Sepia Saturday: The day we saw the Queen

Queen Elizabeth. (Image held by the Genealogical Society of Victoria)

In February 1954 I was a student at a one-teacher rural school in country Victoria called Homerton. There were only about twenty students at the school, ranging in age from five to fifteen. I had turned five years old in November, received a new little bike for Christmas and started riding the five kilometres to school each day with several girls who lived on neighbouring farms.

I have a few vague memories of that time but one thing I do remember is when all of the school went to Hamilton to see the Queen. Hamilton was about 60 kilometres away but I don't remember how we got there - probably our parents took us in cars, We dressed in our best and, with 13 000 other children, sat on Melville Oval waiting for the Queen and Prince Phillip to arrive. I remember seeing the car drive past in a flash and seeing the Queen wave and then she was gone. It was all very exciting but I wonder if we even knew what it was all about. I wonder if I'm in the photo below, one of the many children waving a flag.

The Queen's visit to Hamilton, Victoria. (The Age, 27 February 1954)

This post is my response to the Sepia Saturday theme photo that shows Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret dressed for a pantomime performance. Happy birthday Queen Elizabeth. You might like to see how others responded by checking out the website.