Touching, deafening silence greeted the Queen on her final journey from Balmoral to Buckingham Palace

HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II

1926 — 2022

Touching, deafening silence greeted the Queen on her final journey from Balmoral to Buckingham Palace

Standing in the rain with their hands behind their backs, London's mourners put away their smartphones and allowed every emotion to sink in

HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II

1926 — 2022

It’s the silence that has been most striking, most touching, most awe-inspiring. From the moment the Queen’s final journey began – shortly after 10am in Balmoral on Sunday – that silence has been deafening.

It takes something tectonic to bring the modern world to a standstill. Our hectic, impulsive, restless lives don’t allow for silence. Because stillness, silence, prompts reflection, we actively fear it, and even when we do occasionally try to turn off the noise, something – a phone, a horn, a barking dog or curse from the street beyond – is bound to cut that short.

Yet on Tuesday night, along the 15-mile route through the Bayswater Road, Marble Arch, Hyde Park Corner, Constitution Hill and up to Buckingham Palace, the crowds that turned out to watch the late Queen's coffin pass were sober, quiet and notably still beneath their umbrellas.

Just as they were last Thursday, hours after the Queen’s death was announced, when I went to Buckingham Palace myself and was amazed by the serenity of the crowds assembled outside – by the lack of hysteria.

Asked why she was braving the filthy weather to watch the Queen pass by, one woman said: “I would just like to see her before I can’t see her anymore.” Not only did this sum up the thoughts of many intent on paying their respects while the Queen lies in state in London this week, but it was tellingly intimate.

Despite all the pomp and circumstance, all the ritual and the heavy symbolism that could alienate the public if this were anyone else, it’s Her Majesty’s humanity that is at the heart of her appeal – and has us feeling her loss so viscerally.

As the hearse made its way through a damp and dusky west London towards Buckingham Palace, drivers - overcome by emotion - pulled over and climbed out of their cars to watch. One Sky commentator pointed out the number of phones being held aloft, and how different the scenes were back in 1997, when we were mourning the death of Princess Diana. But I was struck by the opposite: by the quantity of people who had not defaulted to what must surely be a self-protection mechanism – a way of distancing yourself from life when it gets too real, too painful. Those mourners were standing in the rain with their hands behind their backs, allowing every emotion to sink in.

It was the same in Scotland. When the coffin was taken by hearse from St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh – where some 26,000 people came to pay their respects – nothing broke the silence. Not a crying baby or cawing crow. Not a protester, seizing his or her moment. Not a plane overhead. Even when the Royal Company of Archers effected their salute all that could be heard was the clicking of their boot heels.

Only when the cortège began to make its way slowly along the Royal Mile towards Edinburgh Airport – a route the Queen took countless times in her lifetime – was the silence perforated by a single, spontaneous burst of applause. It felt like a "thank you" to the woman Nicola Sturgeon once described as “the anchor of our nation” as the reality hit home: this really was the Queen’s final farewell to her Northern Capital.

At Edinburgh airport scenes reached peak poignancy as, beneath the eye of the Queen’s sorrowing daughter, a bearer party from the Royal Air Force carried the casket on to the gunmetal grey aircraft. Stoic-faced, cheeks pressed against it, these men seemed too young, somehow, to be bearing such a weight. But what an honour, too.

That RAF plane took off in clear blue Scottish skies and landed, less than an hour later, at a grey and rainy RAF Northolt.

It was dark as the cortège finally arrived at Buckingham Palace, and thousands of mourners watched as a group of shadowy figures – a further guard of honour formed by the King’s Guard – received the coffin outside the Grand Entrance. There was the odd cheer, a round of applause, a "hip hip hooray", before the crowd fell back into their extraordinary, reverential silence.

How the Queen would have approved of that silence. Particularly given it felt not enforced or deliberate but natural, instinctive. A much-needed pause, a deep intake of breath at this unforgettable moment in history. At the end of Queen Elizabeth II’s story, and the start of the next chapter of our lives.

