Well Pat (Farmer), Janette and I are delighted to have all of you again. This is the fourth 'Prime Minister's Five' gathering; it's great to welcome and thank the sponsors Deutsche Bank for their continuing sponsorship and the five additional sponsors, we do need your help, it's generous and I never take the support of the business community for things like this for granted. There's a lot of competition for the corporate philanthropic dollar, if I can put it that way, enormous competition, and the fact that you have chosen this is gratefully acknowledged, it really is.
To the mentors of course who include Pat, who is modest not to mention his own contribution, they include wonderful illustrious names in Australian marathon and middle distance running. It's terrific to have the quality of the mentors with us again today. If we all think of the fact that the long distance trials are on at the weekend and the decision is made on Monday, it's a little bit like a Cabinet reshuffle. Although everybody is telling me that there's a fair consensus of opinion as to who might be chosen, we will look with interest and we will keep our fingers crossed that there is a very full representation from the five.
I was talking a few moments ago to Steve (Moneghetti) about the route for the marathon at the Commonwealth Games and he was describing to me where it was going to go and the point at which in the approach you would get onto the bridge and have a beautiful view down to the Melbourne Cricket Ground. There will be thousands and thousands of people who will be there and the exhilaration that you would feel if you were an Australian leading that race would be quite remarkable. Steve said he hopes that one of the five is that person and then he will take over from there and sort of run the last bit. I think he might have, if it does come to that, I think he might have a bit of competition, but it does illustrate the great personal emotion that we will feel as Australians towards the Commonwealth Games and particularly in Melbourne, which is such a wonderful sports-supporting city. I mean they are; it's remarkable the patronage that sport receives from the people of Melbourne and the Commonwealth Games are going to be a great event.
Finally, can I congratulate you Pat for your energy in getting this together, it's a very nice concept and it's worked well. I hope that it's given encouragement and support to some of Australia's youngest athletes and to all of you, to the five of you, can I thank you for your tremendous discipline and commitment. It's so hard to get to the top in sport and it's very, very competitive. Anybody who sees it just in terms of the glory for those who finally break through and get all sorts of rewards, ignores the sacrifice that people have got to make from a very early age and the sacrifice of their families. It's nice that quite a few mothers and fathers are here, I think that is terrific. When you've got a champion sportsman or woman in your family, it's a total effort, it's not just the individual; it's early morning training, it's this that and the other, it's diet, it's encouragement, it's picking them up and putting them together when they don't win or don't win easily enough; we all experience it. To have the mums and dads here, and children and husbands and wives is tremendously important. Good luck, we will follow you with very keen interest. We are all looking forward to the Games and we hope that all of the names here are represented. And Pat, again, to you mate, thanks very much you've done a great job.
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