Today, at Queen’s Terrace Parliament House, I was humbled to lay a wreath in honour of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, on behalf of the people of Victoria.
My card said, simply: Thank you, Your Majesty, for everything.
Our noble Queen served our nation for more than seventy years with remarkable dignity, deep integrity and an unwavering commitment to duty.
While Australians mourn the loss of Her Majesty, we also honour her devotion to service and to our country.
On the eve of her Coronation on 2 June 1953, The Queen in a radio broadcast pledged: ‘Throughout all my life and with all my heart I shall strive to be worthy of your trust.’
The Queen’s special connection with Australia will forever be in our hearts. She visited our shores on 16 occasions between 1954 and 2011. Her 11 trips to Victoria included watching footy at the MCG, attending the races at Flemington, opening the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games and visiting numerous regional towns.
In 1966, The Queen and Prince Philip sent Prince Charles, as he was then, to school at Timbertop, Victoria.
On behalf of the people of Victoria, I convey my deepest condolences to King Charles III, the Royal Family and the people of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms and territories.
In his first speech today, King Charles honoured his beloved mother and pledged to serve with the same unswerving devotion, saying ‘Thank you for your love and devotion to our family, and to the family of nations you have served so diligently all these years. May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.’
Vale Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
10 September 2022
Laying a wreath in honour of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II; Queen’s Terrace, Parliament House, 10 September 2022.
As a senator for Victoria, I laid my wreath on behalf of the people of Victoria; Queen’s Terrace, Parliament House, 10 September 2022.