Scots giants the highlight at annual Highland gathering<\/p>\n
TANGERANG (JP): Imported giants tossed tree trunks around, men
\nwore skirts and danced with each other and musicians played
\ninstruments that on any other occasion would have sent people
\nrunning in the opposite direction.<\/p>\n
Such was the tone of the 23rd Jakarta Highland Gathering
\nyesterday at Lippo Karawaci, when the Scottish community
\npresented to the rest of the city a selection of its historical
\nculture.<\/p>\n
The highlight was the heavy events. Four men, whose combined
\nweight was close to half a ton, were flown in specially from
\nScotland to demonstrate how Highland warriors used to keep fit
\nbetween wars with the English.<\/p>\n
They threw the highland hammer, a weight (20-odd kilos) for
\ndistance, a weight over a bar and tossed the caber -- a five-
\nmeter-long tree trunk -- to cheers from the thousands of people
\npresent.<\/p>\n
Other traditional Scottish events included piping
\ncompetitions, for which entrants had come from all over Australia
\nand Southeast Asia, and highland dancing. The individual star of
\nthe latter was the gathering's chieftain, June Buchannan, while
\nBob Dover's team won the Reel of the 51st competition.<\/p>\n
Indonesian teams won most of the more well-known sports, with
\nARCO taking the men's volleyball and PNG\/British Gas the women's.
\nAmigo's giants won the heavyweight tug-of-war and their other
\nteam took the lightweight category. In the mini-rugby competition
\nthe Batavia Bears dominated from start to finish.<\/p>\n
For the less sportsmad spectators there were displays of
\nBalinese war dancing, a marching band from Trisakti University,
\nan equestrian display from the Sentul lancers and log chopping by
\nAustralian axmen.<\/p>\n
Twenty-one skydivers dropped in to entertain the crowd at
\nlunchtime. The gusting wind made conditions difficult -- one
\nlanded on a nearby roof, several fell into trees and one
\ndisappeared out of sight.<\/p>\n
The finale was a massed band marchpast involving most of the
\nmusicians present followed by a spectacular fireworks display.<\/p>\n
Gordon Fenton, a member of the organizing committee, said he
\nwas thrilled with the way the event had run. \"Everything has gone
\nextremely well. There has been plenty to see and do all day.<\/p>\n
\"And the move to Lippo has been a great success. We have given
\nthe three million people who live out here the opportunity to
\nexperience something that they are unlikely to ever have seen
\nbefore.\"<\/p>\n
He said any profit made from the gathering would be given to
\ncharity. (John Aglionby)<\/p>",
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