28th March 2014
I was in Parliament this morning for the swearing-in of the new Governor General Sir Peter Cosgrove, the much-decorated soldier and former Chief of the Defence Force. It was a solemn and symbolic occasion, but the speeches afterwards were warm and full of good humour. Sir Peter quoted Wellington, the famous British general turned statesman. […]
28th September 2012
Australian painter Ralph Heimans has just produced a wonderful new portrait of Her Majesty, depicting the Queen standing in the spot in Westminster Abbey where she was crowned. I was delighted to attend the launch of this spectacular painting at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra, by Her Majesty’s representative in Australia, Governor General HE […]
20th February 2012
I travelled up to the Northern Territory to participate in a weekend of commemorations for the 70th anniversary of the WWII attack on Darwin. 19 February 1942 was not of course the start of the war for Australia. Australian diggers had been fighting alongside their British comrades for two years and five months by then. […]