THE Queen’s Baton Relay hit the Hunter on Saturday morning, en route to the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games
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The baton arrived by tugboat at Lee Wharf and was carried down Newcastle Foreshore, past Nobbys beach clubhouse, around Shortland Esplanade and up across Memorial Drive to finish at Bar Beach car park.
Muswellbrook’s Ian Ingle joined the likes of wheelchair champion Kurt Fearnley, surfer Jade Wheatley, swimmer Maddi Elliott and ex-Newcastle Knight and Aberdeen Tigers junior Alex McKinnon.
The local public school teacher strolled along the Shortland Esplanade from 8.12am, before handing the baton on to the next bearer.
Jye Dinsdale was the youngest baton bearer, in a list of well-known Hunter personalities.
“It’s a huge honour, it’s exciting and I’m stoked,” Jye said.
Kurt Fearnley passed the baton to the Queen in the forecourt of Buckingham Palace at the relay’s commencement last March. He picked it up again in the Hunter on Saturday.
“I was baton bearer ‘minus-one’ when I carried it down to the Queen,” Fearnley said.
“She was baton bearer zero and it went from her to Anna Meares as baton bearer number one.
“So the thought of being able to carry it through my hometown and be part of the process here is exciting.
“It’s just a nice way to share the excitement in the lead up to the games, I don’t know how many decades it will be before we host a major event like this again,” he said.
