Garden Party – Gathering for the Coronation

On Sunday morning was a very special Royal Occasion here on Norfolk Island, the Council of Elders invited locals and visitors to attend a Garden Party at Queen Victoria Gardens to Commemorate the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Carmilla.

Many will have watched the TV and media broadcasts on the events in London of the crowning of the King and Queen and it was wonderful to gather together and mark this historic event. On Sunday, 7 May 2023, a Norfolk Island endemic tree, the Whitewood, was planted, and a handcrafted wooden seat was unveiled, which will be lovely for those visiting the beautiful Queen Victoria Gardens, this commemorative seat is “Fit for a King”.

There were blessings, prayers, speeches, sharing of knowledge and historical links with the Royal family from Queen Victoria gifting Norfolk Island to the Pitcairn Islanders, inviting them to move to Norfolk Island over 166 years ago. There was the Royal visit in 1974 and Prince Philip was the patron of the Norfolk Island Flora &Fauna Society until his retirement. Plus, we have the Royal A&H Show every year.

Margaret Christian gave a very moving speech about the Whitewood tree, which was planted by the Pitcairn Foremothers group. Thank you, Marg, for sharing the history and information about this beautiful tree, it may be small now, but in the years to come it will be a large, tall, beautiful tree.

I enjoyed the singing by the young children, the beautiful Baunti Beauty dancers, plus the boys are amazing as they are now learning the traditional dances. Thank you, Mikiela Christian-Reynolds, you do a wonderful job sharing the love of traditional dance.

Thank you, Charles and Kim Christian-Bailey, for allowing us to gather at the Queen Victoria's Garden, this was the perfect place for a gathering and planting the Whitewood tree for the weekend's coronation.

I am sure everyone enjoyed the lovely morning tea organised by the Sunshine Club of Norfolk Island. The lamingtons were very yummy, I’m sure the King and Queen would have enjoyed them too.

The guests were invited to sign the register and leave messages for King Charles III and Queen Carmilla. Ryan did a great job looking after the signing area, thank you to everyone who organised tables, chairs, tablecloths and so much behind the scenes organising from speaker systems, decorations of flags and a big thank you to the musicians who are always there to lead us in the singing of hymns and National Anthems.

I am sure everyone who attended appreciated that Norfolk Island Council of Elders had organised this Coronation celebration. A big thank to all of you and the many helpers for organising this lovely gathering. There were a couple of us taking photos and Gaelene was busy recording the singing and dancing and speeches and these will be sent to Buckingham Palace to the King and Queen as a gift from Norfolk Island.

I have shared photographs that I have taken on Facebook, these can be viewed on Norfolk Island photos.

Norfolk Island photos | Facebook

I felt privileged to be part of this very special Royal Occasion and able to share with the community and those who were unable to attend. Here are a few pictures to share with the readers to enjoy.

Long Live The King

Betty Matthews

May 2023