We won’t be holding our regular Club
meeting today but when we met last we remembered the service of our late Sovereign,
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and observed two minutes silence before our
final Toast to her.
Our Club President Mark shared his thoughts
on death of HM Queen Elizabeth II:
As we learned of the sad news that Her
Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has passed away, the thoughts of the members of
Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland are with the Royal Family as
they grieve for their Mother, Grandmother and Great-Grandmother.
The Queen demonstrated extraordinary
dedication and commitment to duty throughout her Reign and did so with a
graceful strength and admirable determination.
We all have our own memories of how the
Late Queen Elizabeth II impacted on our lives, particularly the example she set
us as citizens and Rotarians who ourselves profess to place ‘Service above
Self’. She has, for 70 years, been the
epitome of placing one’s life in the hands of one’s citizens at home, the commonwealth
and in reality a global population. We
have been truly fortunate to have her sense of constancy, selfless humility and
compassion through periods of great darkness and also great joy in those long
years. What a great life, well lived so
that we all might thrive.
She reigned throughout decades of change,
from the difficult post-war years, through to the new horizons of the 21st
century, providing essential continuity for the nation, adapting and evolving
the monarchy to better serve its people.
This is a period of public grief when
people who do not know each other come together to mourn a national figure who
has been consistent throughout our lives and for whom we have collective
affection despite not knowing her personally.
We share our condolences to the Royal
Family and His Majesty King Charles III at this sad time.
Her Majesty
Queen Elizabeth II
1926 – 2022
Rest In Peace
