It’s not unusual for the AFL Grand Final to attract a big name musician to entertain the almost 100,000 crowd. But it was the first time they’d had Tom Jones. Together with Ed Sheeran, the veteran star and one of the hottest current British talents wowed the fans before and after the game.
The match itself was a slight disappointment with the Sydney Swans failing to live up to expectations and being trounced by last year’s winners Hawthorn, 137-74. This was not at all what everyone predicted, given the Swans’ strong performances this season. It just shows you never know what’s going to happen in sport. But as always, the Grand Final, in the wonderful setting of the vast Melbourne Cricket Ground, was a spectacular occasion.
I’d had a busy Friday in Melbourne, lunching with Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull, and meeting top foreign policy journalist Greg Sheridan, and Andrew Mackenzie the Scottish CEO of BHP Billiton, the world’s largest mining company. It’s always good to be in Melbourne, which plays such an important role in Australian life.
It’s our 25th Wedding Anniversary today. Sarah and I began married life together in Japan a quarter of a century ago, and have raised our three children in Singapore, America and Australia as well as the UK. Sarah gave up her Civil Service career to join me in Diplomatic postings around the world. She’s worked in various fields: teaching, establishing a charity, and running busy Residences in Singapore and Canberra. Diplomatic spouses are unsung heroes of this profession. So I’ll take this chance to say thank you now. Here’s to the next twenty five.