1 00:00:01,600 --> 00:00:06,320 Speaker 1: From the newsroom and news to come to you. In 2 00:00:06,360 --> 00:00:08,840 Speaker 1: this special Olympics themed episode, we're going to meet the 3 00:00:08,880 --> 00:00:12,080 Speaker 1: man who was responsible for Sydney winning the Games all 4 00:00:12,080 --> 00:00:14,640 Speaker 1: those years ago. He's going to reveal the sneaky tricks 5 00:00:14,640 --> 00:00:17,960 Speaker 1: he used to win over the IOC members, including rigging 6 00:00:18,079 --> 00:00:23,720 Speaker 1: Sydney's traffic lights. Rod mcgeeok was the chief executive of 7 00:00:23,760 --> 00:00:26,400 Speaker 1: Sydney's bid for the two thousand Olympics, which, as we 8 00:00:26,440 --> 00:00:28,760 Speaker 1: all know, went on to be a raging success. 9 00:00:29,080 --> 00:00:33,760 Speaker 2: I am proud and happy to proclaim that you have 10 00:00:33,880 --> 00:00:38,360 Speaker 2: presented to the world the best Olympic Games ever. 11 00:00:39,880 --> 00:00:42,879 Speaker 1: So Rod's job was to woo the IOC officials and 12 00:00:42,920 --> 00:00:45,480 Speaker 1: convince them that Sydney was the best city to host 13 00:00:45,479 --> 00:00:47,519 Speaker 1: the Games. And one of the things he did was 14 00:00:47,560 --> 00:00:49,879 Speaker 1: make sure they never got stuck in traffic when they 15 00:00:49,880 --> 00:00:51,879 Speaker 1: were in town. He's what he told me back in 16 00:00:51,920 --> 00:00:52,919 Speaker 1: twenty twenty two. 17 00:00:53,080 --> 00:00:56,720 Speaker 2: Well, basically, you know, most of the traffic in Sydney's 18 00:00:57,000 --> 00:01:00,000 Speaker 2: controlled out of a control room with computers turning on 19 00:01:00,080 --> 00:01:02,800 Speaker 2: off the traffic lights. So in cooperation with the Commissioner 20 00:01:02,800 --> 00:01:06,639 Speaker 2: of Police, I arranged for every traffic light to go green. 21 00:01:07,640 --> 00:01:11,160 Speaker 2: As I took my IOC members on their rides around 22 00:01:11,680 --> 00:01:15,080 Speaker 2: all of the venues in Sydney, and a number would 23 00:01:15,080 --> 00:01:18,200 Speaker 2: turn left and right and say, gosh, you know this 24 00:01:18,319 --> 00:01:21,680 Speaker 2: is amazing. There's no traffic in Sydney. And I could 25 00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:23,360 Speaker 2: just said, well, there won't be any of the games either, 26 00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:28,360 Speaker 2: and you could still do that anytime you wanted to 27 00:01:28,400 --> 00:01:31,920 Speaker 2: do it. We did it at night at times when 28 00:01:31,959 --> 00:01:34,640 Speaker 2: we were rushing people down for the opening of the 29 00:01:34,880 --> 00:01:36,880 Speaker 2: whatever was on the opera house, we turn all the 30 00:01:36,959 --> 00:01:41,360 Speaker 2: lights green down George Street. Donald McDonald ran the opera 31 00:01:41,440 --> 00:01:43,920 Speaker 2: in those days. He would not allow the opera to 32 00:01:43,920 --> 00:01:47,560 Speaker 2: start until the im were sitting in their seats in 33 00:01:47,600 --> 00:01:51,080 Speaker 2: the Sydney Opera House. Look, it was a time of 34 00:01:52,240 --> 00:01:58,120 Speaker 2: enormous cooperation in Sydney. There was no politics involved. It 35 00:01:58,160 --> 00:02:01,800 Speaker 2: was like patriotism at its best. And anything I asked 36 00:02:01,840 --> 00:02:02,960 Speaker 2: for I could have. 37 00:02:03,280 --> 00:02:06,160 Speaker 1: I've heard about this amazing event that you put together 38 00:02:06,200 --> 00:02:09,760 Speaker 1: for Norway's IOC delegate who was once a prisoner of war. 39 00:02:09,919 --> 00:02:10,960 Speaker 1: What can you tell me about that? 40 00:02:11,400 --> 00:02:15,280 Speaker 2: Well, Yard Stoubo spent several years courtesy the Germans in 41 00:02:15,280 --> 00:02:19,080 Speaker 2: a paw camp, and I decided to try and find 42 00:02:19,080 --> 00:02:22,160 Speaker 2: out what Australians might have been with him. So through 43 00:02:22,200 --> 00:02:27,000 Speaker 2: the RSL, then down to the War Memorial people, I 