Eighteen people from Bendigo, Kyneton and Carisbrook have been chosen to carry the Queen’s Baton when it passes through Bendigo on its way to the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games next year.
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They are among some 3800 Australians who will participate in the 100-day relay across the country in the lead-up to the games.
Glenn Woodhatch is one of the lucky few who will carry the baton in Bendigo.
The clay target shooting champion is no stranger to the Commonwealth Games, or the relay: he ran in the 2006 relay ahead of the Melbourne games, worked as media liaison for the clay target shooters at the same event, and was team manager for the shotgun team at the 1998 Kuala Lumpur games.
But Mr Woodhatch said still felt good to receive the news last week, although he laughed that he had an inkling he had been selected a while ago when he was asked for his shirt size.
He will be joined in the relay by Ellyse Roper, who suspects it was her mum Ros who put her up for it.
“I was pretty excited,” she said of hearing the news she had been selected.
She will also play a role in the Commonwealth Games as a volunteer doing medal presentations for the athletics events.
Miss Roper has a history with athletics, and was heavily involved in organisation of the Nitro Athletics event in Melbourne earlier this year.
The baton bearers were found through a community nomination process, with judges from Victoria selecting the successful candidates.
“The baton bearers recognise the achievements and aspirations of Australians from all walks of life, from ambitious 10-year-olds to humble volunteers and well-known Australians from a variety of fields,” Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said.
The Queen’s Baton will come to Bendigo on February 14.
The other baton bearers for Bendigo are: Edward Barkla; Andrew Barling; Joel Bertoncini; Russell Jack; Martin Mark; Denis Nihill; Dennis O’Hoy; Bradley Orton; Arj Perera; Laurie Preston; Nathan Rogers; Colin Thompson; Kaye Trimble; Leslie Trimble; Lyn Walker; and Gary Warnest.
Seventeen people will carry the baton in Echuca the following day, and another 22 have been chosen to participate in the relay when it reaches Kerang and Murrabit on February 16.
The baton is currently in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and will next travel to Bandar Seri Begawan in Brunei Darussalam.
The relay began when Her Majesty placed a message to athletes competing at the games inside the baton in March this year.
The baton’s 388-day journey across the Commonwealth will come to an end at the Gold Coast on April 4, at the opening ceremony.