Summary

Booklet issued by the Commonwealth Government of Australia to Australian school children in 1954 as a souvenir of the Royal visit by Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh. The booklet features a number of photographs of Queen Elizabeth II and her family, images of transport in Australia, and a complete itinerary.

The Queen and Prince Philip visited Victoria from 24 February to 9 March 1954. The first reigning monarch to tour Australia, she arrived in Sydney on 3 February 1954 and departed the country from Fremantle on 1 April 1954. The Royal party visited all the capital cities apart from Darwin, and over 70 country towns.

The donor, an 11 year old school girl in 1954, received this booklet with a commemorative medal when the royal couple visited Hamilton in western Victoria. She writes of the occasion:

'It was a hot day at the end of February 1954 when we were taken by buses from the Merino Consolidated School to Melville Oval in Hamilton. The Royal party had flown from Essendon, via Mount Gambier to Hamilton. I remember seeing many of the windows of the houses in Hamilton all decorated with royal pictures, red, white and blue paper streamers and flags. We walked onto the oval and each of the 175 schools had an area allocated to them and each area was contained by rope.

We seemed to wait for ages in the hot afternoon summer sun with no hats and no water bottles like school children have today. It was too much for my friend...who fainted and was taken off to the sick bay. She did not see the Queen but the little girl who was chosen to present the Queen with a bouquet was waiting in the sick bay and they permitted my friend to hold the bouquet. The Queen's car and all her entourage drove up and down between the assembled school children and I remember we waved and cheered excitedly to the first car but the Queen wasn't in it. I recently read an article in the newspaper and it was stated that some people travelled 100 miles to see the Queen.'

Physical Description

Small paper booklet with orange cover printed on the front with a full colour illustration of the British Coat of Arms, and on the back with a white illustration of the Australian Coat of Arms. Stapled spine. Printed text throughout with red detailing.

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