Tuesday in the village was very quiet – “a ghost town” is how Solly described it. By then, the vast majority of athletes and team officials had left, and although there were still many volunteers around conducting business for the teams that were left, it was a very different place to 48 hours previously.
The morning was spent packing up the final boxes in the office to be taken back with the Chef de Mission, completing the final paperwork, and making sure that departure arrangements for California were also in place. Fortunately, Solly’s travel documents were being sent courier to Melbourne from the Botswana High Commission in Canberra and he was able to secure a ticket for the flight that afternoon. I don’t suppose we will ever know what happened to his passport and ticket – whether it was just lost or stolen even.
Me, Solly, Vera and Victoria - the last morning in the village
Herman and Paula said goodbye to Solly in the village, and it was left to me, Peter (Solly’s T1 driver) and Victoria (the team attaché) to bid farewell to Solly at the airport. We made sure he was able to check in and clear customs OK with his temporary travel documents, before leaving the airport.
Me and Solly at the airport before his departure - Solly in his Wallaby’s shirt and Delhi 2010 hat!
For me and Peter, this was the end of our journey with the Botswana team … and I took off my Workforce uniform for the last time yesterday evening.
Closure
Vera organised a BBQ for the team at her place on Tuesday evening, which certainly brought some closure to our whole experience. Unfortunately, Paula was not able to come, as she had to go back to work, and was very much missed last night.
However, we would all like to say a big ‘CHEERS’ to the team, and a big thank you to everyone for making it such a memorable and unique experience. We hope that the team have a wonderful welcome home, and have arrived home safely.
Cheers to the team in Botswana!
I would also like to say that only about half of the countries competing at the Games actually won medals. Botswana, with its team of only 23 athletes did exceptionally well – many of the athletes made the semi finals and finals in their event which is a massive achievement in its own right, and to come away with two medals is also a great achievement. Botswana should be very proud of them all!
Wall of Fame in the International Zone in the village, depicting every medal winner at the Games
Wall of Fame showing Gable’s silver medal win in the long jump
Wall of Fame showing Mmoloki’s bronze medal win in boxing
Gable with his silver medal and Mmoloki with his bronze medal! Congratulations guys!
As a volunteer, the whole experience has truly exceeded any expectations I had for the event. I was very lucky to be part of such an amazing team – we gelled from the outset and were able to give support each other throughout the whole experience. I have also developed some great friendships outside of my immediate (Botswana) team, which will continue beyond the Games …
THANK YOU TO ALL, including those that have been following my journey via this website – and I look forward to seeing the team again in Botswana sometime in the not too distant future …
Keep in touch!
March 29th, 2006
Sunday was another beautiful sunny day and a day of celebration for the team. It was also a chance for us volunteers to put on a bit of a spread for the team before they left.
Ray, Ray’s wife and Vera spent the morning at Ray’s place preparing all the food and the BBQ. I spent the morning in the office and organising the transport logistics of getting the whole team in two waves to Ray’s house – utilising all three vehicles at the team’s disposal. This was quite a feat given that many of the guys were still having showers ten minutes before the transport was due to depart!
However, we all got there by midday in time to enjoy a wonderful BBQ in a great setting at Ray’s place – plenty of food and drink and the tunes of Bob Marley to while away a couple of hours just socialising, relaxing and celebrating the team’s achievements.
Moses Moruisi (the Secretary General) was also able to join us for a while before his flight home and Lanre and his family came along too (Lanre is the Program Coordinator for Africa and Asia).
BBQ at Ray’s place …
The team!
By 4.00pm everyone was back in the village again, with time to prepare for the Games closing ceremony. All volunteers had been given a complementary ticket for the closing ceremony – and had to make their way to the ‘G’ under their own steam. The athletes would be transported in ‘waves’ from the village to the MCG in buses, in a similar fashion to the opening ceremony. Somehow Vera and I managed to get ourselves involved in ‘additional duties’ to support getting all the teams on the buses from the transport mall in the village to the ‘G’. In hindsight, this was not a good move, as various logistical and operational problems meant that we nearly missed the closing ceremony altogether! We (and about 100 volunteers) were not amused!
