to the 16 captains of the Australian Football League across the floating flags and fish along the Yarra River. After each of the captains had carried the baton, the last of the captains handed the baton to Ron Barassi, who walked on a semi submerged pontoon, giving the effect that he was walking on water (some commentators joked that the stunt "proved what most of us suspected"). Barassi then handed the baton to Herb Elliott. CGF flag hoist The Commonwealth Games Federation flag was then brought into the stadium by eight Young Australian of the Year recipients. The athlete's oath was taken by Adam Pine. Queen's birthday celebration Harry White, a 13-year-old boy, who was youth ambassador, presented a message to Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia. After a rather controversial furore before the start of the Games regarding the decision by the Organising Committee not to include God Save the Queen in the Opening Ceremony, a Happy Birthday medley was sung by Dame Kiri Te Kanawa in tribute of the Queen's 80th birthday (37 days hence), ending with eight bars from God Save the Queen. Michael Fennel, the president of the Commonwealth Games Federation then spoke. Queen's baton handover The final bearers of the Queen's Baton were all former elite world-class athletes who had successfully competed at both the Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games. They were: Cathy Freeman (who lit the Olympic Flame at the 2000 Sydney Olympics), who brought the Queen's Baton into the stadium, and then handed the baton to Ron Clarke (who lit the Olympic Flame at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics), who then handed the baton to Marjorie Jackson-Nelson, then-Governor of South Australia, who then handed the baton to John Landy, then-Governor of Victoria, who presented the Queen's Baton to The Queen. Opening of the games The Queen then read the message of greeting which she had placed in the baton (366 days earlier on Commonwealth Day, 14 March 2005), declaring the games open. In the end Australian singer Delta Goodrem sang Together We Are One, the theme song for the 2006 games while many fireworks were ignited, within the stadium, on the backs on roller-bladers circling the singer, and fireworks were also ignited on the banks of the Yarra, as well as the floating pontoons, and Melbourne's larger skyscrapers. Ceremony key team The ceremonies were produced by Jack Morton, Artistic Director and Executive Producer Andrew