Copyright the author 2005
he new year sees the start of HD’s countdown to the Olympic Games in July and August 2012. It is a special year for HD since learning that they would be one of the volunteer army known as ‘Gamesmakers’ at the Olympics. HD has known this since June 2010 when they attended an interview in London. Training starts in earnest during February and HD’s blog will be given over virtually completely to the Olympic Games and HD’s role in it.
Born in 1948, the year that the Olympics last came to the UK, it is a fitting way to start HD’s third life so to speak. Volunteering somewhere was always on the cards, but HD did not have this in mind way back in 2005 when he went to Trafalgar Square to see which city was to be chosen to hold the 2012 Games.
This then has been a journey that started way back then, when frankly, HD thought London had little chance of being chosen against the old rival Paris. Even more franker, HD would have preferred that Paris had got the games back then since HD was paying £25/year on top of their Council tax to pay for the games. They would still be paying towards it had HD not moved out of London in 2006.
HD was not alone in thinking we had no chance as the chatter around Trafalgar Square at that time was that it was a ‘no brainer’ and most people I spoke to were well prepared for disappointment (or relief in my case).
Well you can imagine the shock when the name LONDON was uttered at the Olympic Committee unveiling ceremony, which was beamed into the Square via the giant monitor. HD was there really to capture the moment on camera and was not disappointed by the results when in the evening he downloaded the results to the Mac.
He flicked through these at the Lord John Russell pub with HD’s friends as they supped ale just one street away from where the very next day a terrorist bomb would rip the top off a London bus and tear the life out of many innocent passengers on that bus as well as on the three bombed tube trains across London. Little did HD know at the time how profound those pictures were going to have on HD’s life some 6 years later in 2010 when HD decided to apply for Gamesmaker status.
What did dawn on HD was that it could have easily been in Trafalgar Square that terrorists struck during that afternoon of otherwise collective joy and relief of receiving the Games. HD left the pub late that evening and travelled home on the very line from Russell Square to Kings Cross just some 8 hours prior to it being so viciously bombed with a huge loss of innocent life.
HD decided then that although he once regretted the extra £25/annum tax he would ignore his principles and learn to support the Olympics in London in any way they could. He was always in favour of Olympic principles, but just not in HD’s own back yard!
You can then, imagine HD’s joy when the call came through the media for 70,000 volunteers to work for free at the Olympics during the games period (including the Paralympics of course). HD got right down to applying for a part in this process and about a year later here we are at the beginning of 2012 with all to play for!
HD will record their part in the event over the next few months or so as they see it, subject to remaining within the conditions set out by the organising committee given the nature of some of the venues, technology, etc.
The pictures here are from 2005 and have never been published anywhere before. HD was saving these for this very moment. Further pictures will be published as and when they have been snapped along this journey. One that seems to have started what seems so long a go now and one that is bound to stick with HD for the rest of their life.
HD dedicates these and all the photos that appear on here to those that lost their lives back in the terrorist attacks and to their families that HD hopes the Olympics in London will become a symbol of unity and hope.
HD