There was the Premier, Bob Carr, dropping his left knee on the Town Hall steps, taking in his right hand the right hand of a stunned Cathy Freeman and kissing it. You are far too modest,'' said the Premier. There was Kieren Perkins, taking Georgia, his daughter of three years, from the arms of his wife, Symantha, and carrying the girl to the steps. Georgia had been crying in the crush of the crowd. On the steps with her swimming hero father, she clapped her hands with joy.
Some people have to stand on the pavement to cheer as the heroes pass by.
Inspector Dave Darcy estimated that about 200,000 people had lined the streets from the Opera House yesterday and about 60,000 gathered around the Town Hall. Office workers threw shredded paper from high-rise buildings, like guests with confetti at a wedding. If this Olympic marriage between athletes and people were to last, it might give birth to a new religion for the 21st century. The great wave of public will that carried the Olympic torch around Australia and around the Olympic venues finally washed up on the city streets. She does represent a lot about this country, indigenous and non-indigenous.