The region’s parliamentarians Nick McBride, Troy Bell and Tony Pasin gave formal speeches to condolence motions last week in honour of the late Queen Elizabeth.
Mr McBride told the House of Assembly the monarch had never visited his MacKillop electorate but had spent an afternoon in Mount Gambier in 1954.
Mr Bell also spoke at length about her visit to the Blue Lake city around 68 years ago.
As well as greeting crowds at Vansittart Park, Mr Bell said Queen Elizabeth was also taken to the Crater Lakes.
“It was here that she was tasked with the simple planting of a sapling to serve as a reminder of her visit and as a representation of the monarch,” Mr Bell said.
“The small sapling was given the monumental task of representing the institution of a historical reigning monarch, the relationship our Commonwealth holds to it and the life of a reigning Queen, birthed with no expectation of the Crown, that resulted in a devotion of over 70 years serving her people.
“I regret to admit that this tree no longer stands and I argue that it no longer stands because of the weight of responsibility it once held.
“But as we look back in mourning and remembrance, I make the claim that it never did and never could stand to act as a symbol for what was its intended purpose, as the monarch, unlike it, has stood tall against the passing of time; the Commonwealth, unlike it, has continued to grow and prosper; and our Queen, unlike it, brought the world to a halt in mourning.
“I am pleased to note that, just three days before Her Majesty’s passing, 16 native blue gums were planted in replacement of this tree, so now let us again watch as each tree grows in an attempt to represent the institution of a historical monarch, the service of a great ruler and the life of a woman spent in devotion to others.”
Mr Pasin attended the national memorial service in Canberra on Thursday and addressed the House of Representatives the following day.
He detailed the Queen’s visit to the Barker electorate at various times between 1954 and 2002.
“Not only did our Queen earn our trust as our monarch but she also won our admiration,” Mr Pasin said.
“That is blindingly clear to me in the remarks and memories that have been shared over the past fortnight, right across Barker.
“Queen Elizabeth II was a monarch who ruled with an empathetic heart and wisdom, both innate and gained from almost a century of life and experience.
“She was Australia’s longest serving monarch and, for many of us, the only one in living memory, having served for over seven decades.
“As our second Elizabethan age comes to an end and as our period of mourning finishs, may the memories of our Queen, both personal and shared, inspire the very best of us, particularly for those of us in Barker and, indeed, the wider Commonwealth.
“May Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II rest in eternal peace.”
