LITHGOW and District Family History Society has chosen to celebrate the anniversary of the Queen’s journey to Lithgow in 1954 by hosting a 1950’s themed Devonshire Tea at Lithgow Library Learn-ing Centre in Main Street on Saturday April 12 at 9.30am.
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Sixty years ago the people of Lithgow enthusiastically welcomed Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh to their city.
The newspapers of the time recorded there were 8000 school children, many of these sons and daughters of coal miners, among a crowd of 15,000 at the civic reception.
The civic reception was held in Lithgow Park, which was renamed Queen Elizabeth by Royal Assent after that day.
Lithgow’s 37-year-old mayor Alderman Harold G Coates was reported as giving a new lead on the tour.
He asked the Queen’s permission to call for three cheers.
They were perfectly timed and seemed to impress the Queen.
On the last 20 yards of Her Majes-ty’s progress she walked on a spectacular red, white and blue striped woollen blanket carpet, which was specially woven at the Lith-gow Woollen Mills.
The morning tea on April 12 will provide the opportunity for members of the community to share their memories and their memorabilia, perhaps a square of that blanket that was reportedly distributed to residents as a Royal Visit souvenir, or one of the silver teaspoons that were given to those employed at the Berlei Factory.
Ian Coates will present the film of the 1954 Queen’s Visit to Lithgow, originally filmed for the Coates family and transferred to digital format by Brian Hustwayte for future generations to enjoy.
Janice Northey, a young Legacy ward chosen to present a bouquet to Her Majesty, will de-scribe the events leading up to the day and share her memories of this important day.
The dress Janice wore for the occasion will be on display.
The Lithgow and District Family His-tory Society is always mindful that, over time, memorabilia and photos are lost when a new generation does not appreciate the memories of an older generation, or does not have the space to store these items.
There will be the opportunity for people who wish to allow their memorabilia to be photographed and their photographs scan-ned so that future generations of re-searchers can appreciate this memorable occasion in the history of Lithgow.
The society is looking for further items for the display and can be contacted at it’s Resource Centre on the corner of Tank and Donald Streets Lithgow on Tuesdays from 6 to 9pm, on Fridays from 10am to 4pm or by phoning 6353 1089 during these hours.
