With the Commonwealth Games about to kick off, we thought we’d look back at when the games were held in Auckland back in 1990. A group of Pakūranga College students attended the opening ceremony at Mt Smart and performed for the large crowds. How amazing is that?! Here is a recap from 1990 alum, Justine Saunders.
COMMONWEALTH GAMES OPENING CEREMONY
Finally! All those months of endless practices and enduring the stifling heat had paid off. It was the night of the “Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremonies.”
In yet another dusty warehouse, we were eagerly waiting to go on. Everyone was restless. I admire the organisers for keeping us under control. With so many performers to keep an eye on, it was no easy task.
After what seemed like an eternity, the ushers arrived to give us our cue. It was hard to believe that soon we would be in front of millions of viewers around the world.
The electric atmosphere in the stadium was contagious, and we too found ourselves cheering with pride as the New Zealand athletes walked on. Finally, it was our turn. Once on, time flew past and it didn’t seem long before we were running off again. We all remembered our signals and everything went like clockwork.
Back in the warehouse, we were all still on a high and when Howard Morrison sang his song, we all joined hands. It was an experience of a lifetime.
Our sincere gratitude goes out to the organisers for giving us the chance to participate and to Mrs Kepple and Miss MacKay for their infinite patience.
Not surprisingly, being a home event, these games produced New Zealand’s best-ever medal haul with 17 gold, 14 silver, and 27 bronze. And just across the road from the college, Lloyd Elsmore was the official venue for the lawn bowls competition!