Vera and I were involved with the marshalling of all the countries’ athletes onto the buses from the village to the ‘G’, which did mean that we got to see many athletes and talk to loads of different people. The downside was that we were on the last wave of buses out to the ‘G’ and managed to take our seats literally SECONDS before the closing ceremony started.
The closing ceremony was a real party and a celebration of Melbourne and Australia’s music scene – we had a fabulous time, but I’m not sure what other countries around the globe would have made of it. Many people I spoke to afterwards actually said that they thought it was even better than the opening ceremony.
We left the ‘G’ with the tones of John Farnham singing ‘The Voice’ ringing in our ears, and were able to view the fireworks across the city as we walked to Richmond Station. For the second time in two weeks, the city was bathed in a sea of colour and light with fireworks going off from every available skyscraper in the city – it was spectacular.
Our destination was a club opposite South Yarra station to meet up with the team to party! It was a late night of dancing and partying to Botswana beats …
Botswana team celebration and dancing
A Grey Day in the Village
As if to mirror the mood in the village, today was a cool, grey day in Melbourne. Gone was the ‘buzz’ and the vibrancy of flags hanging around the village. Just walking into the village this morning you could see that some teams had already packed up and gone – or were in the process of preparing to depart. The large flags adorning many of the houses have disappeared, the Kiwi signposts have been dismantled, and there was a very different and almost sombre atmosphere.
The day had come to say farewell to the team – and it has been a very sad one.
And so as Melbourne gave thanks to the 15 000+ volunteers in the volunteers’ parade in the centre of town, we were at the village with ‘our’ team, making sure they were ready to depart.
The support team!
One serious problem however was encountered this morning – Solly, the Chef de Mission, had somehow managed to mislay his passport and flight ticket. A frantic search was conducted this morning, and many phone calls made – but to no avail. We still do not know what has happened to the passport and documents – and unfortunately Solly was unable to leave with the rest of the team today. The wheels are in motion to provide him with the relevant travel documents and replacement ticket so that he may fly out to join them tomorrow. California is also on a different flight to the rest of the team, and will also be leaving the village tomorrow.
The team and all her baggage were packed onto the bus ready to depart the village for the airport … we followed along shortly afterwards in a car. I have bade farewell to many family and friends at Melbourne International airport over the last three years, but this farewell has to be one of the most emotional for all involved.
The last few weeks have seen an amazing bond develop between us (the support team) and the athletes and team officials of the Botswana Commonwealth Games team. We have enjoyed the sharing of friendships, our different cultures, the wonderful trip to South Grampians, and the highs and lows of all the athletes competing over the last ten days. The farewell today was very emotional for everyone concerned – but friendships have been forged that will continue beyond the Games…
On returning to the village, we had our own celebration, in the form of sticky date pudding in the dining hall …
Herman and Vera enjoying sticky date pudding!
March 28th, 2006
Today I had much more energy, and not being in the ‘oven’ (that is our office in this heat) all afternoon helped too.
All competition for the athletes is now over. Unfortunately the men’s 4×400m succumbed to a relay error in their heat last night and were disqualified (I believe because one of the runners crossed over the line of one of the lanes in error). The relay events have certainly taken its toll on teams at these Games … and unfortunately Botswana was not excused.
Therefore, today was a day of relaxation for the team. Some went to the aquarium, some went shopping, some just relaxed in the village – and some went to the beach!
At lunchtime, all Botswana CGA assistants and drivers went down to the UAC centre in town to collect our tickets for the closing ceremony (all volunteers have been awarded a ticket for the closing ceremony, which is great!).
On returning to the village, Paula and I took a group of athletes to St Kilda beach for the afternoon. We had a great time – most of them went swimming and some had relay races in the sea …
Races at St Kilda beach …
Races at St Kilda beach …
Playing around at the beach …
This evening, I went with a mate (who is working with Tanzania) to the MCG to watch the athletics. It was finals night and the last night of athletics at the ‘G’ with an audience of 82,000 … boy, what a noise – especially with the last event of the night – the men’s 4×400m final – and Australia winning. The cheering would have blown the roof off if it had one!
