Canberra woke to a sea of happiness and red flags. Tens of thousands of people flocked to the street in the Australian capital to witness the Beijing Olympic torch relay on Thursday.
At the War Memorial, over 200 Girl Guides sang to entertain the spectators as they waited for the torch to arrive. At 10:30 am local time, (20:30 GMT Wednesday), the 91-year-old torch bearer Julius Patching carried the torch up from the bottom of Anzac Parade to the Remembrance Stone, and passed the flame to the youngest torch bearer Jake Warcaba.
The 14-year-old boy then ran up the steps, passed the military band to the War Memorial before passing the flame to Marjorie Jackson-Nelson.
Double Olympic gold medallist Jackson-Nelson was thrilled to play a role at such a sacred place the day before Anzac Day.
"It just went too quickly. It was great coming in the bus with all the other athletes. They actually had someone from New Zealand so that was fantastic on Anzac Avenue," Jackson-Nelson said.
Patching, the secretary general of the Australian Olympic Committee from 1973-1985 who devoted himself to Olympic movement, told Xinhua that the torch relay was wonderful and very well organized with massive involvement of young people."That is what the Olympic movement advocates."
Some 20 family members were on the scene to support Patching. Patching, who lived alone near Point Lonsdale beach in Victoria, has five grandchildren and nine great grandchildren.
Patching, the oldest among the 80 torch bearers in Canberra, said the Olympic movement is a peaceful movement, a worldwide movement.
The Beijing 2008 Olympic torch relay was Patching's fifth time to be a torch bearer, having helped the Olympic flame on its way to the Melbourne, Altanta, Sydney and Athens Games.
He told Xinhua that he opposed to boycotting the Beijing Olympics and believed the Beijing Olympics will be a success as he has learned that Beijing is well prepared for the Games.
The 14-year-old Warcaba, the youngest torch bearer, was chosen by the Australian Olympic Committee due to the eve of Anzac Day. His father passed away while serving.
"It was awesome .. what a great feeling. I still can't believe I was there in front of so many people," he said.
"I was a bite nervous when climbing the steps of the War Memorial, just one day before the Anzac Day. It was a once in a lifetime experience," Warcaba told Xinhua.
On representing his late father, he said: "He is very important to me. I was very honored to do it."
Patching said: "It is of great symbolic significance to pass the Olympic flame from an old man to a boy, it represents the inheritance of Olympic spirit."
(Xinhua News Agency April 25, 2008)