Credit:Illustration: Cathy Wilcox
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THE QUEEN
Her Majesty’s tireless work and commitment
The Queen must be the most important figure of the 20th and 21st centuries. It is inconceivable how so many Age letter writers cannot acknowledge or respect her tireless work and commitment to serve this troubled world: her diplomacy in keeping world peace; her patronage of so many charities and causes; her environmental work (including the planting of 20million trees under the Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy initiative); her position as head of the Church of England; and so much more.
Politicians who come and go could not do this work. Her family shows no less commitment. Those who are critical overlook the importance of leadership and ritual in our lives. May the Queen rest in peace, and may Charles carry on this role.
Marg Rickards, Werribee
A woman who was born into power and privilege
The Queen lived a long life, one of every kind of luxury and privilege imaginable, with never a moment to fear she would not be taken care of. The only trade off? Do not be too awful such that it might undermine the monarchy; just hold station. So she managed to do what all of us would expect of any decent person: she was nice to people and did not take undue liberty with that power and privilege.
That we are a society which treats her approach as some kind of amazing achievement – to have lived in that privilege for so long without being a jerk – is a damning insight on how low the bar is for people who are born into privilege. There is no reason the Queen could not have shut down the whole show and given everything back to the people or charity. No. She presided for 70 years, kept it all and was not a jerk.
Adam Gilbert, Windsor
No one does pomp and pageantry like the British
The British certainly know how to put on a perfect show. The funeral service was spectacular and impressive from the slow marching to the brilliant music. The hours of practice by all involved must have been exhausting. I felt exhausted just watching this theatrical event.
Mary Fenelon, Doncaster East
Dedication and devotion for 96 long years
We watched the Queen’s funeral with admiration and wonder at her wonderful 96 years. I hope Australia has learnt something from her dedication and devotion and that we can move forward more peacefully.
Diana Goetz, Mornington
Little to guide us in facing our many challenges
The British monarchy, as we have seen in the funeral service, draws deeply on a primitive story about human sacrifice, in this case the sacrifice of God’s son to appease the father of lamb. This mythology offers nothing to guide humanity in facing contemporary challenges. It is an embarrassment.
David Legge, Brunswick East
Let’s honour the Queen with a new era of respect
With much of the world having spent time mourning the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, may we now, as witness to her inspirational service and sense of duty, usher in a new era of respect. Respect for each other with no room for division, respect for our planet and all its inhabitants, and respect by the media, both mass and social.
Let us all aim to build up and not tear down, to restore and not destroy, and to learn just when to remain quiet and say nothing. Our thought before any action could become, “by doing whatever I want to do, will it add value to this aching world?” Let us, in honour of the Queen’s leadership and life, question our motives before we act and start to build a world of harmony.
Wendi Kruger, Croydon South
Misplaced priorities in focus on pomp and ceremony
A message to monarchs, prime ministers, premiers, governors, chieftans, presidents, autocrats, despots and sundry rulers: Prior to planning your funeral with all the extraordinary pomp and ceremony that we have just witnessed, please ensure your subjects are well fed, clothed, housed and educated.
Luigi Soccio, Daylesford
THE FORUM
Expensive, undignified
Re the excellent letter by Miranda Jones – “Why are we harking back to colonial days?” (Letters, 19/9). Perhaps we never left them. To see ranks of beribboned mourners standing with heads bowed invites comedy rather than sympathy. And as this irreverent Aussie wonders, how many chooks gave up their lives in order to provide tail feathers for aristocrats?
The one thing Jones did not ask was how much was the cost of the Australian mourning and how much does the Australian taxpayer have to pay to fly our betters to the funeral in London. Have we no dignity?
Venise Alstergren, Toorak
An over the top display
Why so much extravagance at the Queen’s funeral? Did it need 150 sailors to pull that gun carriage? Fifteen would have been enough. And the endless marching bands? How much did it all cost in light of the UN food chief’s warning that up to 345 million people are heading towards starvation, and 7million have been pushed closer to starvation by the war in Ukraine (The Age, 17/9)?
Ray Higgs, Ferntree Gully
A focus on the white
Apart from some clergy, some invited guests and a few soldiers, the multiracial British population was excluded from the spectacular. Pictures tell a thousand words.
