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Well, the big day has come and gone, but
the memories will last forever. Yes, I??™m talking about
August 30, 2000, the day that our number one son,
Mark, carried the Olympic flame through Maitland on that leg
of the Olympic Torch Relay. For months prior to the event,
we were excited and proud of his selection, but that paled
into insignificance when compared to the emotion of the day.
The night before was a sleepless one for
me. I guess it was like being a kid and trying to go to
sleep on Christmas Eve, only worse. I tossed and turned all
night, and finally got sick of laying there, so beat the
alarm by a couple of hours and awoke the suitably
unimpressed family. Of course, Mark was the hardest of all
to wake up. He is, after all 15, and slept like a baby,
trying to play down all the fuss.
The first event of the day, was an
invitation only, black-tie, breakfast with the Mayor at the
Town Hall. That is black-tie for all men except the Torch
Bearers, who had to wear their official uniform of shorts
and long sleeved Olympic T-shirts. Remember that August is
the last month of winter in Australia, and it was quite
brisk at 8am. I took him to the door so that I could find
out when to pick him up and went off with the rest of the
family to the city mall, where the days celebrations were
kicking off with a free sausage sizzle supplied by the local
radio station. Mark in the mean time, was eloquently dining
and hob-knobbing with the city council and the society
bunch.
Later that morning, we went to Maitland
Park, where thousands of people were soon to congregate for
the lunch-time lighting of the Community Olympic Cauldron.
There were huge portable stages set up for the officials,
the cauldron, and bands, to provide the entertainment.
There was also a huge portable TV screen, to show the torch
bearer as he approached the stage, and an incredible sound
system to play all the heart grabbing, tear jerking,
inspirational music as the torch grew closer. A long
barricaded pathway was erected up the middle of the crowd,
and the entire perimeter of the park was surrounded by food
and souvenir vendors and hundreds of police and security
personnel.
Mark had a VIP pass, which enabled us to
park our car in the park itself, and get close to the
stages. We had Tristian in his wheelchair, and the usual
job of pushing him through a crowd was made more difficult
by having Mark walking in front of us in his distinctive
uniform. He was continuously stopped for photo??™s and
autographs, which he attended to with a not surprising
mixture of humility, patience and casualness. The attention
he attracted increased ten-fold when he was issued with his
Torch a few hours before his turn to carry the flame. He
held it like a newborn baby, while being thronged by people
who simply wanted to touch it.
After waiting for the cauldron to be lit
for the lunch time stopover in the park, we delivered Mark
to the Torch Bearer??™s bus, and made our way on foot to the
position where he was to finish his leg of the run, and pass
the flame on to the next runner at about 2:45pm. We had
relatives and friends lining the route, armed with video,
digital and regular cameras. He was due to start at 2:36pm,
and the relay was being run with military precision, so
although we could not see the start of his run, we
confidently counted down the minutes and seconds. The crowd
that lined the streets broke into applause as he
approached. The affect cascaded along the route and was
absolutely infectious. We were opposite the city hospital,
where many of the patients had been wheeled onto the
footpath by staff and relatives, so as not to miss this
historic event.
Finally, the first of the escort vehicles
(police cars and motor bikes with sirens sounding and lights
flashing) came around the bend towards us. Under-cover
officers moved along the sides of the procession, and a
special truck full of members of the press approached next.
Our eyes, and those of the crowd, were fixed on the boy in
white, proudly holding his torch aloft while squinting into
the afternoon sun. He had slowed the pace to a walk, in
order to make the moments last as long as possible. As he
passed our position, he veered closer to the crowd and gave
a ???high five??? to the proudest dad on the planet. The last
50 metres looked a little blurry to me after that, perhaps
it was the afternoon sun.
Our kids have given us plenty of
occasions to be proud of them, so what is all the hype about
running with a torch. Well, the flame is the symbol of the
Olympic games. A symbol of the philosophy and ideals
associated with a world-wide phenomenon which joins all
races and nations on earth in the spirit of peace and
friendship. For about nine minutes, Mark Joseph Boxsell, 15
years old, from Maitland, NSW, Australia, was the only
person on the planet in possession of that flame, that
symbol, that phenomenon. That??™s a privilege that should
live with him forever.
After Mark passed on the flame to the
next person, his torch was extinguished, and I guided him
through the crowd to his family and friends. After some
more photo??™s we walked back to the car in Maitland Park. It
was a long leisurely walk, which attracted more well wishers
and autograph hunters. Marks??™ mates from Navy Cadets, came
back to our home, for pizza and soft drink, while the adults
celebrated with a few quiet beers and some nibblies. The
whole family was sunburnt, and we paid for our failure to
take suitable precautions for the next week.
We had a special treat when we viewed the
short piece about the highlights of day 84 of the Torch
Relay on TV that night. There was only room for two runners
to be shown. The man who lit the cauldron at Maitland Park
was a must, of cause. But then, to our surprise, they
showed our boy, running across the bridge that joined the
Hunter River with the flood plains. It was footage shot
from the back of the press truck, and which we had not seen.
The commentator announced that it was a special day for the
Boxsell family of East Maitland, with their son Mark
carrying the flame. She briefly told of the reasons why
Mark was chosen for the honour. For the continuous
assistance that he has given to his parents in the care for
his disabled brother, and the total dedication he bestowed
upon his Nanna while she spent her last months dying of
cancer in our home.
Mark??™s torch spent some time lying on the carpet under his
bed with his dirty clothes (a coveted position according to
Mark) before being rescued by his Mum. It is in our room
temporarily until we can have it properly mounted on a wall
or in a display case. We only have a few days until the
flame reaches the Olympic Stadium. I am on 3 weeks holiday,
of which 2 weeks will be spent glued to the TV watching the
games. I am a sports nut, and always spend Olympics and
Commonwealth Games this way, but this year games will mean a
whole lot more to me then they ever were before, and ever
will be again.
Kevin J. Boxsell ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
May your day be blessed
Bob Johnston |
