Left: Chris Ciriello of the Commonwealth Games squad, Paralympian Lisa McIntosh and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Eloise Southby-Halbish read out the messages from the towns.CARDINIA Shire’s official warm-up for the Commonwealth Games on Sunday saw hundreds of people get into the games spirit.
Communities, including Gembrook, Garfield, Officer, Cockatoo, Tynong, Emerald and Kooweerup, held their own relays and carried their own township-made baton filled with messages of goodwill to Commonwealth Games athletes.
The batons travelled by some unusual means, at times riding on a potato truck and horseback through Gembrook, and carried through Kooweerup by a 92-year-old runner before being passed to a three-year-old runner.
Runners then ‘converged’ at the Cardinia Cultural Centre in Pakenham for a ‘come and try’ sports festival presented by local sporting clubs and Cardinia Shire Council.
Paralympian Lisa McIntosh, Commonwealth netball gold medallist Eloise Southby-Halbish and Commonwealth hockey player Chris Ciriello were special guests at the event.
Cardinia sustainable communities manager Maria Berry said the townships had done a fantastic job embracing the Commonwealth Games spirit of friendship and competition.
“They were creative and enthusiastic,” she said.
“Some of the batons the towns made to carry their messages were great, everything from an embroidered flag, to locally-made timber batons, to one shaped like Games mascot Karak the cockatoo.”
