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Melbourne, Australia Arrival
Date confirmed in “Herald Sun” (“he touched down at Melbourne Airport at 4:45pm yesterday [November 20, 1996]”)
"Herald Sun" (November 21, 1996)
Flattery--and a little ingenuity--will get you everywhere with the world's biggest pop star.
While the screams of most fans went unheard by Michael Jackson when he touched down at Melbourne Airport at 4:45pm yesterday, one devotee met his idol, unmasked, face to face.
About 100 fans were forced to watch Jackson from behind a blackened window.
But as dozens of journalists made their way onto the tarmac, "Baitz" joined the entourage.
The 23-year-old dance instructor watched as a small army of security men took their designated places and waited, hands behind backs, for Jackson to alight the plane.
The Ansett Boeing 767, carrying 170 people, was hired by Jackson at a cost of $30,000 for the two-hour flight from Brisbane.
Baitz looked on enviously as the megastar kissed and hugged three children bearing flowers.
But with only three meters separating him from his idol, temptation proved too great.
Baitz held up a HIStory poster, and when Jackson beckoned him forward, he jumped the barricade, and ran the gauntlet of security men.
"I just told him how much I appreciated him and that I'd loved him since The Jackson Five", Baitz said.
"And he just said to me, 'Thank you, thank you'."
Baitz then asked Jackson to autograph the poster, but his marker pen did not work.
By the time he found a pen that worked, the star and his entourage of 170 were already on their way to the Grand Hyatt Hotel.
...
Screams, excited tears, and pure white doves met pop superstar Michael Jackson as he swept into Melbourne yesterday.
With enough black and red balloons for an Essendon final and security fit for a president, the masked singer thrilled 500 faithful fans at the Grand Hyatt.
As the crowd surged behind metal barriers, a bird flew into Jackson's hand.
Fans had begun their stake-out about 8am, girls with "I love MJ" on their faces, pictures in excited hands.
A few clutched roses behind barriers as black-suited staff with secret service earplugs patrolled the area.
Two hours before Jackson arrived, they began chanting: "We want Michael."
Eight baskets of mainly white doves waited as children from the National Boys Choir filed in.
Hundreds of black and red balloons escaped skyward.
Rafi Recht, 14, from the Royal Children's Hospital, moonwalked in his black hat and white glove.
The arrival near, about 500 youngsters packed the footpath, spilling on to the Russell lit median strip.
Children's Hospital patients were handed white doves, and held them gingerly.
Then, at 5:38pm, a van opened, and the singer walked in to deafening screams.
He watched doves fly by and did a small dance.
He hugged little Rafi, held a dove, walked towards the adoring crowd, and set the bird free.
Rafi and the singer remained close until the lad, believed to be seriously ill, returned to his hospital bed.
Looking towards the battery of cameras, Jackson blew a kiss and gave a peace sign. Two lost doves belted themselves against a window.
Jackson greeted young patients and watched Wurundjeri tribe dancers circle with spears.
A bird flew into Jackson's hands before he entered the foyer where the choir sang "Heal the World" and "Victorian School For the Deaf" children performed.
Overjoyed, trying to clap while holding the bird, Jackson shouted: "Excellent! Thank you."
West Heidelberg slaters Sharon and Elizabeth Baker, who waited from 1:30pm, were thrilled.
"I got a picture of him. I got really close. He's got beautiful skin", Sharon bubbled. She gave Jackson a teddy bear for his baby.
Pop superstar Michael Jackson continued to thrill his fans yesterday, this time when he arrived at Melbourne Airport. Then screams and tears from about 500 fans greeted Jackson as he arrived at his hotel.
Superstar Michael Jackson has inadvertently stepped into the racism debate by insisting he be met in each city by the country's "original inhabitants".
Jackson has told his minders he is keen to meet and talk with Aboriginals in each state in "a sincere bid to learn and understand their plight".
It is believed Jackson demanded an Aboriginal dance group be present at his official Melbourne welcome tonight, following traditional greeting ceremonies in Sydney and Brisbane.
"It's their land," Jackson told his minders, "and I am their guest."
A source within the HIStory tour said Jackson followed local events keenly — including the racism debate — but was unlikely to comment publicly.
The source said Jackson has hoped several songs in his show, including Earth Song and Heal The World, would offer his "perspective" on the debate.
"A perspective of tolerance and understanding," the source said. "Michael is very aware of the situation, which is why he is very respectful of Australia's original inhabitants."
Michael Jackson arrives at Melbourne Airport at 4:50pm today, setting off a military style security operation that, so far, has been repeatedly thwarted by Jackson's desire to break from ceremony and wander into crowds of fans.
From the airport, Jackson and his nephew, Anthony, will be rushed to his hotel--the Grand Hyatt, in Collins St--for a welcome, scheduled to start at 5:20pm.
The welcome will include a traditional Aboriginal dance, and, in the foyer of the hotel, the National Boys Choir singing "Heal The World", with children from the Victorian School For The Deaf performing.
Children will be carrying red and black balloons — Jackson's favorite colors — and present the singer with 80 doves.
The MCG will be the center of world media attention on Friday, when Jackson is expected to introduce his new wife, Debbie Rowe. The couple will arrive in Melbourne on separate flights.
A big police and security presence kept the hundreds of fans at bay.
In Melbourne, Jackson's concert promoters are pulling out all stops to upstage the welcome given to him in Sydney.
Promoters have spent $8000 on balloons, flags, and other paraphernalia to greet Jackson when he flies into Melbourne tomorrow.
He has said he will officially introduce his new wife Debbie Rowe in Melbourne, making the city the focus of world media attention.
Melbourne's Lord Mayor, Cr Ivan Deveson, will host a civic reception for the singer at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl on Saturday [November 23], presenting him with a certificate acknowledging his contribution to local charity.