44 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:30,440 Speaker 2: identified every single living Australian that had been in the 45 00:02:30,520 --> 00:02:33,919 Speaker 2: camp with Yard Stowbow. We flew them all to Sydney 46 00:02:33,960 --> 00:02:39,160 Speaker 2: for reunion lunch at Victoria Barracks and it was a 47 00:02:39,440 --> 00:02:44,359 Speaker 2: highly emotional day. All these diggers arrived and they went 48 00:02:44,400 --> 00:02:46,440 Speaker 2: out on a bus to Victoria Barracks and they stood 49 00:02:46,480 --> 00:02:49,680 Speaker 2: up at the end of the internal road there and 50 00:02:49,800 --> 00:02:52,160 Speaker 2: I arrived with Yard Staubow and I said, see those 51 00:02:52,200 --> 00:02:54,880 Speaker 2: guys up there. They were all in the prisoner of 52 00:02:54,919 --> 00:02:58,280 Speaker 2: war camp with you. And he broke down. He was 53 00:02:58,360 --> 00:03:01,880 Speaker 2: completely overcome by it, and he said to me, if 54 00:03:01,919 --> 00:03:04,680 Speaker 2: few people want the Games as badly as this one, 55 00:03:04,720 --> 00:03:05,960 Speaker 2: then you should have them now. 56 00:03:06,040 --> 00:03:08,280 Speaker 1: Rod got a bunch of Ozzie celebs involved in the 57 00:03:08,280 --> 00:03:10,520 Speaker 1: effort to win Sydney the Games. We'll tell you which 58 00:03:10,520 --> 00:03:16,720 Speaker 1: star had the biggest impact in just a moment. Rod 59 00:03:16,800 --> 00:03:19,680 Speaker 1: mcgeeoch got a bunch of Ossie stars involved in the 60 00:03:19,680 --> 00:03:22,800 Speaker 1: bid to win Sydney the two thousand Olympics, including Greg Norman, 61 00:03:22,840 --> 00:03:25,640 Speaker 1: author Bryce Courtney and a very famous singer. 62 00:03:25,960 --> 00:03:28,200 Speaker 2: Well I think the most significant and it's quite a 63 00:03:28,280 --> 00:03:32,760 Speaker 2: lesson actually for everybody was the involvement of Dame Joan Sutherland. 64 00:03:33,200 --> 00:03:36,640 Speaker 3: The Royal Opera said she could sing anybody off the stage. 65 00:03:36,800 --> 00:03:39,920 Speaker 3: Even Pavarotti described her as the voice of the century. 66 00:03:40,360 --> 00:03:42,400 Speaker 3: As for her legion of fans, they just called her 67 00:03:42,520 --> 00:03:44,520 Speaker 3: last stupender, the supreme one. 68 00:03:44,960 --> 00:03:48,080 Speaker 2: You know. She came with us to Lazahan on one 69 00:03:48,120 --> 00:03:50,440 Speaker 2: of our very many trips, and it just was a 70 00:03:50,640 --> 00:03:54,040 Speaker 2: lesson to me that you know, if you asked yourself, 71 00:03:54,840 --> 00:03:56,960 Speaker 2: if you're seeing in the middle of South America or 72 00:03:57,600 --> 00:04:00,840 Speaker 2: Spain or Paarland and said who warn, they'd look at 73 00:04:00,880 --> 00:04:03,200 Speaker 2: you and know what are you talking about? But if 74 00:04:03,240 --> 00:04:07,360 Speaker 2: you said, who's done Joan Sutherland, they all know. So 75 00:04:07,440 --> 00:04:11,160 Speaker 2: it does. It's a message about who are our greatest ambassadors. 76 00:04:11,640 --> 00:04:14,000 Speaker 2: Is it our people from the arts like Mel Gibson 77 00:04:14,520 --> 00:04:18,039 Speaker 2: and Kate Blanchett who are known world wide Hugh Jackman, 78 00:04:18,680 --> 00:04:21,320 Speaker 2: or is it our sports people? And when you're think 79 00:04:21,360 --> 00:04:23,200 Speaker 2: of the amount of money that goes to sport versus 80 00:04:23,240 --> 00:04:25,440 Speaker 2: the amount that might go to the young people and 81 00:04:25,520 --> 00:04:29,960 Speaker 2: the arts, you just at times ask yourself, are we 82 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:32,600 Speaker 2: spending it as evenly as we should? 83 00:04:32,960 --> 00:04:35,120 Speaker 1: How fascinating? Was that a big thank you to ride, 84 00:04:35,160 --> 00:04:37,120 Speaker 1: and we'll be back with another episode for you on 85 00:04:37,160 --> 00:04:41,880 Speaker 1: Monday morning. Follow Ull, subscribe to from the newsroom, wherever 86 00:04:41,960 --> 00:04:42,960 Speaker 1: you get your podcasts.