House debates

Friday, 23 September 2022

Death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth Ii and Accession of His Majesty King Charles Iii

Address

4:14 pm

Photo of Tania LawrenceTania Lawrence (Hasluck, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to add my voice to this motion to celebrate the life of Queen Elizabeth II. I carry with me the voices of so many residents of Hasluck, including the grandmother who fondly remembers dancing before the Queen on one of her many visits and the older generation, who remember standing for the then anthem in the picture theatre.

After the Queen and Duke drove through the Swan Valley and the Perth Hills in 1954, local resident Anne Harding Bamford was quoted waxing lyrical in the Swan Express of her fleeting glimpse as they passed by:

Though no word was spoken, I clearly could see

That in that short moment between her and me

A bond had been forged, whose memory would stay

To remind me forever of that glorious day.

I especially want to mention the members of our RSL clubs in Bellevue, Chidlow, Ellenbrook and Kalamunda and Mundaring who express their reverence for the Queen's dedication to a life in public service. Likewise, a number of generations of veterans have served Queen and country. The Kalamunda sub-branch of the RSL remembers:

Australian men and women have proudly worn Her Majesty's emblems. Their Royal Australian Navy badge, their Army corps badges or their RAAF Squadron badges surmounted by the St Edward's crown Her Majesty wore at her coronation, have been proudly worn by our veterans in every corner of the world.

On her 21st birthday in 1947 the then Princess Elizabeth set the tone for her eventual reign, promising to us all that she would devote her life to our service, and to the very end she remained steadfast in that promise. And that term "Service" forms an inextricable bond between our members and Her Late Majesty. As we veterans have "served", along with our affiliate members from organisations such as the State Emergency Service and Volunteer Fire Brigades, we have had the beacon of her own unfailing service to guide our actions.

The Queen's very long reign, combined with her tireless work ethic, allowed her to connect directly and indirectly with more people across the globe than perhaps any world leader in history. She made the world smaller and united people from across many nations and cultures. On a personal level, this has meant that, even though I have personally never met Her Majesty, I am connected to her with only one degree of separation, in that, firstly, my parents-in-law, from the former Yugoslavia, had the opportunity in 1974, while living in what was then known as the Australian Territory of Papua New Guinea, to attend a garden party at Port Moresby with the Queen; and, secondly, some years ago, I had the opportunity to meet the lady from Subiaco, Western Australia, who taught the Queen to drive during World War II. As we've heard throughout the condolence motions today, these are not unusual stories.

In a time of rapid technological, economic, social and geopolitical change, it is hard to think of any person who managed to stand as steadfast as the Queen did and represent an unwavering ideal. I read through our office condolence book in Hasluck before coming to Canberra. One word was repeated: 'remarkable'.

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