Vale Queen Elizabeth II

Dear members,

On behalf of the Melbourne Cricket Club Committee, members, staff and volunteers, it is with sadness that I acknowledge the passing of Queen Elizabeth II and express my sincere condolences to the Royal Family at this time of mourning.

For the past two nights at the AFL Semi Final matches, we have had the perfect platform in place to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II’s long life and legacy. The Melbourne Cricket Ground has been illuminated in purple, as it will for the remainder of the ten-day mourning period, along with all flags flying at half-mast.

Queen Elizabeth II visited the MCG on four occasions during trips to Australia, accompanied each time by her husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.

The Queen and Prince Philip’s 1954 Royal Tour marked the first visit of a reigning Sovereign to the MCG, where the couple attended on two occasions over a two-month period.

On February 25, a total of 43,019 patrons attended an ex-serviceman's rally with admission granted by invitation, service medals, or RSL badges. On March 4, The Queen and Prince Philip returned to the MCG for the Education Department Children's display where 17,000 children took part in activities in front of a crowd of 92,438. This crowd, at this time, set the record for the highest ever attendance for an event at the MCG. All proceeds from ticket sales went to children's charities. During this visit, Prince Philip was made an Honorary Life Member of the Melbourne Cricket Club.

Her Majesty returned in 1970, not only with Prince Philip, but also with (the then) Prince Charles and Princess Anne. On April 5, they joined 38,617 fans to see Fitzroy defeat Richmond in the first VFL match played on a Sunday. King Charles III was made an Honorary Life Member of our Club during this visit.

On March 17, 1977 The Queen and Prince Philip attended the final day's play in the famous Centenary Test match. They were introduced to the players on the ground and were driven a lap of the ground before visiting the old MCC Pavilion and the MCC Museum. Later, they entered the Long Room to invest Sir Robert Menzies with his Knighthood of the Order of Australia. Before departing, The Queen unveiled a plaque commemorating the Centenary of Test Cricket.

The final visit of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip to the MCG came in 2006, when Her Majesty opened the XVIII Commonwealth Games on March 15. It was also the year she celebrated her 80th birthday. To celebrate, organisers incorporated some special elements in the Ceremony. Harry White, a Youth Ambassador for "Plan Australia", delivered a special greeting that still rings true today: "Your Majesty, during the past 54 years of your reign, you have been the glue that has held us all together in the great Commonwealth of nations, 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, in our Commonwealth."

Young Harry then introduced New Zealand's soprano Dame Kiri Te Kanawa to sing Happy Birthday. The MCC Committee Room also served as the Royal Box for the Games.

It was a great honour for the Club to host Her Majesty and members of her family on these occasions and we hold these memories with fondness in our Club’s history. His Majesty the King and all of the Royal Family remain in our thoughts at this difficult time.

Sincerely,

Michael Happell
President
Melbourne Cricket Club