Page 2590 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 20 September 2022

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returned in 1982 to open the new National Gallery. In 1988, as part of the bicentenary celebrations, Her Majesty opened new Parliament House as part of a particularly historic visit to our capital.

In 1992, Her Majesty opened Bonython Primary School in the ACT’s deep south and visited the classrooms of fascinated and excited students. Her Majesty toured Canberra again in 2000, 2002 and 2006, when the time the Queen honoured firefighters with a special ceremony in Canberra after a devastating summer of bushfires in 2003.

In 2011, Her Majesty’s final tour of Australia, who could forget the remarkable videos and photos of Her Majesty and Prince Philip sailing on a navy barge along Lake Burley Griffin, on a perfect Canberra spring day much like today to visit Floriade as part of the national tour. And it is fitting, Madam Speaker, that this image remains with us today as we celebrate the return of Floriade to our capital.

Her Majesty will be remembered for her commitment to country, family, service and duty. She will be respected and remembered in the history pages for her lifetime of service to the world.

I end with a personal reflection, Madam Speaker. When my parents first arrived in Australia from Korea in 1986 and were settling into our new lives in a foreign country, they were encouraged to give Australian names to their children at the time. Just the two of us, Rosa, my sister, and I.

My parents were new to this country. They had no idea about Australia names, and they did not know where to take inspiration from. It was Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II that became that inspiration. They decided to name me after the Queen. A world leader, a strong woman, a respected person. And ever since 1988 I became known as Elizabeth.

On behalf of the ACT Opposition I extend my deepest sympathies and condolences to King Charles III and the royal family at this very, very sad time. Balancing grief and duty must be incredibly difficult to navigate. Whatever your views on the Monarchy, to grieve a very beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother with the world watching cannot be easy.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II: may she rest in peace.

MR RATTENBURY (Kurrajong) (10:22): I rise today to speak on behalf of the
ACT Greens MLAs, as we reflect on the life and work of her late majesty
Queen Elizabeth II.

As expected, her funeral was a formal, grand and solemn ceremony, yet I imagine for many of us, whether we watched it live in its entirety or simply caught a few glimpses, our thoughts turned to the kinds of far more modest funerals we have all attended ourselves. Deaths and funerals are all tragic affairs, and this was no exception, especially for those who held the Queen in their hearts as important to their identity and as a constant across changing times. And, despite this loss, there is some comfort in knowing the Queen’s was a long life well lived.


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