Meg Paul, Camberwell
Proud to be a volunteer
Watching the procession of Queen Elizabeth’s funeral, I wondered if any of those participating – the pipers, those pulling the gun carriage carrying the hearse, and everyone else who were in it – volunteered their services to show their allegiance to their Queen or were they paid for their services? If I had been a participant, I would like to have been able to say I volunteered my time.
Rosemary Berrell, Ashburton
High cost of a holiday
Most people will enjoy the public holiday tomorrow without giving too much thought for the Queen. A minute’s silence would have been more meaningful and would have allowed elective surgeries to take place on that day.
Wojtek Nowicki, Mooroolbark
Would Jesus approve?
What would the Nazarene carpenter make of this? The gold, encrusted model of his torture and death held high as a symbol of worldly power. The glorious swansong of empire, the coffin on the gun carriage, the pipes, the military uniforms of a bygone age.
A silent cry for Rudyard Kipling to rise from the grave and bear witness to the glory of the Great Game? Watch closely, you’ll never see anything like this again.
John Laurie, Riddells Creek
Play it safe with Charles
I would rather have King Charles III as our head of state than run the risk of a president who might turn out to be like Donald Trump or Scott Morrison.
Mel Green, Glen Waverley
Clarifying the mourners
At the football we are spectators, at the theatre we are the audience, at church we are worshippers, at a dinner party we are guests but at a funeral we are not guests. We are mourners. What has happened to the journalism profession?
David Hunt, Albert Park
A big fuss about very little
The outrage about the renaming of a hospital (Letters, 20/9) sums up why we are still an immature polity that cannot stand on our own (or up). While republicans and Indigenous rights activists want change, they have little idea of how to bring the whole nation with them to get there.
The anger and bitterness over little things like this proposed name change in the wake of the death of the world’s most high-profile monarch before she had yet to enter her tomb, drives any uncommitted Australians away.
Recently Barbados calmly broke ties with the monarchy and went its own way while retaining the dignity of its people and the Queen and future King who welcomed its decision. Is that a lesson for us?
Eddie Storace, Moonee Ponds
Let’s stay with Maroondah
Is Premier Daniel Andrews having his own Tony Abbott moment over rewarding the royals? Let the federal government propose any new monuments that might be needed for Queen Elizabeth II, and leave the Maroondah Hospital’s name alone.
Elaine Hopper, Blackburn
What could go wrong?
After Daniel Andrews’ crazy-brave idea of appealing to the monarchists by renaming the Maroondah Hospital in memory of the late Queen, I’ve got a great idea for winning the seat of Melbourne off the Greens – rename Parkville as Elizabethville and Carlton could be known as Charlesville.
Bob Evans, Melbourne
A truly fitting tribute
For once I agree with Daniel Andrews. The proposed hospital in Melbourne’s east should rightly be named after Queen Elizabeth. She embodied values from a past era, of unselfish devotion to duty, the importance of family, respect for all people, and of persevering in the face of adversity, all done with her inimitable grace.
I believe her contribution is so important that in years to come, we will refer to this period as the “New Elizabethan” age. This contrasts to today’s self-centred world, of victimhood and grievance, always blaming others and only looking out for ourselves.
Wayne Alexander, Eltham
Now for the next change
If it is so easy to arbitrarily change the name of a hospital from Maroondah to that of a deceased monarch from an archaic royal dynasty, what is so difficult about changing the date of Australia Day?
Angela Woolard, Mordialloc
The American warning
I agree wholeheartedly with all the points made by Professor Claire Smith – “How I lost and found love for the monarchy” (Comment, 19/9). I would just add, look at what is happening in the United States in recent times. In the words of a great author, Margaret Atwood, “Anything can happen anywhere, given the right circumstances”.
Jan Hasnie, Doncaster
Surely the Queen knew
Professor Claire Smith says the palace papers show “the Queen had no prior knowledge of Whitlam’s sacking”.
According to Professor Jenny Hocking, the papers finally released in 2020 show that the palace knew a lot: consulted and forewarned by Sir John Kerr about his likely decision to dismiss elected prime minister Gough Whitlam, providing advice to Kerr on a governor-general’s reserve powers, considering scenarios with him in advance. And if Her Majesty was kept in the dark by palace courtiers acting in her name, that is even more alarming.
