Login
iscover
A contingent of Australian military personnel will join senior government officials and heads of state in London to honour the life of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.
To continue reading the rest of this article, please log in.
Create free account to get unlimited news articles and more!
A cohort of 40 Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel are set to participate in official commemoration and memorial ceremonies paying tribute to Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II following her passing on 8 September.
This is expected to include participation in a march from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch for the Queen’s funeral procession on Monday (19 September).
The personnel will form part of an official national contingent, which includes the Governor-General David Hurley AC, DSC, FTSE and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Meanwhile, Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy has confirmed he will also travel to the United Kingdom to honour Her Majesty, joined by four Pacific heads of state and their delegations.
Australia has offered transport to London to 10 Pacific Island countries, with four taking up the offer — Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu — to the United Kingdom.
Representatives include:
- Governor-General of Papua New Guinea, H.E. Sir Bob Dadae;
- Governor-General of Solomon Islands, H.E. Sir David Vunagi;
- Governor-General of Tuvalu, H.E. Tofiga Vaevalu Falani; and
- Head of State for Samoa, H.H. Tuimalealiʻifano Vaʻaletoʻa Sualauvi II.
Minister Conroy reflected on the Queen’s engagement in the region during her 70-year reign, during which she visited every Pacific member of the Commonwealth.
“Her Majesty’s first visit to Australia in 1954 was the final leg of a tour which started in Fiji in 1953 and included Tonga and New Zealand,” he noted.
“The Queen first visited Papua New Guinea, Cook Islands, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu (then New Hebrides) in 1974, Samoa in 1977, and Nauru, Kiribati and Tuvalu in 1982.”
Minister Conroy welcomed the opportunity to travel alongside Pacific partners.
“The Australian government is pleased to help facilitate Her Majesty’s wish that Pacific countries have the opportunity to join other Commonwealth nations to mourn the loss of the Queen and honour her life of duty and service,” he added.
[Related: Marles pays tribute to ‘devoted’ Queen]
