Waking to the news last Friday of the passing of Queen Elizabeth the Second was an incredibly sad and historic moment.
After 70 years as Australia’s Head of State, many would be unable to remember a time without her.
Her Majesty had been a fixture in our lives – a dignified and stoic presence throughout her 70 years as Queen – and for most of us who had never known life without her, her loss was a shock in spite of her advancing years.
Her longevity, dedication and resilience were renowned throughout her lifetime and that has been borne out by the outpouring of tributes and emotion from around the world in the days since her passing.
There can be no doubt that Queen Elizabeth meant different things to different people.
But, her unshakeable dedication to public service set an example to us all and earned her the respect and affection of millions of people around the world.
Queen Elizabeth not only performed the role of Monarch with grace and diplomacy, she has also been described as a pioneering working mother.
In her time as Queen she dutifully fulfilled her responsibilities, while also caring for four children, two who were born while she was Queen.
And while there is unlimited commentary on how life is very different for Royal families compared to all others, I would like to recognise that parenting four children and performing the duties expected of a Queen would have required many personal sacrifices that none of us could ever completely understand.
The Queens total commitment to her role earnt her enormous respect.
Here in Tasmania, that respect and affection was on clear display during her seven visits to the state, from 1954 – the first Tasmanian visit by a reigning monarch – to her final visit in 2004.
In many ways, we can see the enormous change our society has undergone in that time reflected back at us in the changing nature of those visits to our island state.
The first in 1954 takes us back to a different time – with the scars of the Second World War still fresh in people’s minds.
At that time we were a country bound by the traditions and influence of “the mother country” – when our ties to Britain were celebrated fervently by most Australians.
In fact, such was the admiration for the monarchy that an estimated 75 per cent of Australians turned out during the 1954 national tour to get a glimpse of the Queen and Prince Philip.
Although it’s worth noting that even back then, one of the constants of life in Tasmania – the great divide between north and south – reared its head, with complaints in The Examiner newspaper that the royal couple had spent more time in Hobart than in Launceston.
It seems some things never change.
Despite this, I know many Tasmanians will have fond memories of lining the streets, both as children and adults – during that first and subsequent tours – excited and proud to see the Queen in person.
Over the past few days we’ve heard personal recollections of some of these stories and memories serving as a reminder not just of royal visits and a different time but bringing back many personal memories for thousands of Tasmanians.
Memories of our own families – of parents and grandparents, many of whom are no longer with us.
Precious memories are a source of great comfort in times of loss and these memories no doubt provide many Tasmanians with solace amidst their sadness.
Other visits to Tasmania in 1963 and 1970, the Silver Jubilee tour of 1977, and 1981, brought with them similar excitement and royal fervour.
By the time of the Bicentennial visit in 1988, the fervour had switched somewhat from a celebration of Australia’s ties to Britain to a celebration of Australia – an independent and prosperous nation in our own right.
But even during her last visit to Tasmania in 2004, the Queen still drew thousands of Tasmanians to the streets, in a sign of the affection so many had for her over her seven-decade reign.
Perhaps symbolic of our changing world is the evolving nature of the Queen’s interactions with the public during that time. From the more formal, arms-length approach of 1954 to the more relaxed, face-to-face meet-and-greet tours they became later in the century and into the new one.
Just as Australia’s relationship with the Crown and with our own colonial past and national identity changed over the years, so too did the Crown’s relationship with us.
Not just on that one-to-one level, but also on a wider level, with acknowledgement and recognition of what we as a country had achieved over the course of the 20th century.
I am reminded of the Queen’s words in 1999 when Australia voted to reject becoming a republic, and instead remain a constitutional monarchy.
To quote Her Majesty, “I have always made it clear that the future of the monarchy in Australia is an issue for the Australian people and them alone to decide, by democratic and constitutional means.”
This tells me that the respect Australians had for the Queen was reciprocated – that we had come of age during the course of her reign and she recognised the enormous progress we had made as a country.
The respect and genuine affection people had for Queen Elizabeth was as enduring as her reign.
Despite living through the troubles and disharmony facing all families at various times, the Queen carried on with strength, resolve, good humour and always dedication to the role she both saw and lived as her life’s duty.
Even in more recent years, with declining health and the loss of her “strength and stay”, her husband of 73 years, Queen Elizabeth carried on with determination and courage, always putting duty first.
The final photo of Her Majesty – taken just two days before her death at the swearing in of her 15th UK Prime Minister, Liz Truss – is testament to that and will no doubt long be remembered as a symbol of the Queen’s commitment and devotion to duty.
To me, her grace, her care for others and her love of animals always shone through as remarkable qualities which made her both an impressive woman and monarch.
Her service is unmatched in British history and it is fitting that we remember and pay tribute to her contribution to our state, country and the Commonwealth.
Her Majesty’s loss will be felt by all of us and I can only begin to imagine the grief of those who knew and loved her best…her children, her grandchildren and her great grandchildren.
On behalf of the Parliamentary Labor Party, I extend our deepest sympathies to Queen Elizabeth’s family.
May she rest in eternal peace.
Rebecca White MP
Tasmanian Labor Leader
