Nor is it likely to again at least for a lifetime. Olysceptics in the host city may find it difficult to accept, but the torch has provided a much-needed morale boost for the bush, not just in NSW, but across the nation. The torch has in a sense validated the existence of countless country towns and perhaps provided a much-needed connection with the city following the furore surrounding Pauline Hanson that divided the nation. The torch relay, as successful as it has been, is considerably more contrived than, say the Melbourne Games equivalent, which was run day and night. The 2000 torch travels a substantial part of its journey by vehicle, stopping at the edge of towns where it is then run through streets ending up at ovals and showgrounds.
Local celebrations await the torch's arrival.
Fortunately, AMP has not insisted that its name feature on the actual cauldron, though it is ubiquitous elsewhere. Even in the early morning, even in the Wagga cold, the body language among 100 or so members of the torch team suggests that another day on the road, is, in fact, hardly onerous. The torch relay, a refinement of Atlanta's 1996 version, has become a well-oiled machine, with a remarkably small number of hitches for such a sizable and protracted event. Aside from the completion of the Olympic venues in record time before the Games, it's probably the Sydney Olympics's biggest success story. But Henry has done much more than just tap loudly on the glass ceiling.