Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has set aside his Republican ambitions and paid tribute to the Queen with a sincere gesture.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has named an island in Canberra after the Queen as part of his 70th year celebrations on the throne.
The tribute was marked by a speech on Saturday morning announcing that Aspen Island on Burley Lake in Canberra would be renamed Queen Elizabeth II Island.
Albanese, who is a Republican, said the tribute was in recognition of the monarch’s record and impressive and inspiring reign.
“For seven remarkable decades, His Majesty has been an embodiment of grace, faithfulness and dignity and is for most of us the only reigning monarch that most of us have known and the only one who has visited our great nation of Australia, “he said. .
“Above all, she has remained with Australia as a true and firm friend, in the good times and also in the hard times.”
Albanese said the Queen’s presence as head of state has been a pillar of national importance to the lives of many Australians.
“In fact, he has been a constant in our ever-changing world. A unique figure who has gone through some of the deepest moments of the post-war hero, through some of the most important turning points in modern history. “, he said.
“Today, the administrator and I will present a permanent tribute to the head of our Commonwealth, the renaming of this island, to the island of Queen Elizabeth II, a proper greeting to Her Majesty, given her 14th visit in Canberra, the largest of any working royal. ”
The prime minister said the dedication also included the new Elizabeth Water Gardens, which would “transform” the shore of the lake.
“Treasure this moment, remember it. A milestone that may never be repeated in any of our lives,” he said.
“Today we honor Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and give her name to this place in the heart of our national capital, a place where history and progress meet.”
The island’s opening ceremony included a 21-gun salute and a Royal Australian Air Force flyover.
It arrives as part of a mammoth week of celebrations across the Commonwealth to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s accession to the throne.
Governor General David Hurley, the Queen’s representative in Australia, and his wife are in London representing the country at the jubilee celebrations.
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