By Mikayla van Loon
Yarra Ranges Council paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II in the Tuesday 13 September council meeting, speaking of her visit to the humble Warburton.
Mayor Jim Child said her presence was known and seen across the Commonwealth and she helped modernise the monarchy during her reign.
“She was a quiet, graceful and proud leader who gave her life to serve the kingdom and the nations within it with respect, empathy and kindness,” he said.
Cr Child said the Queen had a dedication to international relations and brought people together, which was seen on a local scale in Warburton in 1954, a year after her ascension to the throne.
“Travelling by train, the pair visited Warburton and stayed at the then Melbourne Metropolitan Board of Works O’Shannassy Chalet – the only place the pair stayed other than government house or onboard the Royal Train,” he said.
“The people who encountered the Royal’s during that visit have told the stories for decades since, a statement to the positivity the Queen brought to those who encountered her.”
The community has been invited to sign a condolence book, which has been placed at the Lilydale Community Link on Anderson Street until Friday 23 September.
“If you as residents of Yarra Ranges wish to share your condolences, mark your respects or recount a memory of her historic reign, Yarra Ranges Council invites you to sign a book of condolence for Queen Elizabeth II,” Cr Child said.
On behalf of Yarra Ranges Council, Cr Child also formally offered his condolences to the Royal Family and to King Charles III.
“She was loved for a reason and the world is dimmer without her in it. To say that much of the world has been mourning would be an understatement. We will never see someone like Queen Elizabeth II ever again.
“In death, as in life, she will shape the world and the way we live in it.”
