It seems that the Royal Wedding has failed to attract the attention of ordinary people. Prince William and his wife are unable to imagine a way of enthralling viewers, as Oprah Winfrey did during her visit to the state of Texas last year.
But it wasn’t always that way. On the evening of June 6, 1977, Queen Elizabeth set off a bonfire in Windsor Castle to mark the beginning of the week-long celebrations to mark the anniversary of the 25th year since her coronation.
A few miles away, residents of a tiny East Gippsland town also ignited the royalist bonfire. I have this information as I attended.
Maffra was among the many small rural Australian towns that faithfully commemorated the anniversary of the Silver Jubilee. I don’t recall much about the celebration, but I would think it was chilly in a paddock that was beyond the town’s boundaries, illuminated only by the night sky and the flickering flames from the fire.
I’m not sure that Maffra celebrated The Queen’s Golden Jubilee quite so assiduously. This is not something to be ashamed of. Across the Commonwealth, only a handful of events over the last decades have been as a royalist in the enthusiasm of 1977.
It is no secret that the British themselves are trying to match the enthusiasm brought by the celebration of the silver anniversary of the jubilee. In 1977 the year 1977, millions of British citizens went to street celebrations to commemorate this anniversary.
A comparison with the lackluster participation of the street parties to the royal wedding this week couldn’t be more stark. As a frustrated captain of a slow sports team at a public high school, the Premier Secretary, David Cameron, is calling on the British populace to show a bit more enthusiasm.
The Royals in Australia
Seven million Australians say they saw the Queen on her visit to Australia in 1954. Flickr/ABC archives.
From the Australian perspective, none of the two events, such as the silver jubilee or the royal weddings that are pending, is as exciting as the one created by the Queen’s inaugural Australian tour.
The historians Jane Connors and Ewan Morris have written about the passion and enthusiasm sparked by the Queen and Prince Phillip while they wiggled their way across the continent during their long late summer tour in 1954. A variety of royal sons have visited Australia and the Pacific, including Prince Henry Duke of Gloucester and Governor-General between 1945 and 1947; however, that was the very first time that a monarch in power had visited.
The Queen’s visit was received with a roar of approval. Even left-wingers gathered to greet the monarch. Seven million Australians said they had seen the Queen while she walked through the streets. Despite the countless instances of sunburn, Prime Minister Menzies called the eight-week event “literally a tremendous success.”
Analyzing what were the Australian responses to three royal events over six decades may make local Republicans feel more confident.
The media is preparing to announce the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton in its usual trance. Still, I’m of the opinion that there’s not the emotional impact of the 1954 tour or, for that matter, the Silver anniversary.
In the words of Ewan Morris, a large part of the force of the tour in 1954 was the fact that it helped to purchase Britain as a nation, its whiteness, and the influence of the empire on most Anglo-Australians.
The tour was viewed by many as living proof that Australia was a participant of” the “British Way of Life.” The tour reinforced the prevalent belief that Australians were “never been anything but British in race, tradition, and rule.”
When I was able to attend Maffra’s celebrations of the silver jubilee, this celebration of Britain and the Empire and Australia’s distinct role in it was seriously weakened.
Like the waning fire embers, it was only enough of an emotional connection between the Queen and our country for my extended family members to justify our journey to a paddock in the country on a cool June night.
It was fragile and faded; however, it was clear that the Royal family and definitely Her Majesty were an integral part of the everyday Anglo-Australian life.
I don’t believe that there is a connection between emotions today, and certainly not in the same way.
The new royalty
Oprah Winfrey received the royal treatment during her visit to Australia in the year before.
If you’re looking for a modern-day version of the royal tour in 1954, do not look at Prince William’s recent visit to Queensland in Queensland and Victoria; however, instead, look to Oprah Winfrey’s 2010 tour, which was a roaring success. The high expectations, the constant media, and the desperation of people who want to get close to their idols The tour of Oprah Winfrey’s Australia tour was almost royal in its splendor and the acclaim she received.
All this suggests the widening (some may say, the coarsening) of idealizations in the present and emotional ties.
In other words, in a nutshell, the Royals aren’t the only ones in town. The popularity and growth of popular culture have provided a wide array of gods and idols for worship.
However, the Royals remain a thrilling show to watch regardless of the fact that they are no longer the primary focus of ways Australians think of themselves.
The smarter Republicans recognize this but have had a difficult time convincing the benefits of removing the tie royal and starting fresh. In the meantime, I’m sure the current constitutional arrangement will continue to be.