The ‘G’ on Grand Finals night
The men’s final 4×400m relay race in action
Again, walking back from the ‘G’ over the bridge and down the River Yarra past the fish, Melbourne was buzzing. There were still thousands of people lining the river banks at 10.00pm to see the penultimate river (fish) show of the Games. The Melbourne Festival has been an enormous success … and a fantastic addition to the Games.
Tomorrow will be a day of packing for the athletes, and a chance for us volunteers to wish them well. We are putting on a BBQ for the team at Ray’s place at lunchtime, returning to the village in time to get ready for the Closing Ceremony. Several of us ‘vollies’ are also involved in shepherding the athletes onto the buses from the village to make sure they get to the Closing Ceremony OK (including me). And then it will be a big party …
March 26th, 2006
I had the early shift, starting at 8.00am, which means leaving home at 6.30am. It is becoming increasingly difficult to keep getting up early after less than 6 hours sleep a night … but there are only a few days left, and it is a shame to think it will all be long over this time next week.
The village is now filling up again, as the athletes have finished competing in their competitions, and we are getting to the serious end of the Games. There are now only semi finals and finals left in most sports now.
Botswana have only one more event to compete in – the 4×400m, which is due to take place very shortly (as I write this). Lebo completed her final singles match in the lawn bowls earlier today, winning 2-0.
The majority of athletes have now been taking time off and exploring Melbourne – either shopping (mainly at Vic Market), visiting Melbourne Zoo or going to the beach. However, there has been a steady stream of phone calls and bits and pieces to sort out in the office, which has kept me in there for most of today. The temperature is climbing again … and by the end of today the office was like an oven, which was not pleasant. I had to leave at six because I was just too tired and hot to function any more. For the first time in about three weeks, I have had the pleasure of sitting on the sofa at home (in the cool) and watching the Games on my own TV!!
Being in bed before midnight will make all the difference I am sure …
March 24th, 2006
Many of the athletes have now finished competing, and it is time for a bit of R&R … there were several outings to Queen Victoria Market this morning for bit of retail therapy.
The paperwork in the office continues, with the attention now turning to checking leaving dates, flight details, and the closing ceremony.
Today, Botswana had three athletes competing in the Lawn Bowls, the men’s 800m final and a boxing semi final. Lebo had two matches to compete in in bowls today – and won both – one against Niue and one against Norfolk Island, so she did exceptionally well.
Earlier this evening Mmoloki Nogeng was competing against Louis Richard Bruno Julie (from Mauritius) in the Bantamweight 54kg semi finals. The final score was 21-10 to Mauritius and so Mmoloki will have to settle for a bronze medal. This is Botswana’s second medal of the Games – well done Mmoloki!
Meanwhile at the ‘G’ Onalenna Oabona was chasing a medal in the 800m final. Unfortunately, he crossed the line in eighth position, and the medals were awarded to Kenya, Canada and Kenya respectively.
I took the afternoon and evening off today and therefore was not able to view the events on the Games TV network or in the flesh, but I hope the team are pleased with their second medal.
My afternoon involved sampling some of the atmosphere down by the river as part of the Melbourne Festival – with some lazy time in the sun!
Leunig’s Boat of Faith…
Watching artists in Alexander Gardens
Bollywood at the Beach - outside the Art’s Centre!
March 23rd, 2006
Today has been a very busy day with competition … culminating with four events in the MCG in the athletics this evening…
Today we had a visit from Angela (the organiser of the Hamilton tour for the team) and her son in the village – Ray was able to show them both around and Moses presented her with a signed photo of the team (taken in Hamilton Botanical Gardens on our visit there) to take back to South Grampians.
We were also all sitting in the office watching the first boxing match of the day at 2.00pm – again cheering and shouting at the TV as Master Luza took on Jitender Kumar from India. A very close match, but Luza’s competitor proved too strong for him and he narrowly lost the match 17-15. This is sad indeed, as Luza was the silver medallist winner at the Manchester Games, and a big hope for the team this time around. However, as one other boxer said to me the other day – “someone has to lose …”
We were able to get some excellent seats for the athletics at the ‘G’ this evening, and be able to soak up the atmosphere, crowd and ‘noise’ of the crowd. Myself, Vera, Ray and Herman were about five rows from the front with a great view of the evening’s events. Unfortunately Paula couldn’t make it otherwise the team would have been complete!
