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Wynnum High and Intermediate School • Page 81
was near the head of the line and was able to appreciate fully the burst
of cheering that greeted the team as we stepped on to the brick-red
cinders track. We had practised an elaborate salute for the Duke of
Edinburgh and to initiate this, there was to be a whistle blast. Un
fortunately, this signal was lost in the rear of the crowd.
The highlight of the ceremony was the lighting of the Olympic
Flame and Ron Clarke, Australia’s junior mile record holder, had this
honour. With torch held high, he circled the arena, the focal point of
thousands of cheering people. The carrying of cameras had been
forbidden, but at this point many athletics broke their ranks, branishing
cameras as they ran. Clarke mounted the dais leading to the urn and
before plunging the torch into the bowl, he turned to face the arena,
holding aloft the torch in a salute. It was then that a strange silence
descended, providing an eerie contrast to the clamour that had accom
panied Clarke on his circuit of the arena. Never before or since have
I experienced the feelings of that moment, and the emotions aroused
occur probably once in a lifetime.
The next day provided its thrills. Kuts captured the imagination of
the crowd as he relentlessly circled the arena in the 10,000 metres.
Pursuing him was Gordon Pirie and several times Kuts endeavoured
to get Pirie to take the lead. Finally Kuts moved out from the side of
the track and stopped, forcing Pirie to move to the front and then Kuts
resumed the race, several times moving up to Pirie’s shoulder as though
to test him. Pirie could no longer stand the pace and slackened, and
then Kuts, seeing this, burst ahead and quickly increased the gap
separating them. Kuts after breasting the tape delightedly pranced
round the arena in a victory lap, smiling broadly and waving his arms.
Allan Lawrence’s third in this race provided Australia with its first medal.
For nine hours the high jump was battled out between Dumas and
“Chilla” Porter, the victory jump of Dumas taking place as darkness
blurred the figures on the high jump semi-circle. Over the loudspeaker
came an announcement about a car parked outside. It was locked, the
keys were inside and the engine was running. The last announcement
about this came five hours after the first.
My event took place on the first Tuesday of the Games, and I spent
most of Monday night dreaming about the jumps of next day before I
finally managed to get to sleep. The qualifying distance was 48 feet
6ins., and I followed da Silva, who finally won the event. Da Silva
effortlessly leapt over 50 feet, and unfortunately I could not emulate
his feat. Most of the athletes rested under blankets waiting for their
turn and since then there were 35 in the event, this took some time.
Da Silva as though not having a care in the world, talked and joked
with some of the crowd nearby.
Eirnarrson, a member of the two-man Iceland team who had not
previously jumped more than 52 feet, came up with a 53 feet effort on
his second jump, and for a while daunted even da Silva. Then da Silva’s
great competitive spirit asserted itself, and in a magnificent display of
speed, power and supreme poise, in his last three jumps he cleared 53
feet to beat Eirnarrson by inches.
Unfortunately, athletes had no passes to the venues other than the
Main Stadium, but we could see other sports on television. I have a
notable entry in my diary concerning the swimming. After the 1500
metres, a call came over the loudspeaker telling George Breen, an
American, to report outside to a waiting car since his plane left in half
an hour.
There are many other aspects of the Games that I could relate, but
space does not permit this. The days of the Games finally came to an
end, but I feel sure that those who witnessed and participated in them
will have memories of these for the rest of their lives, and who knows—
they may acquire further memories at the next Games in Rome in 1960.