Yesterday was the 41st anniversary of the final of the men's 200 metres in the track and field competition at the Mexico City Olympic Games. The result - gold Tommie Smith, silver Peter Norman, bronze John Carlos - is less memorable than the powerful political protest made on the medal dais afterwards.

It used to be visible from the train line near Macdonaldtown Station as you were taking the trip out of Sydney, including the ride to the 2000 Olympics. Since about 2007, this wall painting of that famous moment has been invisible to rail commuters after the construction of soundproof barriers, a pre-condition to the development of the Macdonaldtown Stabling Yards. I took this photo from street level a couple of months ago. Click here for a wider view of the wall on which this mural is situated.

More about the 1968 incident can be read here. See also my 2006 obituary of Peter Norman, the Australian silver medallist, who stood silently in support of his American brothers.