Condolence motion for Queen Elizabeth II

27 September 2022

It was an honour to contribute to the Condolence Motion in State Parliament following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.

I rise today to express the sympathies on behalf of the people of the MacKillop electorate following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. We acknowledge and pay tribute to her lifetime of dedicated service and the commitment she made to the people of South Australia and the commonwealth.

The outpouring of grief following her death across the state, the nation and the world is a testament to the love, admiration and respect in which she was held. To so many people, she was more than a Queen. She was not just the monarch: she was a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. While we all knew that at 96 her life and reign would inevitably come to an end, it was still an enormous shock to wake to the news that she had passed away at her beloved Balmoral Castle in Scotland.

In her most famous pledge, the young Queen Elizabeth declared that her whole life, whether it be long or short, would be devoted to our service and the service of the great imperial family to which we all belong. She most certainly honoured that pledge with a reign that lasted more than 70 years. She was patron of more than 600 organisations and charities, attended thousands of official engagements and toured every country in the commonwealth. She was the one constant in our lives.

Australia has been fortunate to have the Queen visit 16 times. Her first tour in 1954, with her husband, Prince Philip, went for two months, and it was estimated that more than seven million Australians, or approximately 70 per cent of the population, turned out to see the young Queen. While she never visited the MacKillop electorate, she did visit Mount Gambier in that first tour back in 1954—and South Australia—seven times.

It has been wonderful to read stories from people who clearly remember her visits, including Marion Davies and her sister Aldyth who saw her in Mount Gambier. Marion Davies told The Border Watch how she and her sister dressed in their Brownies' uniforms to form part of the guard of honour at Vansittart Park's main gates. The Queen and the Duke came along in their Land Rover and stopped tantalisingly close to them—so close to them, in fact, that if they had left their guard they would have touched the car.

I read that the visit to Mount Gambier sent the town into a flurry of activity. Shopkeepers draped their storefronts with the English flag, children were ordered to practise their curtsies and salutes, and mums and dads ironed their Sunday best in the hope of catching a glimpse of the glamorous royal couple. On that day, 26 February, the town's population grew from 10,000 to 40,000.

Huge crowds lined Bay Road and Commercial Street as the Queen and the Duke made their way to Vansittart Park via the Blue Lake and the Valley Lake and at Vansittart Park they were greeted by thousands of schoolchildren dressed in red, white and blue. The Queen planted a rowan tree, one of only three trees planted during the 1954 Australian visit. I am told that, along with many bouquets of flowers, she was also presented with a book from the children of the South-East.

Looking back on the archival vision of her visits to Australia, one cannot help but be in awe of her. She was regal, dignified and beautiful, and we, her loyal subjects, came out in our tens of thousands to catch a glimpse of her.

Over the past two weeks my office in Naracoorte has had a steady stream of people wanting to pay their respects by signing one of many condolence books provided by the State of South Australia. These books will be collated and bound, and then sent to the royal family from the people of South Australia. It will form part of a history-making event.

It has been heartwarming to read these messages, from the very young to the very old, and I am honoured to share some of those messages today.

Grant and Gillian Miller wrote:

You were a beacon of hope to the world when things were tough, we laughed with you, we grieved with you—thank you for your service to all.

From Susan and Jamie Offord:

You devoted your life to be our Queen and we thank you for your loyalty, graciousness, humanity and of course your wonderful smile.

From the Teate family:

Thank you for being our guiding light, compass and strength, for providing security and being a shining example of dignity, hope and grace. Rest well your Majesty.

From 12-year old Eva:

Rest in peace Your Royal Highness. Thank you for your service.

On behalf of the constituents of MacKillop, it is an honour to thank Queen Elizabeth II for her life of service. She has ruled with dignity, warmth and grace. She will never be forgotten. Rest in peace Your Majesty. Long live the King.

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