Hopeland Shares Stories of Volunteering at the Sydney 2000 Games – 20 Years On

By Sam RobinsonTuesday 15 Sep 2020Hope BreakfastCultureReading Time: 3 minutes

Today marks 20 years since the Opening Ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Olympics. It is a moment where the entire world tuned in to see our city on the world stage – and didn’t we make our country proud with the then-IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch labelling the event the “best ever”.

This morning on Hope Breakfast, we asked if you volunteered at the Games, and it turns out so many of you did! Hear some fantastic stories in the player above, and below are some of the fantastic texts we received of your unforgettable moments from September 2000.

Hope 103.2 Listeners Message Breakfast with Sam & Duncan About Their Sydney Olympics Memories

I drove Prince Albert de Monaco and his entire entourage one afternoon during the Olympics. –Simon

Hi fellas, we were among those volunteering to host families (didn’t end up with anyone) but got to go to a rehearsal for the Opening Ceremony. It was just as special having the Olympic torch go through the village of Caragabal where I grew up, so exciting. –Anonymous

My cousin performed in the Opening Ceremony. My uncle drove the buses and my mum’s cousin carried the torch as he competed in shooting. –Anonymous

Speaking on behalf of my in-laws.They both volunteered and got some great stuff that we proudly use now. My husband still wears his dad’s Bloodstone boots and my daughter arranged to keep Poppy’s special Olympic number plates after he passed and they are on her car. My dad was also a bus driver and I enjoyed taking my 2-year-old on the other Poppy’s Olympic bus! –Karen

We had tickets to the Opening Ceremony dress rehearsal and we also had free parking at Macquarie University. I have no sense of direction, especially on a university campus I had never been to. I found myself driving in the wrong direction and ran into the torch relay. How embarrassing! –Christine

I was part of the Opening Ceremony, singing the Olympic hymn. It was the first time sung in the modern Olympics… a nice touch having people from Greek heritage being part of it…. we were asked by the Athens Paralympic Committee to sing at the closing of the Paralympics. Had the best view, we all sat behind the waterfall. –Anna

My brother was a part of the torch relay out at Dubbo… we stayed there the weekend so we could watch him. He worked for SOCOG. –Michelle

I sang in the children’s choir at the Torch Relay celebrations in Liverpool, the day the torch ran through. But most importantly, that year they moved the school holidays to match the Games and for the first and only time in my life, my birthday was in the school holidays. –Anonymous

Guys, I never took a single day off through the Olympics (went to see some field hockey on a Saturday after an agonising visit to the dentist – I’ll never forget that!) but the best part was best ever Sydney traffic and driving times to work. People were so scared about how bad the traffic would be that everybody except me went on holidays. Better than Sydney COVID traffic. Oh, I also went to closing ceremony for Paralympics too. –Anonymous

Me and my husband were volunteer drivers. My husband drove for the Nepalese team, as it was. They had a couple of swimmers without swimsuits and a rifle shooter without the right equipment and a karate “coach” but they came to have a good time. We had dinner with the Crowned Prince of Nepal which was an honour. I was a regular driver and spent my time waiting for rides, handing out Bibles and talking to other drivers about Jesus. –Auvita.

Morning guys! I was in the Opening Ceremony as an audience leader. I stood under the giant flag as it came down the stadium south face and had the best time as the starter of the stadium wave. Loved every moment! Just awesome! –Teresa

What was your special memory? You can SMS us straight via our Hope 103.2 app.

Relive the Full 4-Hour Opening Ceremony Experience