Line up for baton

LOCAL residents are being urged to take to the streets and raise a cheer when the Queen’s Baton Relay passes through Ferntree Gully on its way to light up the Commonwealth Games.
Ferntree Gully MP Anne Eckstein last week led the rallying cry for locals to witness the final leg of the baton’s historic international journey when it passes through the region on Monday, 13 March.
The baton will then carry on towards the MCG for the Melbourne 2006 opening ceremony, to take place on Wednedsay, 15 March.
“It’s an honour for the residents of Ferntree Gully to be able to welcome the Queen’s Baton on its final leg of its international relay.
“This is a great opportunity for Ferntree Gully to celebrate the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games and be a part of history,” she said.
On Monday, 14 March last year, the Queen’s Baton set off from Buckingham Palace on its epic journey to Melbourne, where it will deliver a message from the Queen to Commonwealth Games athletes.
For the first time in the Games’ history, the baton has visited all 71 nations of the Commonwealth home to one third of the world’s population.
It has travelled more than 180,000km across land, air and sea, via many thousands of relay runners and on many different modes of transport, from bicycle and wheelchair to hot air balloon, steam train and even on elephant and horseback.
The Queen’s Baton, designed and manufactured in Victoria, is the most revolutionary baton ever produced.
It contains an electronic version of Her Majesty’s Message, two micro cameras, a sound recorder, a GPS tracking device and other innovative features that have enabled communities across the globe to follow the baton’s journey on the internet.
“I hope that our community groups, schools, families and individuals will gather together to line the roadsides and cheer the baton and its runner on their way,” Ms Eckstein said.
Ms Eckstein also thanked the community for their support and involvement in local Games activities, including preparations for the relay celebrations.
The baton will be carried to Ferntree Gully at Fairpark Reserve at about 4.10pm, before moving on to Park Boulevard, Manuka Drive and Scoresby Road 30 minutes later.
At about 4.42pm, the baton will travel north along Scoresby Road towards Boronia and Bayswater.
Maps of the relay route through Ferntree Gully can be obtained from Ms Eckstein’s office at Shop 40, Mountain Gate Drive, Ferntree Gully. Phone 9758 6011.