Meryl Swanson (Paterson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

On 9 February 1954, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II visited the Hunter region, travelling to Newcastle and then venturing on to Port Stephens that same day to visit Newcastle airport at Williamtown, home to Royal Australian Air Force Base Williamtown in my seat of Paterson. Unusually, the weather that day was not good. However, it was well reported that the Queen ignored concerns about the weather and insisted her visit proceed as planned. One can assume she was used to pretty bad weather back home! She had already visited Newcastle, where six double-decker buses had taken excited children from Raymond Terrace school to the Newcastle Showground. They, along with children from other district schools, made a guard of honour at the gates to the showground which took the form of the words 'welcome to our gracious Queen'. It was reported by the then named Newcastle Morning Herald that around 44,000 schoolchildren attended the Newcastle showground to meet Her Majesty.

This is a lasting memory for many in the Hunter, inspiring joy and appreciation not only for Her Majesty but for our system of government. And it included the lovely memory written in the condolence book in my office from Mrs Gough, who wrote: 'Our deepest sympathy to all the family. It was my husband's honour to open the door for Her Majesty and Prince Royal in Newcastle, as a Queen's scout. Thank you and may you rest in peace.'

Her Majesty travelled through Fern Bay in Port Stephens. This was the first country township and shire that she and Prince Philip passed through on that Australian tour. As her Daimler went through the streets lined with people, she insisted the car slow down to about 10 miles an hour so people could easily see her smiling and waving to them through the window as she passed. She was so committed to seeing the people that she ended up being 22 minutes late to the Williamtown aerodrome, as it was logged. She was met there by the president of Port Stephens shire, Councillor Shearman, and Mrs Shearman; the commandant of Williamtown aerodrome, Group Captain Davis, and Mrs Davis; and the Minister for Lands, Mr Hawkins, and Mrs Hawkins. In the course of the three-hour visit, she attended a civic reception, made two speeches and attended a gathering of ex-servicemen. She saw thousands of schoolchildren and visited the iconic steelworks. When they visited the steelworks, Mr EJ Power, in charge of the coke gas regulator, was asked by the duke whether it was a good place to work. He replied, in that classic Australian way of framing a reply in the negative, 'It couldn't be too bad, or a man wouldn't have stayed 30 years.'

At the conclusion of the trip, there was some question about whether they could fly to Evans Head, but they decided to go on, with the TAA Convair flying blind for most of the trip. Later that evening, the news correspondent covering the Queen's visit called the Newcastle trip 'sheer madness' due to the weather and what she was endeavouring to do. She doubted that the Queen would be able to remember anything of such a whirlwind tour. But, as many of the locals remarked, it was a fulfilling trip that would leave a lasting imprint on communities across the Hunter. Funnily enough, later that year, the Bishop of Newcastle, the Right Reverend de Witt Batty, and his wife attended a garden party at Buckingham Palace, and, contrary to those media reports, he and his wife recounted that both Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip remembered every detail of their trip. They had been delighted with the welcome that they had received from so many schoolchildren and were sorry that they couldn't have stayed longer. Queen Elizabeth, with Prince Philip, her consort, by her side, was truly a gracious and committed monarch. Many in my electorate based in the magnificent Hunter region of New South Wales share Her Majesty's love of horses and how these majestic creatures enhance our lives. Her early love of riding continued right up until she was 90 years old. This is truly extraordinary, and anyone who rides will tell you that riding side-saddle is another skill altogether.

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