First up was Onnanye Ramohube in the final of the high jump. He was one of four athletes in the final who failed to make 2.15m. The winner made 2.26m to take gold.
Next up was Gable Garenamotse opening the long jump with a massive 8.15m. Although the long jump started at about 7.50pm, it was one of the last events to finish. He remained in first position for the majority of the evening. However Ignisious Gaisah sneaked in with a jump of 2.20m, and Gable could only respond with 2.17m, taking the silver medal at the end of the evening. Unfortunately, Gable had four ‘no jumps’ out of the allotted six. However, silver is still a fabulous achievement – and the first medal for Botswana at the Games! Well done Gable!
Gable Garenamotse at the ‘G’ after winning the silver in the long jump
Gable Garenamotse at the ‘G’ after winning the silver in the long jump - and his famous socks
Whilst the long jump was taking place, we were party to numerous other events including the Women’s 3000m steeplechase, which I always find quite a peculiar event (a bit like a horse race, as Vera put it) but entertaining to watch.
Our third competitor for the evening was Onalenna Oabona in the semi final heats for the 800m. He produced an excellent time of 1:47.78 in the second heat securing him a place in the finals tomorrow.
Onalenna Oabona competing in the 800m semi final heats
Finally, we witnessed the men’s 400m final with California Molefe taking on the Australian favourite John Steffensen. California came in sixth out of the eight competitors, and so we did not win any medals in the individual 400m tonight. John Steffensen came home to win comfortably in front of a roaring home crowd.
California Molefe at the ‘G’ for the 400m final
All in all it was a very exciting night at the ‘G’ followed by a walk back over the bridge, via Birrung Marr and the ‘fish’ on the Yarra … again there were several thousand people watching the ‘show’ … and the atmosphere was just great!
Two other events were taking place in the boxing tonight too whilst we were at the ‘G’. I believe Botswana won one and lost one: Mmoloki Nogeng won his match against the Lesotho boxer Tabiso Nketu 34-23, whereas Moabi Mothiba lost his match in the second round. This leaves just one boxer remaining in medal contention in the semi final on Thursday evening.
Good luck Mmoloki!
And good night to all …
March 23rd, 2006
I was able to get a trip out to the bowls competition to see Lebo competing today. She had a tough match and unfortunately did not win. However, it was good to see the bowling team compete at long last…
Lebo and Jane (seated) at the bowling
The morning’s excitement focussed around Gable’s long jump qualifying round – he was first to jump, and actually only jumped once!! He jumped a massive 8.15m which was enough to get him through to the finals – and put him at the top of the qualifying round list of results. Unfortunately I was out of the office this morning taking Peter (Solly’s T1 driver) on a tour of the village – and missed his jump altogether, but will look forward to seeing him in the finals.
No boxing today, but all the boxers are resting and training (and recovering from last night), in preparation for tomorrow.
This evening’s athletics included the semi final heats for the men’s 400m (no photos I’m afraid). Gakologelwang Masheto came 8th in his heat, and therefore did not qualify for the finals – but it was still a great achievement to reach the semi finals. California Molefe was on fine form and came in second in his heat (which was very fast) with a time of 45.36. Go California!
It was great to see the athletics at the ‘G’. Even though the crowd this evening was not as big as Sunday and Monday, the roar of the crowd is still deafening …
After leaving the ‘G’ I was able to wander down by the river and soak up some of the atmosphere there. There were hundreds of people lining the banks of the Yarra to watch the ‘fish’ and the water performance. And again, the weather has been wonderful, although it is starting to heat up again.
