A Crown to Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir, Governor of New South Wales Governor and Sir Nicholas Shehadie who graced a luncheon to honour the event at Parliament House Sydney. The parliamentary host, Anthony Roberts MLA, hosted the event under the auspices of the Royal Society of St. George whose new Chairman Peter Cavanagh was resplendent in the RSSG chain of office. As the MC James Bell said, the principal guide throughout Her Majesty’s reign has been service.
This was a theme Her Excellency followed in her address which was both a eulogy to our Sovereign and a personal recollection of meetings with The Queen. An announcement by the MC that Her Excellency’s term has been extended was greeted by long applause.
The former RSSG Chairman and noted educationalist, Rex Morgan moved the vote of thanks, with a stirring reminder of the contributions of our Sovereign and of the Crown. Mr Morgan has been very busy of late on matters Royal and indeed Imperial. His address on the birthday of the King of Thailand last year to the International Monarchist League in Australia was memorable. He was present in St Petersburg at the reinterment of the Tsaritsa Maria Feodorovna. More recently he was closely involved with the visit to Australia of H.I.H. The Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna. Mr. Morgan has given a lifetime of work in the defence of The Crown, and thoroughly deserves a Crown.
And from the Spanish media, it would seem that HM King Juan Carlos should, if he were not already King , receive a Crown for telling that first rate boor, President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, to “just shut up,”(¿por qué no te callas?). Chavez had interrupted a meeting of Ibero-American summit in Chile to call former Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, a "fascist". (A video of the event can be seen on the Daily Telegraph on 20 November, 2007.)
Note that this would not happen at CHOGM, in the unlikely event of our Sovereign having to silence a Commonwealth Leader. Her Majesty does not attend working sessions.
A Crown for the Commonwealth for continuing to be an international organisation with standards. Having given the boot to Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe, the Commonwealth is considering Pakistan’s membership in the light of General Pervez Musharraf‘s state of emergency.
And a Crown to the Victorian Minister, the Hon John Lenders who is resisting an order from the Legislative Council to release documents protected by confidentiality provisions. According to The Age, 19 November, 2007 he told Parliament last month "I have taken an oath as a minister of the Crown to uphold the law of the state. If the house wishes to censure me … because I am applying the law of the state, please explain."
We assure readers that we take no position in this controversy, nor is the fact that Mr Lenders belongs to the Labor Party an indication thta we support Labor. What is reassuring is that Mr. Lenders obviously appreciates the role and function of the Crown. That is why we award him a Crown, although we are amused with the comment by our informant:” ALP Ministers now calling themselves 'Ministers of the Crown" – PLEASE EXPLAIN!!”
And finally, a Mace to the editor of The Age for reasons which will be obvious from this letter Harold Schmauze sent to The Age:
“Shame on The Age. On the 60th Wedding Anniversary of the Queen of Australia and Prince Philip all you can publish is a "Quote of the Day" on page 18. Please drop your slogan "If it matters to you it matters to us." You ignore the monarchist readers completely. Are you trying to impose on us what matters to you?” .