The Telegraph London

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Princess Royal accompanies her mother on final flight

HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II

1926 — 2022

Draped in the Royal Standard of Scotland, Queen Elizabeth left Scotland for the final time on Tuesday for Buckingham Palace CREDIT: Andrew Milligan

On Tuesday, the Princess Royal accompanied her mother on her final flight, departing at 5.42pm in an RAF Globemaster C-17 military transport aircraft from Edinburgh to West London, as the Queen left Scotland for the final time.

The Princess said it had been an “honour and a privilege to accompany her on her final journeys”, having been with the Queen in the final 24 hours of her life.

“Witnessing the love and respect shown by so many on these journeys has been both humbling and uplifting,” she said.

Hundreds of thousands of people in Scotland turned out to pay their personal respects, with 33,000 people queuing for up to 12 hours to walk past as the Queen lay at rest in St Giles’s Cathedral and lining the streets.

At 4.20pm on Tuesday, the coffin was carried from the cathedral to the sound of a lone piper to the waiting hearse, followed by servicemen from the Royal Regiment of Scotland.

Members of the public lined the roads to the airport, some removing their hats as the hearse passed them, others watching in silence or filming on their mobile phones in scenes encapsulating mourning in the modern age.

At Edinburgh Airport, a guard of honour of three officers and 101 soldiers was formed by The Royal Regiment of Scotland, with an aircraft bearer party provided by the Queen’s Colour Squadron, Royal Air Force.

The aircraft, recently used for Operation Pitting to evacuate thousands of people fleeing the Taliban, took off at 5.42pm.

Nearly six million people immediately tried to log on to tracking website Flightradar24 to follow its progress until it landed at RAF Northolt before 7pm.

As the Queen left Scotland for the final time, the flag on her coffin - the Royal Standard of Scotland - was changed to the Royal Standard ready for it to arrive in England.

At Northolt, it was met by a guard of honour of three officers and 96 aviators from the Queen’s Colour Squadron of the Royal Air Force and a bearer party from the Queen’s Colour Squadron.

It was loaded into the claret-coloured state hearse, used for the first time and designed by the Royal household and Jaguar Land Rover in consultation with the late Queen to allow as many people to see her journey as possible.

Flanked by police outriders, the hearse was lit as if a moving beacon transporting the coffin along the A40 in a reminder of the Queen’s oft-quoted mantra: “I have to be seen to be believed”.

As it made its way to London, motorists got out of their cars to catch a glimpse of the car, with cheers and applause echoing after it and flowers thrown in its wake.

Outside Buckingham Palace, a hush descended over the waiting crowds before the convoy arrived, breaking into spontaneous applause as it passed by the Queen Victoria Memorial.

Inside the gates of Buckingham Palace, a guard of honour provided by 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards was stationed in the Quadrangle to give the Royal salute.

A bearer party found by Queen’s Company 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards carried the coffin to the palace’s Bow Room, where the sovereign’s piper, Pipe Major Paul Burns of the Royal Regiment of Scotland played a lament.

The Royal family, led by the King, received the Queen’s coffin, ready to take over a private, intimate evening with her family.

The gathering, the first time the 22 members of the wider family have been in the same place since the Queen’s death, was stripped of ceremony and cameras, allowing them a moment of peace in what has been a gruelling schedule.

Just a week ago, the Queen had appeared in good health and spirits, receiving Liz Truss, the new Prime Minister, at Balmoral.

On Tuesday night, the King and his three siblings, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, were supported by their spouses, the Queen Consort, Sir Tim Laurence and the Countess of Wessex.

All eight of the late Queen’s grandchildren and their husbands and wives were also present, with the Prince and Princess of Wales and Duke and Duchess of Sussex reunited again after a surprise walkabout in Windsor to view flowers on Saturday.

Other grandchildren included Princess Beatrice and her husband Eduardo Mapelli Mozzi, Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank, Peter Phillips, Zara and Mike Tindall, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and James, Viscount Severn.

Also present were the Queen's beloved niece and nephew, Lady Sarah Chatto and Earl Snowdon, the children of Princess Margaret, hearing prayers from the Rt Rev and Rt Hon Dame Sarah Mullaly, Dean of the Chapels Royal.

