Prince Philip dies: Gold Coast surf lifesaving moment that left him laughing
Prince Philip may have been known for his dry wit but a comical incident on the Gold Coast years ago left the late Duke of Edinburgh in stitches. READ THE FUNNY TALE
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PRINCE Philip may have been known for his dry wit but a comical incident on the Gold Coast years ago left the late Duke of Edinburgh in stitches.
For more than 40 years Phil McGibbon has stood on the shores of beaches all around Australia and the world doing what he loves.
Though one memory stands out above the rest.
The year was 1982 and the Gold Coast was playing host to a national surf life saving carnival that Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, had flown out to attend.
“It was during the beach relay and one of the blokes had just passed the baton to the final runner in his team,” McGibbon said in 2019.
“He was sprinting for home when suddenly his old fella dropped out of his bathers.
“He was trying to put it back in as he was running so he had the baton in one hand and something else in the other.
“Everyone on the beach couldn’t stop laughing, not even Prince Philip.
“Nobody remembers who actually won the race.”
COAST’S PHILLIP PLANS
A PERMANENT memorial to the late Prince Philip has been proposed for the Gold Coast park named for the late Duke of Edinburgh.
Mayor Tom Tate, a staunch monarchist, this morning paid tribute to Prince Philip, who died on Friday at age 99.
Cr Tate said he would write to Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle to request permission to create a permanent memorial at Philip Park on The Spit, which was named for her husband in 1983.
“I will write to her majesty to seek permission for a permanent memorial at Philip Park,” he said.
“That will be embedded so the next generation can visit Philip Park and learn about our connections to the Duke.
“It will be for her approval and I will ask what form they would like it to have.
“They can design what is best fitting and we will deliver.
“I want it to be something young people can go up to it and learn about what kind of man Prince Philip was. Not just a plaque but a reflection of his life.”
Any memorial to a member of the royal family requires royal assent from the reigning monarch.
C Tate made the comments while launching a condolence book allowing Gold Coasters to leave their messages for the Queen.
It will be sent to Buckingham Palace on behalf of the city and placed in the royal archives.
How Prince Philip changed the Gold Coast
THE Gold Coast will have an enduring and little-known connection to Prince Philip who is remembered for his service and amazing legacy.
The Duke of Edinburgh died on Friday (AEST time) at age 99 after a long period of ill health.
Prince Philip visited the Gold Coast several times during the 35 official trips me made to Australia during his 74 year marriage to the Queen.
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His most lasting impact came from his 1982 visit to the city during the 1982 Commonwealth Games.
Through the early 1980s he had made clear his opposition to the damming of the Franklin River in Tasmania, one of several environmental causes he took up in his lifetime.
This inspired the Main Beach Progress Association which, in 1982, wanted to pay tribute to the Prince and his environmental work.
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Association vice president Ted Dolby wrote to the Land Administration Commission on June 11 1982, saying there was “almost overwhelming support” by Gold Coast residents to preserve the area of The Spit north of Sea World as an environmental park.
“With the royal visit to Queensland for the Commonwealth Games, it would be fitting to name it ‘The Prince Philip Park’ and it is not unreasonable to think that he could be flown down to dedicate it.”
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Prince Philip spent time on the Gold Coast during the 1982 Games, meeting lifesavers at Surfers Paradise beach but did not go to The Spit. But six months later he was consulted about the proposal to name the park for him.
Queensland Governor James Ramsay wrote to then-premier Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen on April 11, 1983 to relay his communications with Buckingham Palace.
“My dear Premier, I have the hour to refer to your letter of 2nd March, 1982 in which you recommend the naming of a portion of ‘The Spit’ area on the Gold Coast after His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, to commemorate his visit to the Gold Coast on 3rd October, 1982,” Mr Ramsay wrote. “His Royal Highness has suggested that the Gold Coast Council might wish to name the park ‘Philip Park’, this being the more usual form.”
The name was officially introduced the same year.
Friends of Federation Walk president Lyn Wright said the park name was a fitting tribute to the Duke.
“The Association at the time thought his support for the Franklin River should be acknowledged so the letter was sent off,” she said.
“Because it required royal assent, the Governor was involved and the request came back saying it should simply be known as Philip Park.
“It’s a nice little connection which a lot of Gold Coasters today are not aware of.”
While the Coast is famous for sunshine, the Duke’s first visit was on a wet day on March 8, 1963. The Queen, who was marking 11 years on the throne, arrived on the Glitter Strip, which had been named the Gold Coast just years earlier.
The royals were greeted with a cheerful roar as they stepped off the plane on to the wet tarmac then-Coolangatta Airport.
The inclement weather had reduced the expected crowd of 70,000, but did not upset the mood of the excited onlookers.
People from southern Queensland and northern NSW poured in to get a look, camping in deck chairs and holding beach umbrellas over their heads.
After stepping on to Gold Coast soil, the royals took a 6km route through Coolangatta and then back to the Kirra royal surf carnival.
The rain held off as the crowd roared in approval when the Queen stepped out of the royal car wearing a jade and honeysuckle floral silk dress with side pleats and a jade tulle gathered hat with a turn-back brim.
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More than 1000 lifesavers appeared before the royal couple and 540 of them paraded proudly in a royal march past.
Premier Francis Nicklin and his sister met the royal visitors and introduced them to the Surf Life Saving Association state centre president Jack Winders and his wife.
The Queen and the Duke passed through a 50-man guard of honour of lifesavers who each wore a different costume. They represented 44 surf clubs in Queensland and six from northern NSW.
HOW GOLD COASTERS CAN PAY THEIR RESPECTS TO PRINCE PHILIP
A CONDOLENCE book, allowing Gold Coasters to pay their respects to Prince Philip will be made available by the council on Monday.
Mayor Tom Tate, an avowed monarchist, praised the late royal consort as a man with a significant impact on history.
“He always offered the Queen total support and dignity which gained him worldwide admiration,” he said.
“People say he didn’t have a filter but he had his own sense of humour which I appreciated because it showed how genuine he was. The world will remember him with a great deal of gratitude.”
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