Whanganui residents remember Queen Elizabeth II with sadness and celebration.
Photo / Bevan Conley
Whanganui residents remember Queen Elizabeth II with sadness and celebration.
Photo / Bevan Conley
Whanganui might be 19,000km from Balmoral Castle where Queen Elizabeth II died but the monarch's departure is keenly felt by locals.
English expatriate Sarah Hesketh, owner of Pet Dog School, shared a photo of the Queen with some of her beloved Corgis on Facebook with the message "Bless You, Ma'am".
"I still can't quite believe it is true," Hesketh said.
"She has been such a constant in all our lives and she has been the only monarch that most of us have known."
Hesketh said it was hard to believe the day had come when we would be remembering the life of the Queen of England.
"Her devotion to her family and commitment to her position as our Queen has meant so much to so many.
"And that she has shown us how we should live our lives by her own actions; that is, to accept our differences and embrace the cards we have been dealt and work as hard as we can to be the best person we can possibly be."
Hesketh said it was incredible to think that the Queen had appointed the new British Prime Minister Liz Truss just days ago.
Sarah Hesketh said the Queen had been a reassuring constant in everyone's lives and will be sadly missed.
Photo / Bevan Conley
Whanganui kaumatua John Maihi said he had huge admiration for the way the Queen had always "stuck to her tikanga".
"She has always followed the traditions of her culture and upheld the responsibilities of her position no matter what," he said.
"I never met her but I have always admired her. I remember going out on the street to watch her car go past and see her wave on her visit here when I was a kid."
Maihi said King Charles would now have to emulate his mother's dedication to the tikanga of the monarchy.
Tupoho kaumatua John Maihi said the Queen had always upheld her tikanga and would be missed by the world.
Photo / NZME
Olga McKerras, who was awarded the Queen's Service Medal (QSM) for services to the community in 2020, said she was feeling great sadness at the loss of "everyone's Queen".
The retired budget adviser said she had placed a bunch of fresh flowers on the table beside the certificate she had received with her QSM signed "Elizabeth".
"How special this is to me now," she said.
"She was a beautiful lady inside and out and she has left us all with magical, special memories of so many aspects of her long life."
McKerras said she hoped people would celebrate the Queen's life by wearing colourful clothing.
"I think that is what she would like because my enduring memory of her will be her bright outfits complete with hat and smile."
Whanganui QSM recipient Olga McKerras with former Governor General Dame Patsy Reddy at Government House.
Photo / Supplied
Whanganui-based English expatriat Marie Sheppard gained national and international attention as a royal fan in 2018 when she boldly wrote to Buckingham Palace asking for an invitation to the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Her request was politely refused via a letter typed on palace letterhead paper.
Sheppard was delighted and "gobsmacked" by the media attention she received at the time and said she still treasures the letter.
"I'm actually very disappointed by the way things have gone with Meghan and Harry but I will always love the Queen and I'm very sad that she's gone," Sheppard said.
Marie and husband Mike Sheppard with the letter she received from Buckingham Palace.
Photo / Bevan Conley
"We have been watching all the coverage on TV and it has been amazing to see all the film and photo images of her long life."
Sheppard said she thought the Queen had shown "amazing strength and dignity" in the face of troubles within her family and in the world in recent years.
