Queen Elizabeth II death: Sunshine Coast’s encounter with royalty remembered

Former Sunshine Coast Daily editor in chief Mark Furler met the Queen as a young reporter back in 2002. Last night, he dreamt she died.

Former Daily editor-in-chief Mark Furler recalls his brush with royalty.

Truth can be stranger than fiction sometimes.

Last night, I dreamt the Queen died. Seriously.

I’d gone to bed early and had not heard a peep about her health declining overnight.

The first I knew of the news was when I woke to an email from a colleague.

I’ve long been a bit of a royalist at heart, admiring the Queen’s incredible commitment to service.

Back in 2002, I had the rare privilege, as a regional reporter, to meet Her Majesty.

She was in Queensland for the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting at the Hyatt Regency Coolum, in its glory days before being taken over and rundown by Clive Palmer.

Queen Elizabeth II arriving to open the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in the Hyatt in Coolum, Queensland 2 Mar 2002.

Earlier, as a reporter for the Sunshine Coast Daily, I broke the story that the Royal couple would be staying at Twin Waters at Mudjimba.

We also had lots of fun doing yarns about then Premier Peter Beattie sparking outrage when he suggested Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin should try the crocodile being served up to guests as part of the official reception.

I tracked down Steve through a good contact I had while he was filming in outback Queensland.

He called Beattie a bloody idiot, making for a great front page story.

Mark Furler at CHOGM.

Beattie thought it was pretty funny apparently and later on he kept his promise to invite me, as the only regional journalist, to meet the Queen.

The afternoon tea was held at the Stamford Plaza hotel in Brisbane.

I went through about seven security points, and briefings, before being allowed in to meet the Queen and Prince Philip.

I still remember nervously shaking her white glove hand as I mentioned I was from the Sunshine Coast where she had just been.

As we ate cucumber sandwiches, Prince Philip was such a card, joking with reporters.

He described Twin Waters, one of our top resorts at the time, as like a ‘hut on stilts’.

The meeting was an off the record affair but Samantha Cohen, who used to work with me at Noosa News, was working in PR for the Palace, so I asked her whether it would be okay to write a colour piece on it.

She said as I long as I didn’t quote any conversations, it was fine.

So we splashed the next day with ‘the Queen and I’ - Daily reporter meets the Queen.

Back at CHOGM all the other journos who were at the afternoon tea accused me of breaking Royal protocol.

I told them, ‘No I didn’t. I cleared it with the Palace.’’

The piece also featured an exclusive with the staff at Twin Waters who served the Royals all weekend.

Needless to say, the Queen will always have a soft spot in my heart.

She served us well. May she rest in peace.