Past and present athletes honoured
IT was a night of sombre celebration as Melbourne hosted a 20th anniversary commemoration for the 1997 Maccabiah bridge collapse before farewelling the Melbourne athletes for July’s 20th Maccabiah Games.
IT was a night of sombre celebration as Melbourne hosted a 20th anniversary commemoration for the 1997 Maccabiah bridge collapse before farewelling the Melbourne athletes for July’s 20th Maccabiah Games.
The evening included candles being lit for the four Australians who lost their lives 20 years ago in the tragedy: Yetty Bennett, Warren Zines, Elizabeth Sawicki and Greg Small were all honoured on the night as the crowd paid their respects.
“It was the darkest of times for our organisation,” Maccabi Victoria President Brian Swersky said.
“We lost four brilliant souls, and it left many more scarred for life.”
Although a large portion of the event focused on the commemoration, there was still a buzz in the room for everyone heading to the Games to represent the green and gold.
“You will experience first hand that you are part of a worldwide sports organisation devoted to furthering Jewish identity and traditions through cultural, social and educational activities,” Swersky said.
With the likes of Victoria’s Governor Linda Dessau and parliamentarians Josh Frydenberg, David Southwick and Philip Dalidakis in attendance, the crowd heard from athlete Jemima Montag who was announced as the Maccabi Australia flag bearer.
Montag will walk alongside Australia’s captain and flag bearer Sean Bloch at this year’s opening ceremony.
“Let’s enter this final stage of the journey with excitement, with pride to be representing such a strong community of Australian Jewish people,” Montag said.
The Victorian contingent of Australia’s Maccabiah team heard from Frydenberg about his personal recollection from the 1997 disaster. He was representing Australia in tennis alongside his dad.
Afterwards, Paralympian Adam Kellerman spoke to the athletes, volunteers and family members in attendance about his story of becoming Australia’s top ranked wheelchair tennis player in his class.
Maccabi delegates, including Maccabi Australia President Barry Smorgon, Head of Delegation Tom York also spoke as the countdown to the opening ceremony continues.
“It was a magical night,” York said of the commemoration and farewell.
“To think, there we were, farewelling our biggest delegation to Israel, listening to moving speeches from Josh Frydenberg … and then … Linda Dessau – also Jewish and a Maccabi member in Victoria, was really a great credit to them and our community.”
Australia is sending its largest ever team to the Maccabiah Games with nearly 600 athletes competing in their respective sports at the 20th Maccabiah Games.
The Maccabiah Games were first held in 1932 and are considered the third largest sporting event in the world with more than 10,000 athletes across 80 different sports.
DANIEL SHANDLER
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