The pinnacle of sport was also a high point for Cliff Donaldson.
In 1956 the Olympic Games were allocated to Melbourne, Australia, this being the first time they would be held in the southern hemisphere. This was an excellent opportunity for New Zealanders to attend this spectacular event.
A group of running friends of mine thought it would be a great chance to see our running idols in action against one another. Our interest was in distance running, some of us having moderate success running for Otago teams. (The Olympic selectors didn't consider us, however!) I can't remember now who organised the trip and accommodation for us, but am eternally grateful to Ron Cain for inviting me.
The mode of travel had dramatically changed since the 1948 Olympic team travelled by ship to London. We travelled by a DC-6 plane; my previous experience had been by DC-3, Taieri Airport to Wellington, when you walked up a sloping aisle to your seat and flew at 10,000ft. The DC-6 flew at 16,000ft - wow! Such was the interest in the Games around the world, with so many people wanting to travel, that several airlines chartered planes to make the journey. Our plane belonged to a Belgian air company, Sabena.
We were billeted at an address in Elsternwick, a Melbourne suburb where three types of transport were available: train, tram and bus.
The Olympic stadium was the huge Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG, of course). On arriving at the stadium for the opening ceremony, we were amazed at the height of the stand and made our way to the entrance of our block. Each block had its own facilities: necessities like a bar, toilets, shops for food, souvenirs, etc. A roadway for servicing and supplying the facilities circled the perimeter of the area under the stands, such was the space covered by the building. Our seats, approximately the same for each day of the Games, were ideally situated, halfway up the finishing straight and high enough for an elevated view.
As the time of the opening neared, you could sense the excitement building up. At last the music heralded the announcements and the teams marched in to the roar of a 100,000-strong crowd, which grew louder when the Australian team marched in. My previous experience of a stadium crowd had been a mere 20,000 at Carisbrook.
We enjoyed many exciting and entertaining events at the Olympic stadium but that day at the opening ceremony will always live in my memory.
A bonus, of course, was to watch Norman Read win the 50km walk and watch the New Zealand flag raised after Read mounted the podium. New Zealand gave Read, a recent arrival from the UK, a chance to compete and he grabbed it with both feet.
- Cliff Donaldson is a retired journeyman gardener and postal worker.
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