FLAGS across the Mornington Peninsula have been flying at half mast ever since of the death of Queen Elizabeth II became known last Friday.
Possibly the first to be lowered were those flying outside the municipal offices at Mornington which were adjusted downwards by Louise Stewart, the first to arrive at the offices in the appropriately named Queen Street.
Because they are illuminated at night, the flags are permitted to fly at all times and were probably the first to be lowered on the peninsula.
The Queen’s death on Thursday 8 September also set in motion the time-honoured protocols for the burial of a British (and Australian) monarch and the announcement of her successor, her son, now King Charles III.
On the Mornington Peninsula the death of the Queen revived memories long cherished by those who had met her or attended events involving her or other members of the royal family.
One such occasion occurred in March 1986, when the Queen and Prince Phillip sailed into Western Port aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia, passing the clifftop park at Flinders where the Australian flag now flies at half mast.
A queen’s day out on the peninsula, The News, 13/9/2022
First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 13 September 2022
