The leader of the Commonwealth cannot appear to have a favorite country, just as a father cannot have a favorite child.
But Australians have always harbored the feeling that they are the Queen’s most beloved children, at least outside of her native Britain.
Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away on Thursday at the age of 96, was the first reigning monarch to visit Australia in 1954, only a few months after her coronation.
Her ties to Australia were long and strong; in 1901, her grandfather opened the first Australian parliament in Melbourne.
During her 70-year reign, she made the long-distance voyage sixteen times.
In 1954, the Queen and Prince Philip made their first visit to Australia, arriving on the SS Gothic, which steamed into Sydney Harbour after nearly six weeks at sea. During the tour, she is photographed with Prince Philip in the Parliament House in Canberra.
She had enough faith in the former British colony to send her eldest son and heir, Charles, to school here.
Even during the height of the unsuccessful republican campaign in the 1990s to remove her as head of state, she maintained unwavering support among Australians.
Malcolm Turnbull, who headed the republican movement before becoming prime minister years later, put it succinctly: “She has been an exceptional head of state, and I believe there are more Elizabethans than monarchists in Australia.”
She handled the republican debate with delicacy and dignity after then-prime minister Paul Keating boldly (and, as it turned out, incorrectly) informed her at Balmoral Castle in 1993 that her reign as Queen of Australia was coming to an end.
She used the same skill to remain above the decades-long scandal surrounding the removal of the Whitlam administration in 1975 by Sir John Kerr, her representative as governor-general.
She could have been forgiven for feeling cautious of Australia when, as a fresh-faced slip of a monarch, her royal barge came into Farm Cove, Sydney, for her inaugural visit on February 3, 1954.
Prince Alfred, the nation’s first royal guest, was shot and wounded at a picnic at Clontarf, Sydney, in 1868 by an Irishman named Henry O’Farrell.
In 1954, 1963, 1970, 1973, 1974, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1992, 2000, 2002, 2006, and 2011 – her final visit to our shores – the Queen traveled to Australia. She was photographed in 1981
On March 23, 2000, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom visits the Immigration Museum in Melbourne, just months after the lost republic referendum.
But her debut in the Antipodes established the tone for the remainder of her career, eliciting adoration from the people that occasionally bordered on hysteria.
Approximately seven million Australians out of a population of nearly nine million greeted her warmly.
Her two-month tour to Australia, during which she wore long white gloves and an adorned hat despite the blazing heat, was jam-packed with Australiana.
She observed a cricket match in Adelaide, horse races in Royal Randwick and Flemington, tennis in Kooyong, and a surf festival in Bondi.
In Wagga Wagga, she witnessed Aboriginal people demonstrating boomerang throwing, Torres Strait Islanders performing a ritual war dance, and in Broken Hill, she communicated with distant families via the Royal Flying Doctor Service radio.
When she visited Parliament House in Canberra in 1963, the seasoned Robert Menzies – who had served as prime minister for a record 18 years at the time – was soon reciting 17th century poetry: “I did but glimpse her passing by.” And yet I love her till I die.’
In 1970, she and Prince Philip participated in events commemorating the 200th anniversary of Lieutenant James Cook’s journey to Australia.
She returned to open the Sydney Opera House in 1973 and the Parliament House in Canberra in 1974, but had to cut short her tour to return to the United Kingdom due to a quick election. She returned three years later and toured every state to commemorate her Silver Jubilee.
During her tour of Australia on April 1, 1970, Queen Elizabeth II meets with riders Ron Quinton and Hilton Cope before the Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick racing course in Sydney.
During their Commonwealth visit to Australia in 1954, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip left a banquet.
In 1980 and 1981, the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh returned to Australia to coincide with the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Melbourne. They attended the Brisbane Commonwealth Games in 1982.
In 1988, the Queen participated in Australia’s bicentennial festivities and opened the new Canberra Parliament House.
During her 1992 tour, however, the regal aura of prior eras appeared to have faded.
Paul Keating was called the “Lizard of Oz” by Fleet Street for violating convention by lightly stroking the Queen’s back during an informal reception, while his hatless and gloveless wife Annita declined to curtsy.
During her tenure, however, the republic foretold by Mr. Keating never materialized.
Elizabeth could not have handled the failed referendum of 1999 with greater composure, visiting Australia four months later and stating, “I have always made it clear that the future of the monarchy in Australia is a matter for you, the Australian people, and you alone to decide through democratic and constitutional means.”
“It cannot be otherwise.”
My family and I would have maintained our strong affection for Australia, if sure… regardless of the outcome’
On her 2000 tour of Australia, the Queen is greeted by Aboriginal didgeridoo player Robert Slockee (right) after attending a morning service at St Paul’s Anglican Church in Canberra.
Queen Elizabeth could hardly have handled the 1999 referendum defeat with greater composure. During her subsequent visit to Australia, she stated, “I have always made it clear that the future of the monarchy in Australia is a matter for the Australian people.”
