The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh continued their six-month Commonwealth Tour in Australia when they arrived in Brisbane on this day in 1954, following Tours around the United Kingdom after the Queen’s Coronation. The stops in Bermuda, Jamaica, Panama, Fiji, Tonga, New Zealand and Australia were followed by visits to Ceylon, Aden, Uganda, Malta and Gibraltar.
Following an Official Welcome, the Queen (wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara and Nizam of Hyderabad Necklace) and Duke of Edinburgh attended a magnificent State Reception in the former Legislative Council Chamber at Parliament House.
The royal entourage touched down at Eagle Farm Airport, Brisbane to be greeted by the Premier of Queensland, Mr V.C. Gair at the start of nine-day tour of the State. En route to Government House, the Queen and the Duke attended a Civic Reception at the Exhibition Ground and laid a wreath at the circular Shrine of Remembrance in the city centre.
Later, there was a State Reception in the former Legislative Council Chamber, the Upper House having been abolished in 1922. The temperature in Brisbane was much warmer, the humidity more intense, than in the South.
Tonight at the State reception, a fairytale Queen came to life. Her Majesty was an exquisite figure in a gleaming white satin gown with a cascade of white roses extending from the wrist to the hem-on the left hand side and then round both sides. ”The roses stood out at least 2 in. with stalks out- lined in green! “
The gown was strapless, caught at the right shoulder with a single rose. Across the Queen’s left shoulder was the blue Order of toe Garter with the star and two personal Orders of the Sovereign. Her lovely jewellery included a diamond tiara, a diamond pendant necklace, a diamond bracelet at her wrist and diamond chandelier earrings.
After a Service at St John’s Cathedral, an Investiture and Council Meeting at Parliament House, and a School Children’s display at the Exhibition Ground, the Queen (in the Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara, King George VI Festoon Necklace, and Queen Mary’s Diamond Stomacher) and Duke of Edinburgh attended a spectacular Civil Ball hosted by the Lord Mayor at the Brisbane City Hall.
After a night’s rest at Government House, the Queen and Duke were back on duty to attend a weekday service of morning prayer at St. John’s Cathedral.
Then it was onwards to Parliament House where Her Majesty held an investiture. This event was followed by a Parliamentary luncheon. The afternoon schedule was interrupted when a four-year-old girl managed to climb up to the Royal Dias, during a children’s event at the Exhibition Ground, and threw her arms around the Queen who, although taken by surprise, smiled graciously. The child was quickly removed by a royal detective and returned to the care of her mortified mother. The Queen’s personal detective, Chief Inspector T. J. Clark and his colleagues were concerned enough by the incident to undertake a review of royal security to ensure that this did not happen again.
At the Civic Ball at City Hall on the evening of 10 March, intriguingly, in the corner of the ballroom, eight koala bears clung precariously to what was described as a “simulated gum tree.” The royal couple seemed transfixed by this spectacle.
The following day there was a royal awayday by air northwards to Bundaberg (where the Queen sensibly made use of a parasol to ward off the rays of the midday sun) and thence southwards by air to Toowoomba, west of Brisbane, where a group of indigenous people from the Northern Territory (which the Queen was unable to visit due to time constraints) performed intricate dances. The press noted that some people had travelled for hours by truck or bus or car from the outback to get a glimpse of Her Majesty that day. A group of bystanders informed a press reporter that they had waited eight hours under a camphor laurel with green ants biting their legs!
Towards the end of the visit, the Governor of Queensland, Sir John Lavarack and Lady Lavarack, hosted a Ball in honour of the Queen (wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara, City of London Fringe Necklace, and Greville Diamond Chandelier Earrings) and Duke of Edinburgh at Government House,
Government House produced the perfect hot night setting for the reception Sir John Lavarack, Governor, and Lady Lavarack, gave in honour of the Queen and the Duke tonight. Five hundred guests met in the cool of flood-lit, coloured light decorated tropical foliage in the the garden of Government House.
Thc Queen and the Duke made an entrance befitting this fairy scene, coming down the staircase from the balcony outside the first floor drawing-room. They were preceded by Lavarack, who earlier entertained 20 guests àt dinner, among them Mr. Gair Premier, and Mrs. Gair Cr. Roberts, Lord Mayor and Mrs. Roberts: and Mr I Neil Macrossan. Chief. Jus i tice, and Mrs. Macrossan.
An almost full moon shone down on the brilliant setting —200 women guests in gorgeous evening gowns, coloured lights festooned through the trees and shining in a reflected light over the imposing whiteness of Government House itself.
The Queen’s frock was the perfect finish to the occasion. It was of palest blue paper taffeta with a wide rounded neckline front and back. The entire bodice and part of the skirt, to a depth of six inches from the waist, twere heavily beaded in silver. Jewels sparkle
The Queen’s jewels sparkled in the night as she came out of the front door of Government House at 9.35 pm and caused on the steps while the National Anthem was played. She wore her fleur-de-lis tiara, a wide diamond brace- let and a diamond necklace given to her as a wedding present by the City of London. Her ear rings were long diamond chandeliers. Over her shoulder was draped the blue Order of the Garter with the two personal orders of the Sovereign, the Star and the lesser George. At the back of the order was pinned a diamond brooch in the shape of a true lovers’ knot. Most of the guests were assembled on the lower lawn, and the Queen and the Duke went there immediately.
