Comment & Debate
Tony Abbott. “Monarchy is the tie that binds us together.” The Age. November 29, 2006 – “In the case of Queen Elizabeth, the real and the ideal have almost overlapped. Aged just 21, she declared that her whole life would be devoted to the service of the “great imperial family to which we all belong” and over the subsequent 59 years no one can fairly accuse her of betraying this pledge.
Australians are privileged to have a claim on such a woman. In an age accustomed to the breaking of the most sacred promises, she has lived every day of her public life mostly with grace and charm but above all else with a constant and selfless devotion to the service of her far-flung people.
At the opening of the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne this year, young Harry White paid the Queen a simple but heartfelt 80th birthday tribute: “You have been the glue that held us all together in good times and bad times. The love and great affection that we all hold for you is spread across one-third of the world’s population.”