Condolences are pouring out across the region and the world following the passing of Queen Elizabeth ll.
Flags at Rockhampton City Hall and across the region are being lowered to half-mast in the Queen’s honour and the lights on Quay Street will also be changed to purple.
Rockhampton Acting Mayor Neil Fisher said the Queen’s passing would be deeply felt by the community.
“As our head of state, Queen Elizabeth II is part of the fabric of our nation. She is the longest-reigning British Monarch and the longest-serving female head of state in history.
“For most of us, Her Majesty is the only monarch we have known. She was loved and respected and a constant presence in our lives.
“She holds a special place for many people in Rockhampton after visiting the region in 1954. For the young Queen and Prince Philip to travel to the city so early in her reign, just nine months after her coronation, was a defining moment in our region’s history.
“As a journalist wrote on the day of the visit ‘This is our day.’ A happy and glorious page is about to be written in the history of Central Queensland’.
“That sentiment is still felt by many of us in our region. Here at City Hall, we have kept on display the chairs the Queen and Prince Consort sat in during that visit to remind us of that time and what it meant for the people who were part of that moment.”
Cr Fisher said he had been privileged to meet the Queen in 1986 as part of the Queensland contingent at an international gardening festival.
“I was in awe of the Queen’s knowledge of plants and horticulture,” he said.
“All the important things in the world that the Queen had to think about and yet, there she was, taking the time to speak with the horticultural community and we were made to feel like we could be equals… that’s something that has never left me, that graciousness.”
Livingstone Mayor Andy Ireland said “irrespective of your political views, irrespective of whether you are a monarchist or otherwise”, there could be no denying the unsurpassable contribution Queen Elizabeth II had made to Australia, the Commonwealth, and the world.
“This was a monarch and a person of true class, a person who cared deeply about people, and a woman of unquestionable integrity who also possessed a deep sense of duty,” Cr Ireland said.
“She epitomised what a monarch is and should be, and we may never see the likes of her again.
“We honour King Charles and wish him well as the new King.”
Senator Matt Canavan said the Queen gave Australia and the Commonwealth her life of dedicated service to public duty. “She was our Queen for 70 of our 121 years as a nation since Federation,” he said.
“Her quiet and steadfast leadership through decades of immense change gave comfort to millions.
“I pray that the new King and the Royal Family continue her legacy as we coronate a new King in line with traditions more than 1000 years old.”
Capricornia MP Michelle Landry said the passing of the monarch Queen Elizabeth II marked a very sad day and the end of an era.
“Queen Elizabeth’s duty of service to the people of the commonwealth over her 70-year reign was impeccable,” she said. “The grace and dignity she displayed in the face of the many public and personal challenges she faced, has been an inspiration to us all.
“My thoughts, prayers and deepest sympathy are with the Royal family at this very sad time.”
Local leaders offer condolences - Central Queensland Today - CQ Today
Read More
No comments:
Post a Comment