TWO home-grown achievers with international profiles will return to their birthplace today to help carry the Queen’s Baton on its journey to the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
The majority of the baton-bearers carrying the Queen’s message through Murrabit and Kerang are local people who have made an impact within their own communities.
Former champion netballer Julie Corletto will carry the baton into Kerang’s shopping centre and internationally-renowned country music singer and song-writer John Williamson, AM will be the baton bearer when it reaches the community celebration at Atkinson Park.
The Queen’s Baton Relay will reach Murrabit at 10.59am, half an hour after community celebrations start at Murrabit Group School.
Ten people will carry the baton through Murrabit between 11.29am and 11.57am. Five Murrabit residents, including three members of one family, will be joined by baton-bearers from Kerang, Koondrook and Mont Albert.
Local farmer, Terry Morton, his son, Simon, and daughter-in-law, Angela, have all been chosen to carry the baton.
A lunch-time community barbecue at the school will follow the Murrabit relay leg.
The relay will resume in Kerang from St Joseph’s Primary School at 1pm and will have a five-minute stop at Kerang Primary School before its journey through the shopping centre.
Thirteen people will carry the baton.
One of the town’s oldest residents, Mick Hallinan, 94, will carry the baton on his mobility scooter.
Other residents from Cohuna, Kerang, Mead and Minmindie will be among the bearers.
Julie Corletto [nee Prendergast] was born and raised at Kerang. She was a student at Kerang South Primary School when she first stepped onto a netball court.
She progressed in the sport to become a member of the Australian Netball Diamonds team that won gold medals at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and the 2015 Netball World Cup.
John Williamson was born at Kerang and grew up on grain properties at Quambatook.
He has sold more than four million albums in Australia and is renowned for such songs as “True Blue”, “Old Man Emu” and “Mallee Boy”.
Mr Williamson will carry the baton into Atkinson Park at 1.37pm before community celebrations begin.
Gannawarra mayor, Cr Brian Gibson said that it was exciting that two local communities had been chosen to be part of this international event, which has traversed Commonwealth countries before it criss-crosses Australia on its way to the Commonwealth Games, which opens on the Gold Coast on April 4.
“The relay itself will be spectacular and I am looking forward to seeing our local community come out and line the streets and join in the celebrations, both at Murrabit and Kerang,” Cr Gibson said.
“I wish all our local baton-bearers the very best as they represent our communities in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Kerang was also a venue for the 2006 Commonwealth Games Baton Relay and the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games baton relay.
* KEEP an eye on the Gannawarra Times’ Facebook and Twitter pages for coverage of today’s relay.
