Torch Lifts Spirits In Whyalla

Illawarra Mercury

Thursday July 13, 2000

The arrival of the Olympic torch was a small step in a long healing process for the South Australian town of Whyalla.

The town's residents are still mourning the loss of eight lives in a Whyalla Airlines light plane crash in the Spencer Gulf six weeks ago.

Torchbearer Kylie Dempsey, 17, said the arrival of the Olympic flame yesterday helped lift the spirits of her close-knit community.

``I think it's a start; everybody has to work together," she said.

The torch was flown to Whyalla from Port Augusta, where it arrived before dawn after a 1700km trip across Australia on the Indian Pacific train.

Today the torch travels from Port Pirie to the Barossa Valley.