New Beginnings

 

The first week of any school year is all about ‘new beginnings’ but up until yesterday, prior to the sad news of the death of Queen Elizabeth II, her Sovereign Majesty,  we had not imagined what we would all be experiencing as a nation today.

This morning in school we commemorated the life of Her Majesty in special assemblies and I was proud to observe how our pupils from Year 2 to Year 6 engaged and reflected during the assemblies. 

We discussed the St. Helen’s College motto:

Strive for excellence
Help others achieve
Care for each other

We reflected on how Queen Elizabeth II embodied these values, serving her country right up until three days ago when she invited Elizabeth Truss to be our new Prime Minister.  I am sure that we may all have special memories of occasions or events that stand out in our minds when Queen Elizabeth made an impact on the lives of others as she carried out her duties with such selfless service. 

I have my own very special memory of when I met the Queen in 1986, when I volunteered at the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh as a VIP Hostess looking after dignitaries and guests. I was honoured to be selected to be on Royal Box duty for several days at the Meadowbank Athletics Stadium and greeted the Royal Family as a guard of honour on their entrance one day. We curtsied to the Queen and she congratulated us on the role we were playing for the Games and told us to keep up the good work! The fun side of the Queen came out that day as the audience cheered on the athletes and a Mexican wave started to make its way around the stadium. Despite the security announcements begging the people in the stands not to participate in the Mexican wave, the younger Royal (Prince Edward) wholeheartedly took to his feet and waved his arms in the air. Of course as VIP hostesses we followed instructions and remained calm and composed (or I thought I had - but this photo may tell a different story!). The photo shows the fun of the moment and the Queen had that twinkle in her eye as she saw her son being the young royal rebel!  I was then privileged to join the Royal Party for afternoon tea  - despite my shaking hands and my naive awkwardness as a 19 year old I still hold those memories fondly.  

Your children will experience great changes in their lives and this is such a monumental historical time for us all as we transition to having a King on the throne.  

Please speak with your children and share your memories, listen to their feelings and embrace this period of change. Queen Elizabeth II’s death on September 8th 2022 marks the beginning of a new era for the House of Windsor.

I leave you with the prayer we shared today.

God, Our Father, all through our country we are sad at this time, because our Queen is no longer with us.  She will be missed by so very many, but we know that you are looking after her. Bless those close to her.  May they know they are remembered by us.  And bless our country at this time of change.  May we all work together as one family, and be ready to serve others as our Queen served us.  In Jesus' name we ask it.  Amen.

May Her Royal Majesty Queen Elizabeth II rest in peace. God Bless.

Ms Drummond