Longreach to unveil new plaque on National Day of Mourning

Mayor Tony Rayner will unveil a plaque celebrating the first visit of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to Longreach in 1970, on the National Day of Mourning, Thursday 22 September.

The Mayor is inviting community to a morning tea in the Lady Walker Courtyard at the Longreach Civic & Cultural Centre at 10:00 am, followed by the unveiling of the new commemorative plaque. The plaque celebrates the royal visit to Longreach on 15 April 1970, on the site where Her Majesty and His Royal Highness, The Duke of Edinburgh, each planted a fig tree to mark the occasion. 

Mayor Rayner said the trees were a source of pride for many in the community.

“Those trees are an enduring link to Her Majesty for our community. When His Royal Highness passed away last year I was able to inform The Queen in my condolence letter that they stand proudly to this day, side by side, as a reminder of their visit.”

He said the new plaque would inform visitors of the significance of the trees.

“I was a boy when the royal couple visited and I stood in line to catch a glimpse of them. The original plaques at the base of each tree are now obscured by vegetation, so for the casual observer, there’s no clue that there’s anything special about the trees.

“It’s timely now that we should have a new plaque there to preserve the history of them and tell the story, particularly for visitors and people that weren’t there.”

The new plaque will be unveiled following a morning tea at 10:00am, in the Lady Vivienne Walker Courtyard at the Longreach Civic & Cultural Centre, on Thursday 22 September.