At 19-years-of-age, promising young distance runner Ron Clarke stood before 105,000 people at Melbourne Cricket Ground, as the world’s attention turned to our shores.
With the Olympic Torch in his right-hand, he stood aloft at the eastern end of the emerald-green stadium ready to officially begin the Games of the XVI Olympiad.
Under brilliant sunshine, teams from 67 nations watched Clarke as he lit the Olympic flame to the sound of mighty applause.
Down on the track the teams broke ranks and stood in a semi-circle around the rostrum as John Landy held the Australian flag and raised his right hand and read the Olympic Oath on behave of all competing athletes.
For Australia, the Games were not only an occasion of the greatest national significance but the eagerly embraced opportunity to welcome the world’s finest amateur athletes and a concourse of visitors all over the world.
Clarke, the world junior mile record holder, later revealed in a press conference that he had suffered burns stretching from his hand to his shoulder and required medical assistance to bandage his forearm.
Earlier in the day, the burner had been turned up during the torch relay and was at a higher level than his trial.
After the ceremony, Clarke, his girlfriend Helen and parents headed off home by train, surely aware of the significant role he had just played in Australian sporting history.
Prices for tickets to the opening ceremony varied from £ 3/4/-,most expensive, down to the cheapest of £ -/9/-. That is equal to $6.40 to 90 cents. Taking into 60 years of inflation those prices today would be $100 down to $14.
Over the course of the next eight days, 720 athletes from 61 countries participated in the athletics on the MCG, a feature which would not be seen for another 50 years, when Melbourne hosted the Commonwealth Games.
Athletics Australia will be sharing highlights of the Melbourne 1956 Olympic Games on our social media over the next fortnight.
Melbourne 1956 Opening Ceremony Melbourne footage (AOC vision)
DID YOU KNOW?
Ron Clarke had accidently burnt his entire forearm as he lit the #Melbourne1956 Olympic flame?
READ: https://t.co/FzjYV33tU1 pic.twitter.com/2Jbu96UlqG
— Athletics Australia (@AthsAust) November 22, 2016
Porter's jump was the Australian record until Tony Sneazewell's 2.11m (1962)
Pic: @usatf's WR holder ('56-'57) Charles Dumas#Melbourne1956 pic.twitter.com/MXsVXXulNp
— Athletics Australia (@AthsAust) November 23, 2016
@AthsAust one of @rbharriers Olympic medalists
— Inside Athletics (@insideaths) November 23, 2016
#MELBOURNE1956 ON THIS DAY:
Marlene Mathews and Betty Cuthbert both qualify for the 100m final. Cuthbert breaks the OR in 11.4 secs pic.twitter.com/6yCaLaa9S4— Athletics Australia (@AthsAust) November 24, 2016
