It was also my first entree into the world of World Expositions - and how lucky I was that a World Expo was to be held in my own hometown.
In my high school years as I commuted to and from school and crossed the Brisbane River, I could see the nascent Expo site take form on the banks of the river, and my excitement - quite palpable about the Expo - was tangible.
I studied Japanese at High School and travelled to Japan as an exchange student in 1987 as a Brisbane-Kobe sister-city exchange student, and whilst I tried to keep a tab on employment prospects for the Expo from Japan, most of the advertisements required that one be in Australia for interviews.
My grandparents helped me by replying to a few ads on my behalf, but by February 1988 I had resigned myself to the fact that probably it would be impossible to get a job for the Expo whilst I was still in Japan.
But luck changed in my direction.
On the last night of our school's Glee Club concert - where I was a member - we had a sleepover at the Conductor's parent's home, and the next morning, the homestay father asked me what I wished to do upon return to Australia. I replied that I wanted to work for Expo 88, but that I was running out of time. He said "Brisbane, Expo 88?" and I said yes, it was my hometown, and I wanted to work there.
He then replied that his brother in Tokyo was working with the Japanese Government Pavilion and that he would ring him now to see if an interview could be arranged.
So that was that! I had an interview in 3 weeks time in Tokyo and soon I was back in Australia taking part in training for the Pavilion.
And what a whirl-wind time it was!
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| Here I am handing out pamphlets at the entrance to the Japan Pavilion |
The training was incredibly detailed - and lasted for three weeks - for everything from stress relief to a St John's Ambulance First Aid course, to how to serve coffee to VIP guests, courtesy of a protocol attendant from Japan Airlines.
It also gave us the opportunity to know our fellow attendants, and welcome guides from other Pavilions on pre-Expo opening guided tours.
It was a wonderful experience - and very thorough - enabling us to meet any unforseen circumstance with aplomb, and was a wonderful appetizer to the six month Expo that was to come.
World Expo '88 had two logos - the "globe" logo, which was the first logo and had a globe with superimposed green and gold boomerangs which was also the shape of our new Parliament House in Canberra, also opened during the bicentennial 1988 year.
The second logo was the popular 'sunsails' logo, which cleverly incorporated the massive sunsails that graced the riverfront Expo site. On each panel of the sunsails in the logo, a different theme of the Expo was superimposed, and this logo quickly became the logo which was used in all offiical merchandise.
We can't also forget Expo Oz - the official mascot of the Expo - and Australian platypus.
He was a cute and popular figure, created by Disney to represent the Expo on the Expo site and overseas, as well as in the more than 500 memorabilia made in his image.
More information on Expo Oz can be found at http://www.foundationexpo88.org/expoozembassy/
And one can't forget the popular theme song of the Expo - "Together, We'll Show the World!" which was also part of the popular engagement with the public in the lead-up to the Expo.
We are at present negotiating to have the official theme song feature on the Foundation Expo '88 website.
All in all - World Expo '88 - although a small international specialised Exposition of only 36 nations - was a great popular success for the City of Brisbane - and attracted more than double the expected target of 7.8 million visitors with some 18 million visitors.
It's legacy is left to us today with the popular South Bank Parklands, one of Australia's most popular parks, and with the numerous heritage structures from the Expo, including the 88-metre high Expo symbol tower -
and the Nepal Peace Pagoda -
also nearby.
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