Albury Said It With Great Heart
Sydney Morning Herald
Thursday May 5, 1988
It was like stepping back to an earlier and more innocent Australia when the people of Albury welcomed the Queen with songs and flowers yesterday.
The enthusiasm was such that the cancellation of a planned excursion on the paddle steamer Cumberoona because of the low level of water in the Murray was taken as a source of municipal sorrow.
"Such a shame," the people tut-tutted in their hundreds, as they craned their necks for a view of the Royals.
From the airport to the middle of town, the roadside was dotted with small groups of men, women and children waiting patiently.
The route marked out for the Queen's walk from Dean Street to the steps of the Civic Centre was bright with excited elderly ladies and children holding bunches of home-grown roses in full bloom.
The Albury Choir sang in the background and a local band chipped in with beautifully arranged instrumentals.
The Queen, dressed in pink, finally emerged from her car and strolled from side to side, gathering armfuls of flowers and passing the surplus to her lady-in-waiting.
The local press went all out for blanket coverage. The story goes that five photographers were assigned, and all had been awake well into the early hours of the morning, tortured with anxiety about the job they had to perform.
After lunch the Royal party drove to Albury Showground for a spectacular show put on by thousands of local school children, and devoid of the usual gimmickry - bar streamers tied to their wrists.
But, sadly, the town's resources proved insufficient to the occasion.
In spite of scouring the surrounding countryside for buses to add to the city's 40-strong fleet, the transport system was unable to cope with demand.
"There was supposed to be 10,000 here," a local woman said. "But they couldn't get the buses. There's a lot of disappointed kids out there this afternoon."
But the ones who made it put their hearts into the performance. "I'm as Greek as a souvlaki, I'm as Irish as a stew," they chorused. "I'm as Italian as spaghetti...I'm an Aussie, yes I am. G'day!"
And if nothing else, the visit to the showground laid at least one nagging doubt to rest.
The daily bulletin issued by the Queen's press secretary, Robin Janvrin, had listed the colour of her dress as "cyclamen" and white.
Cyclamen? It looked pink to everyone else.
But the grandstand from which she waved to the children was decorated with pots of blossoming cyclamen. And all could see that Mr Janvrin had a point.
© 1988 Sydney Morning Herald
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