MOUNT Isa’s reception may have been the quietest experienced by the her majesty, Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh during their entire Australian tour, not because of a lack of affectionate enthusiasm rather for once, the city was in awe and stunned into respectful silence.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
However, the lead up to the royal visit was anything but quiet as builders, painters, welders, gardeners, cleaners, and spirited school children prepared for the arrival of the royal couple. As we look back on history, we remember the main attractions but rarely do we take into account the background work that has to happen to make an event a success.
Mount Isa had never been dressed in such style as streets were festooned with banners, flags and bunting while numerous installations were erected on business houses and throughout the mine lease in recognition of this most auspicious visit – the first by a reigning monarch. Woolworths had a double celebration in April 1970 when firstly, it reopened its doors for trade after a catastrophic fire that destroyed the building 12 months earlier and secondly to celebrate the royal visit.
While customers may very well have thought Woolworths had been appointed grocers to the Queen, as it joined in the community spirit by having erected a huge replica of the British coat-of-arms above the Miles Street entrance. In other parts of the city, one of the biggest and most colourful constructions was the 14 ½ feet (about 5 metres) diameter galvanised and red plastic crown which proudly sat above the Tropicaire Drive In theatre screen.
The crown was a joy to behold to motorists travelling along the Barkly Highway. Built by Harry Snarr, an employee at the Tropicaire Drive-In, the work was one of carried out in respect and admiration for a young woman whom he unknowingly, at the time, taught to drive an army truck.
Recalling those earlier years, he said he had been attached to an army camp in southern England where women in the army were taught to drive; Princess Elizabeth was one of those girls. While the city underwent the spit and polish formula, mayor Bill Weigh was preparing to fight for the right of every school child in the North West to be given the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the Queen in person.
Richmond Shire Council had sent a letter to Mount Isa City Council advising that the school children in their district would not be attending festivities in Mount Isa as the head teachers of the various schools believed the children would miss too much time away from classrooms.
Fortunately, the mayor went into bat for those children and after several weeks of negotiations, the chairman of Richmond Shire Council, councillor Fred Tritton, advised that his council had reversed their earlier decision and were now working to ensure that every school aged child within its district would be eligible to see the Queen.
In the long run, more than 5000 school children came by road, rail and air from Birdsville, Bedourie, Boulia, Dajarra, Duchess, Camooweal, Normanton, Karumba, Burketown, Gunpowder, Richmond, Maxwelton, Nelia, Nonda, Julia Creek, Cloncurry, Mary Kathleen, Mc Kinlay, Kynuna.
They joined local school children at Alexandra Oval to possibly have their once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see a … ‘real live’ Queen. Kalkadoon Park was another venue that received a spruce up in the anticipation and staging of the North West 1970 pageant and mini rodeo.
And to add to Mr Weigh’s workload, there was a local government election in the middle of the royal visit preparations. As the records show, he was re-elected as mayor of Mount Isa for a second term. Fortunately, the earlier organisational hiccups faded into the nether regions once the royal flight landed at Mount Isa Airport to be greeted by a large, enthusiastic crowd of spectators and local dignitaries.
One very excited English woman, who waited with bated breath to meet the royal couple and their entourage was Jean Charters, housekeeper at Casa Grande. She had been working alongside the royal lead party to ensure that all the catering and accommodation details for the royal visit were befitting the royal couple.
The Queen and Prince Phillip were accompanied by several their own personal staff, of note the Queen’s lady-in-waiting and Scotland Yard personal guards in their overnight stay at Casa Grande, other members of the entourage were accommodated at the Barkly Hotel and Inland Motel.
Excitement was on the airwaves of the Royal Flying Doctor Service too, as the outback population made ready to listen into the Queen’s broadcast. One very excited little girl was eight-year-old Bernadette Dargan of Cloncurry. One of 12 children, Bernadette could trace her ancestry back to the Kalkadoon aboriginal tribe that once lived in the vicinity of Mount Isa.
And at Alexandra Oval it was little Bernadette who curtsied before the Queen and handed her a bouquet of locally grown Queensland orchids.
Later that evening at Kalkadoon Park, six of Australia’s top rodeo riders, Barry Jones, Ken Coleman, Ken Hart, Tom Kenny, Bonny Young and Colin McTaggart entertained the crowds with a mini-rodeo highlighting their horsemanship and rodeo skills as they competed against the eight second clock. The 1970 royal tour to Mount Isa and the North West took a lot of hard work, organisation, participation and enthusiasm which resulted in the consensus – we had done good.
And finally with warm western hospitality and the beaming smiles of 5000 school children from 53 nationalities, within a combined North West Queensland population of 31,000 people, a shout went out - “G’day your Majesty. Come again soon!” Photographs courtesy of MIMAG and the North West Star. Information sourced from MIM publications, Brisbane Courier Mail and the North West Star.
