City shows love for ‘mother figure’
Royalists honour Queen at touching service
PROOF that the reach of Queen Elizabeth II’s influence knew no bounds could be found at Toowoomba’s memorial service on Thursday, where the young, old and those from across the world gathered to pay tribute to Britain’s longest-serving monarch.
The collective mood of Saint Luke’s Church was encapsulated by Bishop Cameron Venables who quoted Paddington Bear: “Thank you, Ma’am, for everything”.
The service spoke of Queen Elizabeth’s dedication to people and great sense of humour.
After the service, royalists gathered by the altar to talk about the matriarch.
Among the crowd was Chloe Van Den Elsen, 18, member of Toowoomba Guides who laid Commonwealth flags during the ceremony and said she looked up to the Queen.
“She was gentle, very loyal and a great role model for a lot of people, even in guides because she was part of guides herself,” she said.
“She’s a great leader, we even have a photo up of her in our guide hut.”
New Toowoomba community member Sylvia Kipikun, from Papua New Guinea, echoed a similar sentiment, likening the Queen to a significant feminist figure.
“I look at her as a mother figure, she helped to boost the women’s power to all stand up,” Ms Kipikun said.
The most emotional of the crowd was 79-year-old John Standley who received a certificate signed by the Queen in 2009.
“I got such a shock when she died … she was an extraordinary lady whose life was one of service,” Dr Standley said.
“Throughout my life the Queen has always been there, it didn’t matter what crisis there was, what problems there were.”
SEE MORE: TURN TO PAGES 14–15 FOR MORE PHOTOS FROM THE TOOWOOMBA SERVICE