BIT 2006: The Final Chapter
By Amelia Hj Kassim

Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium, 2nd August 2006 - The last note was played. The last spark of the fireworks died out. And the final curtains have fallen. Months and months of hard work all came down to four magical nights of amazing Tattoo performances, which undoubtedly left an unforgettable lasting impression in the hearts of all who were there to witness and be a part of the grand event.

Last night, the fourth and final concert of first-rate military music saw the Stadium arena alive with another full-packed house of enthusiastic spectators. The Tattoo contingents effortlessly gave them something to cheer about as they performed wholeheartedly with all they had for the last show. There was evidently a different feeling in the air tonight; one of elated euphoria as the participants celebrated and mingled on the field just after the last bang of the fireworks. It was a joyful and moving scene as they sang along to ‘Auld Lang Syne’ and danced merrily to the song of the night, ‘Jewey Pakistan’.

With the first of the contingents from Indonesia departing early this morning and the last Jordan contingent leaving for home on 7th August 2006, they will surely be leaving with precious memories from their stay in Brunei. It is needless to say that the Bruneian people will be seeing them off with a heavy heart.
 
However, before the BIT 2006 Committee can give themselves a well-deserved pat on the back for a job well done, there is much more to wrap up. On top of arranging the departures of the contingents, the BIT 2006 offices are still a bustle of activity with an archiving process to prepare amongst the Secretariat at every committee, and also the Post Mortem for the Debriefing for BIT 2006. And finally, there is the site inspection of the Stadium before handing the reins of the Stadium back to the rightful administrator, the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports.