elizabeth

In 1946, the Premier of Queensland, Ned Hanlon, offered the post of Governor of Queensland to Lieutenant General Sir Leslie Morshead, who declined. Hanlon then offered the post to Lavarack, who accepted and was sworn in on 1 October—the second Australian-born person to hold a governorship in Australia (Sir John Northcott had been made Governor of New South Wales two months previously).[6] After completing his five-year term in 1951, Lavarack's governorship was extended by another five years to 1956. In February 1952, he proclaimed Queen Elizabeth II as the monarch in Queensland, following the death of her father King George VI. Lavarack's oath of allegiance and oath of office was then re-administered (at his request) to reflect the new monarch.[7] He was then reappointed for a further year from 1 October 1956, but due to ill health, Lavarack only served four months of the extended term and was relieved of his duties on 25 January 1957 by his lieutenant governor, although he officially remained governor until September 1957. Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Lavarack

The Queensland itinerary featured Brisbane from 9-10 and 16-18 March, and the regional cities Bundaberg and Toowoomba on 11 March, Townsville on 12 March, Cairns on 13 March, and Mackay and Rockhampton on 15 March. The Queen traveled 2600 km by plane, and the Townsville–Cairns–Mackay legs on the Royal yacht. Despite the distance, the Queen’s trip never took her inland from the Queensland coast further than Toowoomba, but many Queenslanders traveled inland to see their Queen. Rockhampton marked the end of the tour of regional Queensland and the couple returned to Brisbane for a free day and then another day of engagements before departing for Broken Hill and Adelaide on 18 March. The scene of the couple leaving Queensland was described after the event with great emotion, ‘Elizabeth and Philip drove out along the crowded way from Government House to the airport, and as the singing of “God Save the Queen” came to its full-throated climax, there were many tears in their eyes.’ Perhaps over-protected from the heat and conditions of inland Queensland in 1954, the Queen's itinerary for later tours included Mount Isa and Longreach. Source: www.qhatlas.com.au/content/queen-queensland-1954

By tradition, the British monarch is crowned using St. Edward’s Crown, the oldest and heaviest crown in Britain that is still being used today. Like most of the crown jewels, the crown dates to the restoration period. It was made in 1661, based on the design of a medieval crown that bore the same name. That original crown was sold during the interregnum, following the execution of King Charles I, and the new one was made following the restoration of King Charles II. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Geoffrey Fisher, placed St. Edward’s Crown on Elizabeth’s head during one of the most memorable moments of the coronation ceremony. The crowd shouted “God Save the Queen!” three times as the crown touched the monarch’s head. This was the one and only time that the Queen wore this particular crown. It is only used for coronations, and it is kept at all other times in the Tower of London. At the end of the coronation ceremony, the heavy St. Edward’s Crown is swapped out for the lighter Imperial State Crown. The Queen wore the latter as she departed from the Abbey, and for the official photographs and balcony appearances that followed. The Imperial State Crown was made in 1838 for the coronation of Queen Victoria, based on the design of earlier crowns. While St. Edward’s Crown is the coronation crown, the Imperial State Crown is the “working” crown—the one, for example, worn by the Queen at almost every State Opening of Parliament during her reign. (There were two exceptions to this rule: two monarchs, Victoria and Edward VII, were actually crowned with the Imperial State Crown during their coronation ceremonies. Source: www.thecourtjeweller.com/2022/09/the-queen-a-life-in-jewe...

It was Bundaberg’s most fleeting and eagerly anticipated event—the arrival of the newest monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, on Thursday, March 11, 1954. The Royal Entourage arrived by plane at 11:20 am, and were gone by 1:20 pm, en route to their next regional destination Oakey. Source: www.artsbundaberg.com.au/downloads/file/46/queens-visit-1...