By: Tim Maynard
Today started off with a quick walk to meet Dr. Daryl Adair at the University of Technology at Sydney for a few lectures on Australia. Our lectures took place in a brick building called ‘the paper bag’ due to its crumpled appearance. Dr. Adair gave an overview of Australian history, but focused mainly on the story of Peter Norman, the white Australian who stood along John Carlos and Tommie Smith as they did their black power salute at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City on the podium.
As it turns out, Norman wholeheartedly supported the protest and even gave Smith and Carlos the black gloves they wore on the podium. Norman wore an ‘Olympic Project for Human Rights’ patch to show opposition to the apartheid (segregation) in South Africa. Where the story becomes murky is the response Norman received after the Olympics were finished.
According to Norman’s nephew, who produced a documentary on the subject, Peter Norman was ostracized by the Australians. He was not permitted to compete in the 1972 Olympics, nor permitted to march in the 2000 Sydney Olympics unless he condemned Carlos and Smith for their actions in 1968. But, as Dr. Adair puts it, it is more likely that Peter’s nephew was looking to profit off of the controversial story by bending the truth, as Peter Norman did participate in the 2000 Olympics and he was barred from the 1972 Olympics due to a poor performance at the qualifying rounds.
After the lectures, we walked to lunch at Darling Harbor and saw a playground in the city, a testament to Australia’s love of play and leisure as they were willing to build a place for children in a rather metropolitan area. In addition, there was an area in the playground devoted to ‘building a river,’ where children could open or close dams and guide a flow of water into a route of their choosing.
After trying to fend off the seagulls at lunch, we walked to Circular Quay to board a ferry to take a cruise by the Opera House and Sydney Harbor Bridge. Once we took some nice pictures and headed back to shore, we headed to the Opera House for a very nice guided tour. We learned about the history of the Opera House and were able to see the various theatres and in one hall, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra was warming up for a performance of the Verdi Requiem that evening.
After leaving the Opera House, most of us headed to ‘Pancakes on the Rocks’ for dinner before heading back to the hotel in the evening.
