The rewards for enthusiastically embracing the 2026 Commonwealth Games will propel Ballarat for generations to come, a Wadawurrung elder has said, after experiencing the Birmingham Games first-hand.
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Ballarat's Aunty Joy Oldaker, who was part of the First Nations delegation that took part in the Birmingham closing ceremony, said it was a "once-in-a-lifetime" chance to recognise Indigenous culture.
She said it's hoped that enthusiasm will grow and continue at the 2026 Games, which will take place in regional Victoria - so far, Ballarat is hosting the athletics, para-athletics, boxing, and some T20 cricket, with other events in Bendigo, Geelong, and Morwell.
More announcements on other sports and infrastructure are expected in the next month.
Ms Oldaker said there was plenty to learn from Birmingham, where everyone - from school children dancing to 80-year-olds handing out pamphlets to doctors and lawyers volunteering to drive dignitaries around - wanted "to be part of history".
"The volunteers, that was a very big part of it - not everyone's sporting oriented, but they can participate in such a huge way, and they were just beautiful in Birmingham," she said.
"They were so polite and very welcoming, that's where a lot of people can get involved, there's so much they can do, and every region can be part of that, not just the selected few.
"That's what I wanted to bring home, it's going to be an overwhelming amount of love and culture to come out of this."
Organisers will have to plan ahead to incorporate Wadawurrung culture into the full program, she added, amid fears many visitors will only stay for ticketed events before returning to accommodation in Melbourne.
In Birmingham, for example, she said it was peculiar the main athletics stadium completely shut down between events.
"They had the athletics in the morning, and they'd stop at 1pm, but rather than having something in the afternoon, they'd close down the whole stadium til about 5pm, so you'd have hundreds of people with just nothing," she said.
"There were so many people milling around with nothing to do, and that's where we noticed we'd like to do some culture experiences for the kids - if we can't run back-to-back sport, and I know it's difficult, that's where I'd like to get the cultural experiences in, like facepainting, dancing, art, to incorporate some of that culture in there.
"That's where we really have to step up to the plate."
But what about the closing ceremony itself, in front of 30,000 spectators and the world's TV cameras?
This year was the first time Indigenous peoples had been truly acknowledged after much commentary about the origins of the Commonwealth Games - formerly the Empire Games.
Ms Oldaker said it was a nerve-wracking experience, particularly understanding the significance of the handover.
"Everything was down to the minute, probably second, and you only need one person to be out of focus ... but it was like a spirit was with me, I felt really calm," she said.
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"We had to walk out and stand beside the stage, it was 37 degrees, we had our possumskins on, we were feeling like we were going to pass out, but everyone else is out there performing.
"I'm so grateful everything went so well, it was pretty terrifying with all the cameras on you, plus there's all the Wadawurrung people there supporting me who'd come all this way, and the family at home, and the all the dames and princes - I was thinking 'don't mess up', but it was absolutely beautiful.
"It was really emotional, I was alright until I was back in the royal box, and someone said "there's your Wadawurrung family down there", and I teared up then - it was for my mum, she's 95 in a nursing home and not very well at the moment, and her dad who I never got to meet, and everybody involved in this journey with me."
We're just over three and a half years until the opening ceremony for the 2026 Games at the MCG, which means less time to begin preparing for the thousands of interstate and overseas visitors expected.
Ms Oldaker said the visitor experience will be crucial - already, there are plans to arrange buses to and from each city, while tours to sites of significance to the Wadawurrung people have also been considered to make sure the visitors leave with an understanding of Ballarat's Indigenous heritage.
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"Even the athletes, if they're coming from overseas, how exciting would it be for them to stay an extra three or four days and experience the region, because there's so much for them to go and see," she said.
"That's what we have to do as hosts, we have to have all that in order."
The 2026 Games will be a roaring success, she said.
"Let's face it, we're all in this together and it is huge," she said.
"We will do it, our heart's in it, this is our passion, our people, and we've got a great community here.
"To make it work, that'll be the easy part because the passion is there.
"There is so much coming to Ballarat, and though we haven't got the millions of people that Birmingham's got, it's ours, it's regional Victoria, and you'll never see it here again."
The 2026 opening ceremony begins in 1298 days.
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