King’s Baton Relay – Norfolk Island 9-14 March 2026 Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games

Last week was the King’s Baton Relay (KBR) here on Norfolk Island which commenced on Monday 9 March 2026 at Government House and finished at Norfolk Island Central School on Friday 13 March 2026.

This was a very special week as it was the first King’s Baton Relay, since His Majesty King Charles III has been the head of the Commonwealth territories and countries.

There was a special events organised for the official unveiling and welcoming of the King’s Baton at Norfolk Island Government House on Monday late afternoon. The three school students, Grace Wills, Jemma Watson, and Amelia Saunders, who are the talented artist and designers were there for this special occasion. The gathering also included sporting groups officials and the King’s Baton Relay organisers , Norfolk Island Amateur Sports & Commonwealth Games Association (NIASCA), committee members and Life Members.

The King’s Baton Relay was held on Wednesday afternoon starting at the Auraville Maze, followed by a visit to the Botanic Gardens and the Discovery Centre at the Norfolk Island National Park. Norfolk Island sporting club representatives were part of the KBR, and photographs were taken of the baton relay at both venues. The Junior Rangers also joined the KBR with photographs with the Baton at the Norfolk Island Botanic Gardens.

Then the next stop for King’s Baton Relay was at Kingston to the Salt Mill area over looking Emily Bay. The Norfolk Island Commonwealth Games representatives who will be traveling to Glasgow in July 2026 gathered for photographs. This included the Lawn Bowls, Men’s and Ladies’ teams along with managers and the Norfolk Island Chef de Mission, John Groat.

The final stop for the day was at the Norfolk Island Bowling Club when Sporting club representatives were invited to gather and celebrate the Norfolk Island 2026 Kings Baton Relay and photographs were taken with the Bowling Club baton bearers along with many community members and visitors.

The King’s Baton Relay organisers are Norfolk Island Amateur Sports & Commonwealth Games Association (NIASCA). The organisers have been busy for many months organising the KBR as well as assisting with the arrangements for the Norfolk Island sporting teams travelling to Glasgow, Scotland in July. The 2026 Commonwealth Games which will be held in Glasgow – Scotland from 23 July 2026 to 2 August 2026.

Each of the 74 nations and territories will have their own Baton, which they are invited to decorate. Last year in October 2025, the local community were invited to design artwork for the Norfolk Island King’s Baton. I am sure everyone who has seen the Norfolk Island Baton will agree that the design is beautiful and we all feel PROUD that is was the word chosen for our Norfolk Island Baton.

Your design, Our Baton, One Global; Journey.

“Let’s create something truly Norfolk that will shine on the world stage. Embracing the Norfolk Island unique culture and heritage, history, stunning natural environment and community spirit”.

This is the 18th official Baton Relay, and it is the longest-ever relay for a Commonwealth Games, with the Commonwealth Games Associations in the 74 nations and territories each having up to six days to organise their series of activities – more time to celebrate the King’s Baton Relay than ever before. The Relay will last for 500 days. It began on 10 March 2025 and ends at the Glasgow 2026 Opening Ceremony on 23 July 2026. Tens of thousands of Baton-bearers will take part across the Commonwealth throughout the entire Relay.

The Relay began on 10 March 2025 at Buckingham Palace, where His Majesty King Charles III, as Head of the Commonwealth, placed His Message to the Commonwealth into the first Baton.

https://www.commonwealthsport.com/kings-baton-relay/route

The King’s Baton Relay was in the Cook Islands from 3 March to 8 March 2026, then last week on Norfolk Island 9 March to 14 March 2026. The next country after Norfolk Island was New Zealand this week from 15 March to 20 March, followed by Australia 21 March to 26 March 2026.

https://www.commonwealthsport.com/kings-baton-relay/faqs

The King’s Baton Relay is a Games tradition that celebrates, embraces and connects communities across the Commonwealth, as the countdown to the Commonwealth Games. It’s an epic journey across the world, with Batons visiting all 74 nations and territories of the Commonwealth, reaching the Caribbean, Africa, Asia, the Americas, Oceania, and Europe.

A Baton will be created for each nation and territory, for them to customise and decorate with their culture and creativity. The Batons each carry part of a message from His Majesty King Charles III to the Commonwealth and its athletes.

All of the 74 King’s Batons will be re-united at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Commonwealth Games which will be held in Glasgow – Scotland from 23 July 2026 to 2 August 2026.

The Baton has been specially designed, engineered and handmade in Glasgow by skilled makers from a social enterprise named Galgael and master craftsman Tim Norman. The Baton design celebrates the beauty of local natural, sustainable materials and creates a beautiful blank canvas for customisation.

Plastic Clean-up Progress

In every Commonwealth nation and territory, plastic clean-ups will take place in support of the Commonwealth Clean Oceans Plastics Campaign to prevent 1 million pieces of plastic from entering our waterways and oceans.

There was a beach clean organised on Norfolk Island during the KBR, held at Emily Bay and coastal areas of Kingston on Sunday 8 March and also a visit to the Norfolk Island Waste Management Centre on Saturday 7 March, learning about the recycling systems in place for over 70% of the Norfolk Island rubbish.

I was excited to be invited to photograph the King’s Baton Relay for Norfolk Island this week. It is a special honour to be part of the KBR and the first with His Majesty King Charles III as the commonwealth monarch. I was also privileged to photograph the last two Queen’s Baton Relay (QBR) when they visited Norfolk Island. I enjoyed taking hundreds of photographs during the week as the community enjoyed the opportunity to be part of the King’s Baton Relay, and many photographs have been shared on the Norfolk Island Amateur Sports and Commonwealth Games Association (NIASCA), Facebook page, along with the Norfolk Island Noticeboard and Norfolk Island Community Facebook pages.

Thank you everyone who made this a successful 2026 Norfolk Island King’s Baton Relay. Thank you to all of the NIASCA organisers, the Norfolk Island Sporting Clubs and all of the Nominated Baton Bearers along with family and friends. The Norfolk Island Central School staff and students and for the fantastic videos “GO NORFOLK ISLAND!!!”. Thank you, Phil Jones, for visiting the school during the KBR and showing the students your Lawn Bowls Bronze Medal from the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. Thank you, Mr Geroge Plant and Mrs Meliame Plant for hosting the event at Government House. Thank you, Jake and the staff, at Norfolk Island Waste Management and Recycling Centre. A big thank you to Natasha and Gary at Auraville Maze and the managers and staff at the Botanic Garden and Discovery Centre, Norfolk Island National Park, along with the Junior Rangers and their helpers. The sporting teams and Commonwealth Games representatives. Thank you to the Norfolk Island Bowling Club for hosting the KBR gathering on Wednesday afternoon. A big congratulations to the baton designers and artists, the three NI Central School students Grace, Jemma and Amelia should feel very proud.

I have had a very busy week and many late nights sorting photographs to sent to England the Commonwealth Games organisers. Here are a few photos for the readers to enjoy.

Betty Matthews

20 March 2026