The River Yarra and the fish, with the MGC in the background
The crowds waiting for the performance on the river
Tomorrow brings a day of boxing and athletics – and closer to medals for the Botswanan team …
March 21st, 2006
It is weird to think that in a week’s time, the Games will all be over and the athletes will be departing for their respective homes around the globe. It will be a sad time indeed to see everyone leaving from the village - their ‘home away from home’ …
In the meantime, there are medals to be won. And I have a very good feeling for Botswana …
During the day, the village is now very quiet. The morning is a hive of activity, with people walking to and from the dining hall and the transport mall … by lunchtime, the place is very quiet with only a few athletes relaxing, sleeping, training or watching the Games TV network in their houses or the residents’ centres. There is a bit of a routine in our office now, with the morning paperwork to complete and usually a few issues to follow through on. Also, the office is the central point of contact for external people (media, journalists etc) and athletes/officials when they are out of the village, so we are trying to keep it manned by at least one person for the vast majority of time between 8.00 and 5.00.
There was one incident today where Paula and I had to drive over to the boxing venue in order to get certain paperwork signed by the Chef de Mission to meet a deadline. When leaving the village and walking to the car, we were called out to by one of the Australian female athletes dressed in her official ceremonial uniform. She wanted to know if we could give her a lift into town to a press conference. Given that we were heading to the Melbourne Exhibition Centre, we obliged, and gave Katie Mactier (winner of the Gold medal on Sunday for the Women’s Individual Pursuit at Cycling) a lift into town. We had a good chat with her about her achievements on the way into town, and she even showed us her medal – the medals are actually very beautiful close up and ‘in the flesh’. Something to treasure …
Botswana has been busy with events today. Unfortunately, another of the boxers was eliminated today - Michael Rantsho was beaten by a fast-hitting guy from Northern Ireland. Last night Herbert Nkabiti was also beaten by an English guy.
However, this evening, the boxing ring played host to three matches with Botswanan competitors. First up was Master Luza against Kennedy Kanyanta from Zambia – his arch rival who denied him the Gold medal in Manchester. It was a close fought match, but Luza came through to win 19-10. We were watching the match in the village on the Games TV network, and everyone jumped around with excitement at his win. This match was followed by an even bigger win! Mmoloki Nogeng was fighting against Prince ‘Octopus’ Dzaine from Ghana (apparently the current world champion in his weight category). It was an extremely tightly fought match, with Mmoloki trailing by 2-5 points all the way through to the fourth round. But he managed to overpower the ‘prince’ and in the last ten seconds and win by 2 points (33-31). Everyone in the room was jumping up and down – and the mobile phones started to ring … the good news had already made it to Botswana (apparently many people had been watching it live there also)…
Finally, it was the chance for Gomotsang Gaasite (or ‘48’ to his friends) to show what he was made of against the young up-and-coming Australian in front of the Australian crowd. It was an extremely hard-fought match and ‘48’ fought to the end without giving up. However, sadly, the Australian just proved too strong for him, and he lost 34:15. The score does not do the match justice, as it was much closer than the score line would lead you to believe…
Today also, Onnanye Ramohube qualified for the high jump. Amantle Montsho ran in the first of three semi finals for the 400m (women’s). Unfortunately, she came fifth in her event today, and did not qualify for the final, but has made a great achievement of getting to the semi finals for this event.
The final athletics event to report on for today was the 400m (men’s) heat. Botswana had three guys running in the heats. California Molefe won his qualifying heat, and not only did he win, but he obtained the fastest qualifying time for the day in the event. Gakologelwang Masheto also qualified for the semi finals tomorrow. Obakeng Ngwigwa unfortunately narrowly failed to qualify and join his team mates.
The final athlete to compete in the Games for Botswana will be Gable Garenamotse in the high jump: the qualifying event takes place on Tuesday (tomorrow) and Gable is listed to jump first in his group.
The excitement in the camp is mounting – especially at the thought of medals…
March 21st, 2006
Today was ‘Super Sunday’! The ‘G’ has been bathed in sunshine all day and filled with 76,000+ spectators … the athletics is well and truly underway.
For us it meant the 100m men’s heats, the 400m women’s heats, another first round in the boxing and the women’s bowls.
The office was VERY quiet today – early morning paperwork and a few phone calls to deal with and then a lot of flicking between the marathon, the athletics heats and the boxing on the TV network – and lots of shouting at the TV!!! Most of the athletes have been at the ‘G’ all day, and I’m hoping that’s where we’ll all be to watch some more of the athletics tomorrow.
As I write this the women’s playoff between Fiji for the 11th-12th position is underway in the bowls. Unfortunately, Tlhalosang Molapisi did not qualify for the semi finals in the men’s 100m – however, he did come 36th out of 60 in the heats.
In the boxing, Michael Rantsho unfortunately did not have a good match – his Northern Ireland component was just too good for him. No matter how much we cheered him on from the office, his luck did not change, and he will not be continuing to the next round.
This afternoon we waited patiently for the women’s 400m heats. Amantle Montsho was running in heat 3. She was trailing 5th in the first half of the race, but as she came around the bend, she started to close the gap between her and the competitors ahead of her. However, in the final 60 metres or so, she powered through to take third position at the finish line – and qualifies for the semi finals on Monday evening. Her time has placed her 10th out of the 24 qualifiers for tomorrow’s semi finals.
This evening we have another two boxing matches to look forward to…
March 19th, 2006
Today has been all about boxing!
The bowls ladies were already on the greens by the time I arrived in the office this morning – and when I left the village had still not returned. However, I can say that the results from today’s matches were as follows:
• 2-0 loss to Jersey for the Ladies triples, which I believe, unfortunately, leaves them seventh in their pool and out of the next round.
• 2-1: Leboqang Moroke in the Ladies singles - loss to South African Lorna Trigwell. However, this is her first match.
As I said, today has been all about boxing. Ray spent most of the morning trying to track down a parcel due to arrive from Germany containing the boxing kit and boots. This was due to arrive several days ago in Melbourne, but the freight plane in Germany had broken down! Suffice to say that somehow the airline had managed to get it off the palette and onto another plane to Melbourne, and we were aware today that it had now arrived in Melbourne. However, it still had to be located and fast-tracked through the system, cleared through customs, and delivered …
Most of the boxers have their own competition kit and boots. However, one boxer due to compete at 6.30 tonight did not. It was a race against time today to see if the parcel could be located, fast-tracked through on a Saturday and collected ahead of the evening’s session. I’m not quite sure what the alternative would have been …
Ray received a phone call to say that the parcel had been located, and cleared through customs. We decided that picking it up would be the quickest way to get the contents to the competition venue – the village has a large amount of red tape to deal with and security checks for any deliveries (as I had found out with the delivery of Solly’s laptop from Dell …). Plus a delivery would take far longer than one afternoon! Paula and I left the village on a dash to a trading estate near Melbourne Airport to collect the parcel (the lady dealing with the issue for us at the logistics company had already pulled out many stops to get it that far, including coming into work on her day off I believe and utilising her sister as a delivery driver). We successfully collected the parcel and drove back into town to the boxing venue at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre. There I had to run upstairs from back of house through to the venue entrance to meet the Boxing Manager (‘Shakes’) and bring him down to the car park. At this point we received some very funny looks as we opened the boot of the car and proceeded to rip the tape off the box to open the parcel (a very large box) full of kit and boots and hunt for the correct sizes in tops, shorts and boots! At least Shakes went away a happy man…
Me and Paula with the box of boxing gear from Germany
Back at the village we then had to cart the box with the remaining gear across the village to the office! Fortunately we were just in time to catch the first Botswanan boxing match of the day. The Games village and competition venues have a TV network set up including channels with live feeds from all the competition venues. We were therefore able to watch the match live in the office … I’ve never really been into boxing, but apparently you could hear us from down the road screaming at the TV as Gaasite Gomotsang was competing against a competitor from Sierra Leone. He won 25-15 … there was much excitement in the office!
We were fortunate enough to obtain some additional tickets for the evening session at the boxing, in which two of the Botswana boxers were competing.
Beginning of match for Master Luza (in blue)
Nogeng Mmoloki in action (in red)
Never did I think I would end up watching a live boxing match – let alone cheering on a competitor in one! I went along to the evening session with Topsy (local Botswana attaché to Hamilton) and Herman … and both Master Luza Lechedzani and Nogeng Mmoloki won their matches!
Go Botswana!
March 18th, 2006
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