It is barely a month out from the Commonwealth Games Queen’s Baton Relay hitting the North West and Cloncurry is getting excited for its arrival.
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The baton arrives in Cloncurry and Mount Isa on Tuesday, March 6 and celebrations start that morning in Cloncurry.
The baton is expected to arrive in Cloncurry by Royal Flying Doctor Service plane between 7.45am and 8pm that morning, as part of the RFDS 90th birthday celebrations in the town where the service started with the first aeromedical flight in 1928.
Twelve baton bearers will carry the baton around the Curry and six of them were at the Cloncurry Shire Council meeting last week to pick up their certificates of appreciation from Mayor Greg Campbell and his councillors at a special morning tea.
The six present were Tristin Condon, Amy Tinning, Tanya Brown, Haylee Scanlan, Bessie Smits and Darcie-Lee Ashton, and all were wearing the outfits they will be wearing on the day.
The other six relayers are Joe Bakhash, Raymond Campbell, Storm Crossland, Brandee Ferguson and Harleigh O’Brien and Dr Don Bowley.
Dr Bowley is a senior medical officer with the RFDS and he will accompany the baton from Mount Isa while 2017 Rodeo Queen of Australia Bessie Smits will be taking the baton from the Court House to a community celebration at the Community Precinct around 9.45am.
Cr Campbell said the council was proud of what all the relayers had done for Cloncurry and the wider region.
“Thanks for your achievements and you all look resplendent in your t-shirts and shorts,” Cr Campbell said.
Darcie-Lee Ashton said she was looking forward to the relay and the chance to represent the Cloncurry region.
Julia Creek resident Amy Tinning said she was excited to represent that town while Bessie Smits said she was honoured to represent the sport of rodeo in the relay.
When asked how far relayers had to go in each leg, Mr Condon replied, “I think it’s 200 metres, I hope it is 200 metres!”
The Cloncurry relay will start in Daintree St near John Flynn Place and will head north to King St before turning left into Ham St.
The relay will detour into the grounds of St Joseph’s Catholic School before heading south along Sheaffe St and then east at the roundabout to Scarr St where it will stop for the celebrations at the Precinct.
The relay will then continue east along Scarr St, then right into Station St and will conclude on Ramsay St (the Barkly Hwy).
The baton is then set to head back to Mount Isa where the relay recommences at the Mount Isa TAFE campus around 12.40pm.
Derek Barry
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
