Australians have a reputation for being approachable - and none are more so than the Olympic volunteers who have helped make the Sydney Games so successful.
They are a remarkable bunch. Every one of them signed up voluntarily, committing themselves completely to the country's 'Olympic cause'.
They have worked non-stop, often at ludicrous hours of the day - arranging transport, cooking meals, checking tickets, driving buses - and when the Games finally come to an end, they won't receive a single cent.
Cynical
Forgive me if I seem a little cynical here. But had Manchester's Olympic bid been successful, would us British have devoted ourselves so entirely to the event? I think perhaps not.
It is a truly outstanding effort and if truth be told, makes most international visitors feel decidedly humble.
Australia wants the 2000 Games to be remembered as one of, if not, the best ever. And the whole nation has gone out of its way to lend a helping hand.
David Smith, 54, an extrovert property consultant, is typical of those who made the grade.
"I don't need this on my CV at my age," he said. "But it's a fantastic thing to do."
Glamorous
Smith has been stationed at one of the more glamorous locations - the entry drop of the Olympic Stadium.
He was given a megaphone, which he seemed decidedly proud of. "Not everyone can do it," he said with a smirk.
The undertaking was an enormous exercise. About 70,000 people applied, of which 50,000 were accepted.
"We were looking for people-people," said David Bretell, manager of venue staffing and volunteers.
"We wanted personable, warm enthusiastic people, good team players with a good attitude."
There are dozens of jobs being done by volunteers. Apart from the aforementioned drivers and cooks, many others have given up their holiday time to be a part of the event.
Language experts
There are doctors and physiotherapists at all the competing and training venues, data entry experts recording results, and language experts attached to the Olympic village.
Becky Robinson, from London, is studying for her Masters in Sydney, but said she did not hesitate to sign up.
"As a student, I can easily fit this into my schedule and in any case, my lecturers have been wonderful about it," she said.
Robinson, who leads a team of eight or nine volunteers said the scale of public support for the Games had taken her breath away.
"I find it incredible that so many people have devoted themselves so utterly," she said. "I'm so proud to have been a part of it."
Despite the demanding hours, Bretall estimated that only about five to eight per cent of the original group dropped out as the Games approached, for all kinds of reasons.
He highlighted some of the excuses: "Going out of the country, getting married, 'my wife has fallen pregnant', 'the dog needs minding'.
"We had them all," he said. "But we expected it because we were asking people to make decision two years in advance."
A quarter of the volunteers are aged between 18 and 25; almost another quarter are over 55.
Stampede
A generation ago, the stampede to help, would not perhaps have been surprising. In those days, people believed in civic duty and volunteered for everything from tuck shop duty to delivering meals on wheels.
Today's citizens, we are told, are more insular and less community minded - a perception Marie Fox, the executive director of Volunteering NSW, rejects.
"The highest number of volunteers are in the 25-40 age group," she said. "Not older people.
"But they're doing brilliantly. I have to tell you it's a tough job for some of them who have got odd rosters and long hours, nowhere near where they can see a sport."
The volunteers have undoubtedly helped to make Sydney 2000 one of the happiest Games to have ever been staged.
"It's a miracle it's all come together, but it has," said bus driver Elaine Tyler.
"But I can honestly says it's been one of the most fabulous times of my life. I just hope the visitors feel the same way."