The Brownies met the Queen
AFTER I moved to Canberra in 1964, I took on the role of Guide Captain to a group of Girl Guides. Later, when my children had grown to be old enough, I became Brown Owl of a Brownie Guide pack in which two of my daughters were members.
When word got around that Queen Elizabeth II along with her husband Prince Philip, were to visit Canberra for the Queen to open parliament, we planned how we could get to see them as they drove by.
So on February 28th 1974, Tawny Owl, another Brownie Guide leader, plus some parents, and I led an excited Brownie pack waiting outside Government House in Yarralumla for the Queen’s car to arrive. One Brownie was chosen to give a posy to the Queen if she should be gracious enough to stop by us.
All of the Brownies were overawed by the sight of Her Majesty as she sat in the back seat of the royal car waving to us. When the car finally stopped I gave the chosen
Brownie a little shove in the right direction as she held tightly onto her posy. Queen Elizabeth smiled sweetly at the nervous girl through the open window and asked her name. “Elizabeth” she stammered, and held up her posy.
Unfortunately she wouldn’t let go of it! Her Majesty the Queen leaned forward in her seat and asked the other Elizabeth, “Are those flowers for me, Elizabeth?”
Elizabeth nodded her head. Then this gracious lady, our Queen, smiled kindly at
Elizabeth, touched her lightly on the cheek with a gloved hand, then gently removed the posy from Elizabeth’s hand. “Thank you, Elizabeth; I’ll take them from you now.” The Queen then smiled and waved goodbye to us.
The royal car drove off through the gates of Government House leaving an awed Brownie Pack behind it, none more so than Elizabeth who said “I will never wash my face again!”
It is a memory I will always treasure and guess what?
There were no photographers there, no TV coverage, nor anyone else waiting, only us. It was just an informal meeting between a head of state with her loyal subjects.
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