supposed to be attending the swimming sometime today so it could have been her...our work is on the route to the Sports & Aquatic Centre where the swimming is held  ;D

A friend of my Mum's is a 'gentleman at arms' and he says that if the Queen gets wind of the fact that the Aussies think it's her last visit she'll turn up again next year to prove you all wrong :rofl:

Typical Pom :rofl:

Ah, her RH is a darling... coming all the way out for a duck and a flying tram ;) Seriously, what was with the DUCK???

OK this might seem like a stupid question to UKers and Aussies, but if I am understanding this right Aus recognized the Queen of England as their Queen also?

I know the general history on Oz being basically a British Prison for lack of a better term way back when, but I didn't realize that there was still such a strong link.  Can someone clue me in a little better.

Well yes, really. It's not like she costs them anything... under normal circumstances... but we will probably send Australia a big bill for "wasting the Queen's time with flying ducks and trams" :rofl: . To be fair those fireworks around the Stadium look GREAT! Not to mention going all out and having the lovely Dame Kiri (isn't she a New Zealander? *ducks in case I'm wrong*) sing a special happy birthday/Brit National Anthem medley :rofl:

Well yes - they get her on their stamps (I think), coins etc, it's more of an alliance rather than a ruling (she doesn't rule here either anymore I suppose). The Queen is the head of the Commonwealth nations (which are all ex-British Empire nations with the exception of Mozambique) so it's all a fancy new word for pulling the nations together for a knees up called the "Commonwealth games" - and I believe if I wanted to set up a business with Jo and did international trade between Aus and the UK I'd get a better tax break than if I set that same business up with someone in the States because you aren't in the Commonwealth. In an Australian context, the term "Commonwealth" refers to the federal government, and "Commonwealth of Australia" is supposed to be the official name of the country (am I right guys or is this outdated stuff?). The Queen isn't the 'monarch' of all the fifty odd commonwealth countrys but just the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Jamaica. I wonder whether when the Queen dies they'll oust Charles... I hope so. I'm not exactly a fan myself and I daresay that during his 'reign' (if it ever goes ahead) we may see the end of the British Royal Family as we know it (don't worry - they have plenty of personal wealth which will see that they can still pay someone to tie their shoelaces for them).

The last guys to leave the Commonwealth were Zimbabwe who were kicked out ... basically because of Mugabe.

And Aus wasn't exactly a den for criminals of the highest level - you could be deported to Australia for stealing a sheep, you didn't have to be an axe weilding maniac to be sent off.

And Aus wasn't exactly a den for criminals of the highest level you didn't have to be an axe weilding maniac to be sent off.

But it helps right?

In Jo's case ... yes.

*dissappears to Brazil where Jo can't find me*

P.S. There's a reason why I know I can get away with this ;)

we were a convict colony...like Roz says, mostly minor crimes...

The Queen is still considered "head of state" so I guess she is our ruler as such (yep, shes our Queen), but our Prime Minister, and our Governer who acts as the Queens rep, are our main heads, if that makes sense.

The events today at the games have been good; they had the mens and womens marathons this morning...I had a late night (or early morning I guess you could call ir  ::)) so by the time I got up it was almost finished, but it was a great finish (an Aussie woman won gold), and I think the english got bronze for both mens and womens. One poor Aussie girl looked like she wasnt going to make the finish, she stumbled across the line and collapsed straight away, but is apparently fine now after being treated with an iv...

Yes - we dealt with axe wielding maniacs in quite different days back then :o

Not to mention that a lot of people moved there of their own volition much as they did to America or to other lands. People who thought that 100,000 acre farms sounded good (although I think in those days you could probably keep only 20-30,000 sheep on a farm that size), the "oil" equivalent in Australia in those days was probably water :D people bored like mad for it ;)

We have some old family friends - during the war the army built a camp on their farm and after the war they didn't give the land back, they were recompensed but (understandably) angry - so they moved to Queensland. I've had a letter from their daughter (born in Aus) this week saying the had a fan overhead, a fan blowing in her face and she is still sweating bucketloads, poor thing, I bet some people will be very glad of the relief of the winter.

Of course Kate, we get reports highlighting English wins and Scottish wins (although I've hardly watched it) - I saw a cycling race end yesterday with a mad burst of energy (unexpected from the English in a hot climate! :rofl: (although I think this event would have been indoors)) pass over the finish line, literally taking gold by a nose! ::) cheeky!

Ahem.

::)

 :rofl:

Blimmin 'eck... when did the Scots start hybriding people with fish??

They nicked the idea from our Thorpie :rofl:

I just watched the 1500m womens track... one of my primary school friend's younger sister was competing. She came last in the final, but as she is only 20 she has a lot more chances to compete! :)

Wow that's awesome :D great for you guys.

It's X Files and FMA style Chimera stuff Jo!

Well I saw the closing ceremony this morning and it was brilliant  ;D  The fireworks were even better than the Sidney ones and the Dame Edna bit was excellent - especially the glasses  ;D  The next games in Delhi should be fantastic to, judging by the bit they did.

I thought the closing ceremony was fantastic...actually I liked it better than the opening ceremony..it was more uniquely Australian. I loved how they had alot of our australian musicians creating a bit of a party..and John Farnham topped it off at the end, he is the best!

And yes I do agree, the Dame Edna part was really great. Actually a friend of mine was in that part, one of 1000 Dame's, they had to organise their own costumes all of those dames, they got the wigs, glasses etc but the costumes were all made/brought themselves. The theme was that there is a bit of Dame Edna in all of us.

Im sad it is over though...will have to get my photos together and post a bit of an overview of the events I went to.