Australians Are A Fantastic Bunch

I Quite Clearly Have Made The Right Decision In My Heart, Retirement Was The Way.

I Was Always Surrounded By Expectation From The Very First Race I Ran As A 5-year-old.

I Want To Be A Positive Role Model, Especially For Kids And Aboriginal People... When People See Me, Often All They See Is Another Australian Athlete Having A Go. It Isn't Until They See The Full Cathy Freeman Picture That They Realise How Proud I Am Of My Ancestry And Heritage. I'd Like A Little More Tolerance And Acceptance Of My Culture And All The Differing Cultures That Make Up Australia.

I Have Been Told Many Times That When I Win I Make My People Proud To Be Australian. I Am Aboriginal, I Am One Of Them And Every Time I Win Or Am Honoured Like This It Should Be An Example To Aboriginal People Who May Think They Have Nowhere To Go But Down. But More Importantly I Am An Australian And I Would Like To Make All Australians Feel Proud To Be Australian. Ours Is A Truly Multicultural Society And Should Be United As Such. I Would Like To Believe That My Successes Are Celebrated By All Australians, Bringing Our Nation Together.

I Have A Friend Who, If She Has A Bad Hair Day, It Affects Her Whole Mood Because It Is Part Of Her Sexuality, Her Confidence. I Don't Have That Problem Any More.