Rockhampton Regional Council has paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, recalling her historic visit to the city in 1954.
Acting Mayor Neil Fisher said Her Majesty, who passed away peacefully overnight at the age of 96, held a special place for many people in Rockhampton after her visit to the region nearly 70 years ago.
“For the young Queen and Prince Phillip 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,” said Cr Fisher.
“You only have to read the royal edition of the Morning Bulletin at the time to see the Royal Fever that gripped our community and the love people had for her.
“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.
“For me personally, it was a privilege to meet her in 1986 during one of her many visits to Australia and like many in our community, it is with a deep sadness that we mourn her loss,” he said.
Flags at City Hall and across the region are being lowered to half-mast in the Queen’s honour. The lights on the city’s Quay Street will also be changed to purple in her honour.