John Boyce, Richmond
Follow Canadian model
Do we need them? Broadly, the tasks of “governors” are constitutional (eg, issue writs for elections, sign bills into law, appoint ministers) and ceremonial (eg, present honours and awards). They may also weigh and evaluate advice given to them by politicians.
While we do not need any link to the British royal family, it would be useful to have appointed persons to fulfil these roles, but their independence and impartiality is crucial. This rules out their being popularly elected – which would yield only a politician (or worse).
I suggest we consider the example of Canada which has an independent committee to choose candidates for the roles of governor and governor-general, and further, I propose the membership of this committee be drawn from past governors and governors-general. These people are not only apolitical, but have personal knowledge of the tasks required of the role.
Barbara Boxhall, Glen Iris
Many of us are scared
Professor Peter McIntyre (Comment, 20/9), it is all very well to talk about building up immunity rather than avoiding infection.
Those of us who are more vulnerable to COVID-19 will carry on wearing masks – but we need other people to wear them on public transport etc to help keep us safe. I am getting very tired of trying to explain the problem to maskless strangers on the tram. I am also tired of being told that “for most people”, Omicron should no longer be scary. For some of us, it is very scary indeed.
Caroline Williamson, Brunswick
More than worthy winner
Your correspondent says Brownlow medallist Patrick Cripps was advantaged because he was a great player in a “mediocre team” while Melbourne players were disadvantaged (Letters, 20/9). In each game, six votes are distributed among the best three players. In gaining 29 votes, while his team mates scored a total of 60 votes, Cripps was competing against not only his fellow players but also the 22 players in the opposition. It is also a fact that Cripps often scored three votes when Carlton was beaten. He is a worthy winner.
Tom Ward, Sorrento
Start building smarter
High-density housing has been achieved successfully for many years in major cities, Amsterdam being one. Each housing development is built in a rectangular shape with a large, green space in the middle for residents to use. All apartments have a decent-sized balcony that faces the green area. Also, they are built to a certain height so you do not get the “high-rise effect”.
In Sweden, it is similar except they go one step further and have facilities such as childcare and shops in developments. We have friends and family in both Sweden and The Netherlands. Most apartments are long-term rentals as to buy a stand-alone home in Amsterdam is hugely expensive.
If this has already been achieved overseas, what are we waiting for? Why do we keep building sprawling estates? The quarter-acre dream died long ago. Now we need to start building smarter.
Catherine Gerardson, Watsonia
A grieving youngster
A young boy who was interviewed in the London crowd after viewing the Queen’s coffin tearfully admitted: “It made my heart fall out.“
Charlotte Chidell, Eltham North
AND ANOTHER THING
Queen’s funeral
Clever, regal, opulent, awesome, touching, inspiring, obsequious, nationalist. (Let’s hope there’s a rest before the next big do.)
Angela Thomas, Ringwood
I do hope the family has some photos to remember her by.
Gerry Lonergan, Reservoir
I didn’t know which channel not to watch.
George Djoneff, Mitcham
Of the millions of viewers, how many noticed a spider run from the flowers across the King’s card?
Cherie Forrester, Gembrook
So impressive. Befitting a queen.
David Price, Camberwell
The funeral was entertaining but also showed it was all about military power. Do we need this in our future?
Lou Ferrari, Richmond
Is it over yet? Oh no, there is still a coronation to come.
Jan Newmarch, Oakleigh
Is ″lesser known royals″ another way of saying ″further irrelevant types″?
Tom Stafford, Wheelers Hill
The funeral was breathtaking…as has been the fawning and grovelling from the electronic media.
Ross Ogilvie, Woodend
Now that it’s over, could we please concentrate on saving what’s left of our planet?
Margaret Collings, Anglesea
“Why do we need half of the ABC in London?” (20/9). Perhaps to see if their replacements do a better job.
Chris Waters, Ormond
I watched the funeral parade and wondered why most of those marching were male and white.
Bruce Hart, Bittern
Furthermore
What are you thinking, Dan? Maroondah is beautiful, Indigenous and appropriate. If it ain’t broke…
Lisa Bishop, Macleod
I hope Albanese won’t do a Howard and “break our hearts” regarding the vote for a republic.
Paul Gearing, Moonee Ponds
It’s time Assange was free to be with his wife and children.
Merle Mitchell, Mount Eliza
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