Twenty years to the day after the cauldron was lit to open the Sydney Olympics it has been set alight again,without the drama of that unforgettable night.
Cathy Freeman had had one rehearsal to light the cauldron signifying the start of the Sydney Olympics 20 years ago today. But she wanted a second practice.
I could never have imagined how exhilarating singing in the opening ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games would be.
The year 2000 is best viewed as the cheerful end to a successful 1990s for the city,not the dawn of a new age.
Twenty years later,Cathy Freeman still sits at the end of the track in quiet bewilderment when reflecting on her Sydney Olympic gold medal triumph and what she went through to get there.
As the newly elected premier in 1995 and with no sporting gene,I suffered heretical forebodings about this huge festival we were putting together. But our gambits paid off.
He has to go. The Deputy Premier's position is untenable following his humiliating backdown from his attempt to ambush his own government.
What does September in Sydney mean to you?
As a little girl,Cathy Freeman had dreamed of winning Olympic gold and with her victory she not only made this a reality but expanded the national consciousness.
An excursion to Sydney Olympic Park reveals a state-owned ghost town,a joyless aftermath in which unused four and six-lane roads remain pristine in their ugliness.
The last 20 years has not been built on the structure of efficiency and conviviality we projected in September 2000. Howard released the dogs of ethnic hysteria soon after,and they are running still,and mauling our repute