|
Held Friday 21 March 2025 - Submitted by Judy from the Royal Commonwealth Society of South Australia
It was a gorgeous day, warm, sunny with a whisper of wind, just the way all good stories should start!
The 2 Plaques, after much wrangling and worrying delays, were in place on a beautiful big rock, in front of the happily growing and very tidy Queen’s Pod, covered in our big Commonwealth Flag, in our new and very special Glenthorne National Park.
The Friends of Glenthorne had worked for nearly a month to have The Pod and its surroundings looking their very best; the marque was up and chairs set in there, for those who wanted them.
Acceptances were received from The Deputy Premier, Hon Susan Close MP; Alex Dighton MP, Member for Black; Erin Tompson MP, Member for Davenport; Prof. Chris Daniels, Green Adelaide and much more; Marcus Gehrig, CEO RSPCA; Chris Hanna, Mayor of Marion; The President of Birds SA; a number of members of the Department of Environment and Water; Rangers from the Department; RCS and Friends of Glenthorne members, and as it turned out, some interested visitors walking through the Park.
The Deputy Premier had agreed to unveil the Plaque, which was set up by the RCS, to acknowledge the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, her 70 years on the Throne. We had planted the first planting in the Pod, with help from Friends of Glenthorne and the Rangers, and the final planting was organised for 8th September 2022….it was the day the Queen died. It was a surreal experience for us all, but we decided to go ahead and finish the planting. We went back to the Rangers’ Station, after the planting to have our customary cake and coffee, but this time we also shared a toast, with a bottle of wine and some small plastic cups – to King Charles the Third – it was a moment out of time.
Alan Burns, a founding member of Friends of Glenthorne welcomed us all to the Park and the Queen’s Pod, then Our Master of Ceremonies, John Shepherd, introduced Libby Ellis, our President. Libby gave a very interesting, but also an important speech, about what the RCS stands for and why we had decided to set up this Plaque to the Queen’s 70th Jubilee, at Glenthorne. As she said, it focussed our attention on the extraordinary work the Queen had achieved during her reign, but also on her care and awareness for the importance of the natural environments, found throughout the Commonwealth, and her wish to see a “Green Canopy” over the lands.
The Deputy Premier was next to speak, and her words were warm and powerful. She acknowledged that the Queen had been born into her position, and might seem not to have earned the right to her powerful status. However, The Deputy Premier said that she could not envisage another person who could have firstly, crafted her role as Head of The Commonwealth, and then filled it with such quiet awareness, intelligence, warmth and strength, for the length of her very long reign. As she said, we were indeed blessed to have had her example and quiet, effective leadership.
After a thankyou to everyone attending, many of us took the time to walk to a nearby Lookout, which gave us a view over much of the Park, and the Munitions Huts, which are to be the focus of the next RCS enterprise. A memorial to the men and horses that were sent overseas to the various front lines during World War 1.
We all walked back down through the Nature Play Ground to a much appreciated afternoon tea, and some catching up with friends and colleagues. It was a very happy and satisfactory finish to a long held RCS vision to acknowledge the Queen in a quiet and meaningful way. |
