Melbourne, C’wealth Games & PNG

I’ve come home to the single free-to-air channel on a Sunday night (Em TV is the solitary broadcast PNG channel), and it’s playing the closing ceremony to the Commonwealth Games. It’s been a bit easy to be disparaging (white elephant etc.), but I must say, it looked pretty impressive on the teev tonight. I’m not quite sure what that version of ‘better be home soon’ was all about (she sang well – very low?). So anyways, there’s plenty that talk about how it’s a waste blah blah – but I find myself not caring too much about cynicism on a Sunday night watching my home town kick’in it on teev around the world.

When they show each of the countries in a row – all coming ‘together’ as such… it’s cool.

When they pay so many musicians and dancers n stuff in the arts – it’s cool.

The FIRST gold medal EVER was won for Papua New Guinea in the Men’s Butterfly. People here have been talking about it a fair bit (here in Lae, and when I was down in Popondetta) – and they’re (all 3 medals I think) national heroes now… something that (I think) is cool for PNG. The TV hasn’t stopped replaying it for a few nights now. The welcome back into PNG was worthy of the biggest winning grand-final parade I’ve ever seen.

Finally, the other surprising bit to me was when Ron Walker came on and introduced all the dignitaries (incl. Mr & Ms Howard/ etc.) and the Melb Lord Mayor John So got the largest applause out of all every time his name was mentioned! I mean, I’ve never had a thing with him one way or another (except the usual politics stuff) – but I didn’t realise he was *that* popular. They’re printing up t-shirts with “John So is my Bro”?

And India has the next games. 1 billion, and it’s the first ever commonwealth games in India. Bollywood is cool too.