Premier Peter Malinauskas leads SA in mourning for the Queen as Royal Show holds minute silence
The Royal Show will remember the Queen tonight as the state mourns her passing. Earlier, the Premier hailed her “unfailing commitment and devotion to duty”.
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The Premier of South Australia has paid his “sincere condolences” to the Royal Family after the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Peter Malinauskas said parliament would be suspended for Friday, and Government House would be open from 7am to 9pm for the next two weeks, giving South Australians the opportunity to sign a condolences book.
Premier Peter Malinauskas has signed a condolences book in honour of Her Majesty The Queen at Government House, as has Her Excellency The Honourable Frances Adamson QC, SA’s Govenor. @theTiserpic.twitter.com/mgeLs1p1ee
— Dixie Sulda (@dixie_sulda) September 9, 2022
Early Friday morning Mr Malinauskas and The Governor, Her Excellency the Honourable Frances Adamson QC, observed the specially commissioned memorial coat of arms, known as the hatchment, on the front gates of Government House.
The hatchment has been hung at Government House to mark the death of the sovereign since the Queen Victoria died in 1901.
Dozens of flowers also have been laid at the base of the life-size bronze sculpture of the monarch, by acclaimed SA artist Robert Hannaford, which is in the grounds of Government House.
South Australians trickled through to pay their respects on Friday morning, including every day South Australians, and politicians such as Senator Penny Wong and opposition leader David Speirs.
Corflutes lined King William St in the heart of the CBD commemorating Her Majesty from as early as 9.30am Friday.
Meanwhile, The 2022 Royal Adelaide Show was in full swing when news broke of The Queen’s death.
Her Majesty twice visited the Adelaide Showground and on Friday evening, before the main arena entertainment, the Royal Agricultural and Horticultural Society of South Australia will honour her life with a minute silence. Wreaths will be placed at the grounds where flags are flying at half-mast.
The association shared an image of its 1953 official program picturing The Queen alongside a history of her visits to the showgrounds.
“The Queen, accompanied by the late Duke of Edinburgh, visited the Adelaide Showground in March 1954 for the South Australian Schools Display, who were greeted by 98,000 school children,” it posted.
“In March 1986, Her Majesty visited the Showground for a second time to take in the beauty of the first Australian International Garden Festival.
“Her Majesty inspected flower displays, attended a lunch at Rothmans Theatre, then enjoyed entertainment on the Main Arena including a floral dance, floral floats which undertook a lap of the Main Arena passing the Royal Box, and a rendition of the Australian National Anthem by South Australian school children.”
A special Choral Evensong will also be held at St Peter’s Cathedral at 6pm to commemorate her life, work and witness.
Mr Malinauskas said Government House was open for South Australians to sign condolence books.
“I anticipate there will be a large demand to do that, and that will be on the back of an extraordinary service that we’ve seen from her majesty to our state,” Mr Malinauskas said.
“A family has lost a beloved mother, grandmother and great grandmother.
Your tributes to the Queen: Leave your message of remembrance here
“The thoughts of South Australians are with the members of the Royal Family as they mourn such a significant loss.
“For over 70 years Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II served the Commonwealth with an unfailing commitment and devotion to duty.
“Her reign of 70 years and seven months was the longest of any monarch.
“Her Majesty served South Australia dutifully, with dignity and through significant eras of social change.”
He said Her Majesty has been served by 15 SA Premiers.
“The Queen was the first ruling monarch of Australia to visit our shores and Her Majesty’s great fondness and interest in the welfare of South Australians was evident through her seven visits to our state during her reign.
“Her Majesty’s first visit to South Australia was with the late Duke of Edinburgh in March 1954.
“Some 200,000 people lined the route from the Parafield Airport, where they were met by the Premier, Tom Playford at Government House.”
Her last visit to South Australia was in February 2002.
“This is a very sad day across the whole world really but particularly here in South Australia as people wake to the news of the death overnight of her majesty Queen Elizabeth II,” Ms Adamson QC said.
“We reflect all of us this morning on a life of exemplary service from the day The Queen proceeded to the throne until the day of her death.
“She gave the most committed, dedicated and exemplary service for 70 plus years.
“The Premier and I have just witnessed a particularly South Australian tradition, the hanging of what is called the hatchment on the gates of Government House.
Former SA senator Natasha Stott Despoja visited Government House with husband and lobbyist Ian Smith.
“It is a sad day, regardless of your views on the monarchy on that institution, she was really an incomparable female leader, an unparalleled female leader,” Ms Stott Despoja said.
She recalled singing for Her Majesty in 1986.
“There are nerves for many things in life but singing for The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, absolutely nerve-racking but what a privilege and honour,” she said.
Mr Malinauskas said parliament would be recalled in coming days.
“There will be a range of official parliamentary procedures that will take place … parliament will be recalled in the near future, I will be talking to the opposition about that later this morning,” Mr Malinauskas said.
Mr Malinauskas said as a sign of respect to acknowledge her passing, the SA government will be supporting a number of “observances”.
“These observances will provide a number of ways in which South Australians can choose to express condolences to the Royal Family for their loss and show their respect to Her Majesty,” he said.
“Observances include flag protocols, the hanging of a hatchment for Queen Elizabeth II at the gates of Government House, a tribute site within the grounds of Government House, a State Church Service and condolence books located at Government House and the City of Playford.
“A State Proclamation Ceremony, acknowledging the accession of His Majesty The King will also occur in the comings days.
“Further details regarding the ceremony will be released shortly, and more information regarding the South Australian Government observances will be released later today.”
Playford Mayor Glenn Docherty, which encompasses the Adelaide suburb Elizabeth, which was named after The Queen, said he had been up since the early hours of the morning after hearing the news.
“Obviously it’s a very sad day, our community has a great affinity, admiration and respect for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II,” Mr Docherty said.
“Of course the City of Elizabeth was named after her, and we are extremely sad, and our thoughts and prayers at this time are with The King and members of the royal family.
“We have a deep history and connection with Her Majesty.”
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II visited City of Elizabeth in 1963 and 1977.
It was said Sir Thomas Playford named the city Elizabeth as a welcoming gesture to the new English migrants making the satellite city their home.
The leader of the opposition David Speirs said the Queen’s passing would be felt around the world.
“Queen Elizabeth demonstrated the epitome of public service, someone who dedicated her whole life to serving people, communities and charitable organisations, not just in the United Kingdom, but across the world,” Mr Speirs said.
He recalled meeting the Queen in 2010, representing Australia at a youth leadership forum in England at Windsor.
“Afterwards I had the memorable opportunity to chat with her outside the church,” he said.
“She asked where I was from and she looked just a little confused when I said I was representing Australia, before I quickly clarified my accent.
“I’ll never forget that after our conversation she opened her handbag, took out her car keys, hopped into the driver’s seat of her car and drove off home for Sunday lunch.
“She was as remarkable as she was normal.”
Former SA Premier and Australian High Commissioner to the UK, Mike Rann also reflected on his meetings with The Queen remembering a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.
“The one thing that many people didn’t realise was she was a very, very humorous person,” he told the ABC.
“She was just extremely funny.
“A part from that sense of duty that sense of service, there was also bit of mischief in the twinkle of those eyes.”
Mr Rann also spoke of visiting The Queen at Buckingham Palace.
“She used to talk quite a lot about the war and also one day when I went to see her where she spoke of abdication but not of her own,” he said.
“She went on to say she thought there was a real benefit in continuity which is of course what we saw.”
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