The Queen held a particular place in the hearts of ordinary Australians. Jim Frecklington of Sydney labored for years in a Manly workshop to make Queen a gold-plated state carriage for her diamond jubilee; his labor of love transported her to the opening of the British parliament in 2014.
Regardless of their political affiliation or favored flag, Australia’s leaders shared a mutual respect.
John Howard referred to her as a woman with “extraordinary dedication to duty,” while fellow Liberal Tony Abbott stated that she has been “a presence in our national tale” for over six decades.
Bob Hawke of Labor remarked on the fondness with which the Australian people regarded her.
When he said, “I like the Queen…,” Mr. Keating sounded positively adolescent. I believe she liked me.
Kevin Rudd stated, “The Queen has been the monarch since my birth.” She is an integral component of Australian national life.’
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip drove away from the Sydney Meyer Bowl in Adelaide in a Rolls-Royce while the Queen thanked the adoring spectators.
The prediction of Julia Gillard was accurate: “Your journey of service will continue for the duration of your life.”
The sentiment was reciprocated from the moment the then-27-year-old monarch arrived in Sydney aboard the SS Gothic and declared, “I am very delighted to lead a nation that has accomplished so much.”
During a 2006 banquet at Parliament House in Canberra, she stated, “During my lifetime, Australia has firmly established itself among the world’s most respected nations.”
During the second Elizabethan era, Australia underwent drastic transformations. The country’s defense interests shifted to the United States and its economic future to Asia.
Advance Australia Fair is the new national anthem, replacing God Save The Queen. No further legal appeals were made to the Privy Council in London.
The old imperial money was replaced with decimal, along with the old cultural embarrassment.
The last time the Queen visited Australia was in 2011, when then-prime minister Julia Gillard referred to her as “an essential constitutional component of Australian democracy.” During that trip, she is seen in Perth.
Throughout the reign of the Queen, fifteen Australian prime ministers came and gone.
Her seventieth reign spanned more over fifty percent of Australia’s history since Federation.
During her final visit to Australia in 2011, she remarked, “I have witnessed Australia’s rapid growth and development.”
This country has achieved tremendous strides economically, socially, scientifically, and industrially, but most importantly in self-confidence.
They were the types of comments a mother might make about her child’s path to adulthood if she were proud.
The Queen has been a constant for all living Australians.
Whether or whether there is a republic, it will not be the same without her.
HOW AUSTRALIA RESPONDED TO THE DEATH OF THE QUEEN
Premier Minister ANTónio Albanese:
“With the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, an illustrious reign and a long life devoted to duty, family, faith, and service have ended. Australian hearts go out to the British people who are in mourning today, knowing that they will feel as though they have lost a piece of what makes their nation complete.
OPPOSITION LEADER PETER DUTTON:
Never in contemporary history has there been a more dignified queen, a more devoted leader, or a more honorable person than Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, whose exceptional life touched so many. The final chapter has been written on a remarkable reign.
GOVERNOR-GENERAL DAVID HURLEY:
She was a great individual. When I consider my personal memories of Her Majesty – she was my Queen for my entire life – I am reminded of her majesty and kindness. Her passion and tenacity in the workplace. In addition to her selflessness and unshakable dedication to the individuals she helped. To us.’
NSW PREMIER DOMINIC PERROTTET:
“I extend my deepest condolences to all members of the Royal family on the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. While we mourn her passing, it is an opportunity for the people of New South Wales to express gratitude for a lifetime of public service to the Crown, the Commonwealth, and millions of people around the world.”
VICTORIAN PREMIER DANIEL ANDREWS:
“Very few of us remember a world without the Queen.” Her influence covered continents, countries, cultures, and languages; her dominion extended decades and generations. And unlike any previous monarch, she won our hearts and affection. We cherished her, and the entire world held her in high regard.
Premier of Queensland ANNASTACIE PALASZCZUK:
Her Majesty frequently visited this state and demonstrated her care and concern for its citizens, especially during times of natural calamities. Throughout Her Majesty’s long reign, the Queen was a wonderful source of solace and reassurance for us all. Her Majesty was cherished and will be sorely missed.
SOUTH AUSTRALIAN PREMIER PETER MALINAUSKAS:
The thoughts of South Australians are with the members of the Royal Family during their time of mourning. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has served the Commonwealth with unwavering dedication and loyalty for nearly seven decades.
Premier of Tasmania Jeremy Rockliff:
She devoted seventy golden years to serving her family and the Commonwealth. A true example for us all. This morning, my thoughts are with her family and loved ones.
EX-PRIME MINISTER Tony A. Abbott:
“We have lost a model of duty, honor, and loyalty, yet profound gratitude for her life should coexist with numbness and sorrow at her loss.” Nine tenths of the global population has never known another Queen. We can only hope that the world will see her again, but none of us will. Although I served the Australian people as prime minister, I never lost sight of my duty to her as the sovereign.
MALCOLM TURNBULL, FORMER PRIME MI
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