Tecoma resident Anita Burch hands the baton to fellow Hills resident Gary Roberton, of Kallista. Anita and Gary carried the baton through Kooweerup.By Ed Merrison
LOCAL residents were in the thick of things last week as the Queen’s Baton made its way from Phillip Island to Frankston.
Five runners from the Hills donned their Commonwealth Games garb to pass the baton around in bright sunshine on Thursday, 2 March.
Tecoma resident Alfred Floyd ran in Dandenong, Gary Robertson from Kallista and Anita Burch from Tecoma both did a stint in Kooweerup, and Mt Evelyn’s Linda Nailon and Selby resident Alan Ashmore both carried the baton through Cranbourne.
Mr Ashmore said he was pleased to fulfil his 400 metre-long relay duty after being nominated by the Emerald Centre for Hope and Outreach (ECHO) for 17 years of service to the community through ECHO.
He was also recognised for his service to the nation as an infantry man in Vietnam.
Mr Ashmore, 58, said the event was attended by a lot of schoolchildren and had been a nice experience.
“I also have a keen interest in athletics, so it was good to be able to celebrate that by having a run,” he said.
Mr Ashmore, a self-confessed track and field buff, holds tickets for three nights of athletics action at the Games.
