ROYAL VISITS TO THE HAWKESBURY

 Queen Elizabeth II, aged 96, died in September 2022, after a 70 year reign. We have also seen the appointment of a new monarch, King Charles III. Over the past 175 years, a number of members of the Royal family, have visited the Hawkesbury.  

The first Royal visit to Australia took place in 1867 when Prince Alfred, the son of Queen Victoria, spent several months touring around. In 1868 his schedule included a picnic plus a trip on the Hawkesbury River, but these events were postponed due to bad weather. The trip on the Hawkesbury was not reported in the newspapers, however while attending the Sailors' Home picnic at Clontarf, an assassination attempt was made by Henry O'Farrell. It was believed to be the first political assassination attempt in Australia. The Prince was treated for his injuries by Lucy Osburn, the nurse who had recently arrived in Sydney and introduced the Nightingale System of training nurses. 

As teenagers, Prince Albert and George, grandsons of Queen Victoria, visited in 1881 as naval cadets in training, on HMS Bacchante. They toured around the harbour and then took a steam launch up the Hawkesbury River from Pittwater to Sackville and then travelled to Windsor Railway Station by horse and carriage, where they caught the train back to the city. Apparently, the Mayor and other officials were not apprised of the visit (much to their disappointment) but groups of young ladies crowded the platform and it was reported that some enthusiastic female fans “could scarcely refrain from rushing forward to kiss the young gentlemen as they walked arm in arm” to their carriage. 

In 1901, the Mayor of Windsor, John Jackson Paine was invited to the opening of the first Parliament of Australia and the reception to meet the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York in Melbourne. The Mayor said later, it was “an event in the history of the world.” Local schools also celebrated this momentous occasion. The Duchess gave a signal in Melbourne via the telegraph, which was relayed to the teachers and schools all over the country, so they hoisted simultaneously their school flags to “herald the inauguration of the Federation of the Australian States.” A special ceremony followed the flag raising, attended by politicians and officials. Following their official duties, the Duke and Duchess spent some time on the Hawkesbury onboard the HMS Ophir, and visited the picturesque Cowan Bay for a picnic.

One well-known visit was that of Edward, the Prince of Wales, in 1920. On behalf of his father King George V, his visit was to officially thank the Australian people for their contribution in World War 1.  Arriving by train from Parramatta, the Prince was entertained by an aerial display provided by Lt Alfred le Grice and Tom Linn in two aircraft following the train from Blacktown to Windsor. Taking off from Clarendon, the pilots wowed the crowds “flying so low” it appeared they “skimmed the tops of the trees”. 

At Windsor, a huge crowd of about 6,000 greeted the Prince and the official party which included Lord Louis Mountbatten and Lord Claud Hamilton. They were driven through an ornamental archway built in McQuade Park where the Prince and officials were met by various returned soldiers and army nurses. The Prince said he was pleased to visit Windsor “this old and famous town, whose name links it to the place where most of my own childhood was spent.” He presented a signed copy of his speech to the town. 

The procession then moved to Wilberforce and Ebenezer, stopping along the way so the Prince could shake hands with returned soldiers along the way. They then headed to Sackville with about 500 people gathering near an arch created with, along with a couple of soldiers, greeted the official party. The launch departed from the wharf at Sackville, travelling up the Hawkesbury and after a five-hour journey, arrived in Brooklyn.

The Duke and Duchess of York visited Australia on their Royal Tour in 1927 and opened Parliament House in Canberra. NSW Premier, Jack Lang, requested the couple visit the Hawkesbury but the offer was declined. 

In 1936, the Prince of Wales became King Edward VIII, following the death of his father. He abdicated less than twelve months later, with his brother Albert George, the Duke of York, crowned as George VI.

Queen Elizabeth II acceded to the throne when her father died in 1952. She visited Australia, the first reigning monarch to do so, in 1954, accompanied by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Wherever they travelled, they were welcomed enthusiastically and nearly 75% of the population saw her on this visit. It wasn’t until 1970, that the Queen officially visited the Hawkesbury. They flew from Orange and arrived at the Richmond RAAF Base. A flying visit was made to Hawkesbury Agricultural College, now the Western Sydney University, in Richmond inspecting some of the college activities and the signing of the visitors book in the Library. Next stop was St. Matthew’s Anglican Church in Windsor where the couple were given a tour of the historic church, followed by a quick walk around the grounds. Less than fifteen minutes later, the couple departed for Parramatta, with hordes of schoolchildren lining the route, waving to the couple.

Queen Elizabeth II walks through the grounds of Windsor’s St Matthew’s Anglican Church, 1970.
Source: Windsor & Richmond Gazette 29 Apr 1970 

Subsequent visits to Australia by the Royal family have taken place since then but it’s those earlier visits to the Hawkesbury that are most cherished by the community.