Rockhampton Regional Council pays tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabe

Published on 09 September 2022

Photograph of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth receiving a bouquet at the Rockhampton Town Hall

Rockhampton Regional Council has today paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II after her death was announced by Buckingham Palace early this morning.

Acting Mayor Neil Fisher said it was with great sadness that we learn of her passing, which will be deeply felt by our community.  

“Today our region joins people across the country and the world to mourn the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II,” Acting Mayor Fisher said.

“As our head of state, Queen Elizabeth II is part of the fabric of our nation. She is the longest-reigning British Monarch and the longest-serving female head of state in history.

“For most of us, Her Majesty is the only monarch we have known. She was loved and respected and a constant presence in our lives.

“She holds a special place for many people in Rockhampton after visiting the region in 1954. For the young Queen and Prince Phillip to travel to the city so early in her reign, just 9 months after her coronation, was a defining moment in our region’s history.

“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,” Acting Mayor Fisher said.

Flags at City Hall and across the region are being lowered to half-mast in the Queen’s honour. The lights on Quay Street will also be changed to purple.