A rota of Chaplains to the King, who were formerly appointed by the Queen, kept watch over the coffin whilst it rested overnight in the Bow Room.  

On Wednesday, the coffin will effectively be handed over to the public, for a four-day-long lying in state at Westminster Hall before the full state funeral on Monday.

The procession to Westminster Hall will step off from Buckingham Palace at 2.22pm, arriving at Westminster Hall at 3pm.

Poignantly, it will include senior members of the Royal household and the Queen’s closest personal aides, who have been invited in recognition of their many years of service and loyalty.

It will end in a 20-minute service at Westminster Hall, led by the Archbishop of Canterbury accompanied by the Dean of Westminster, with the lying in state beginning at 5pm London time.

The Telegraph London

Pigeon Post News 14 September 2022

London comes to a standstill for Queen Elizabeth’s final homecoming

HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II

1926 — 2022

Police hold back crowds as the hearse passes Wellington Arch CREDIT: Paul Grover for the TelegraphThe Telegraph London

Moment to grieve in private for Royal family 

as coffin reaches Buckingham Palace after 

journey from Scotland

In life, she made it her purpose to be seen to be believed.

In death, it was just the same, as Queen Elizabeth II came home to her family, carried by a hearse lit up as a moving beacon and watched by a city at standstill.

The late Queen, who on Tuesday night left Scotland for the final time and returned to Buckingham Palace, was enveloped in cheers, applause and the glow of countless camera phones as she made her slow journey through the streets of London.

In darkness and pouring rain, wellwishers lined the streets in a show of respect and unexpected emotion.

Motorists came to a halt, stepping outside their cars to watch the hearse go past. As the convoy reached the palace, police outriders bowed their heads, and tears streamed down the faces of members of the public who had gathered to see her go by.

As the gates of Buckingham Palace closed, the  Queen’s coffin was met by her children and grandchildren, gathering in the glow of the Grand Entrance to welcome her.

In a deeply private moment - their first opportunity to gather together since the Queen’s death - they paused their public duties for one evening only in simple, quiet remembrance.

On Wednesday, they will fulfil her wishes in time-honoured tradition, walking behind her coffin in procession from the palace to Westminster Hall, where the coffin will be handed over to the public for a four-day-long lying in state.

If they had expected the public to turn out in such numbers, even they might have been astonished at the sight.

The state hearse, designed in consultation with the Queen herself, was lit from within, allowing anyone who saw it to catch a glimpse of the Queen’s “last great journey”.

Draped in the Royal Standard with a wreath of white flowers on the top, it made its way from RAF Northolt to the monarchy’s London headquarters, through a city which seemed to pause to show its respect.

The procession was the first opportunity for Londoners to see the Queen’s coffin after it lay at rest in Scotland, with locals and commuters alike braving wet weather to take their impromptu front-row positions for history unfolding.

On Wednesday, tens of thousands more have planned to line the London streets from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall.

The Prince of Wales and Duke of Sussex are to walk behind their grandmother’s coffin as it makes its way to lie in state.

The brothers will join Queen Elizabeth II’s four children for the near-silent procession, in that time-honoured tradition of Royal duty which saw them walk behind their own mother’s coffin in such different circumstances 25 years ago.

It is designed as a “relatively small and personal procession”, in which her coffin will be carried by gun carriage and followed by members of the military, her closest personal staff and the new King’s household.

The brothers will be joined by their cousin Peter Phillips, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, the Duke of Gloucester and the Earl of Snowdon.

The Queen Consort, Princess of Wales, Duchess of Sussex and Countess of Wessex will travel to Westminster by car.

It will be the first moment the late Queen’s grandchildren and their spouses join the ceremonial mourning.

At Westminster Hall, Elizabeth II will lie in state until the morning of her funeral on Monday, with a near-constant stream of members of the public filing past her coffin.

As many as 400,000 plus people are expected to attend, amid growing concern that predicted five-mile queues requiring a 30-hour wait will prevent children and the elderly playing their small part in history.  

The Telegraph London

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'Sobbing' soldiers throw flowers and flags to prepare horses to pull Queen Elizabeth's coffin

HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II

1926 — 2022

Huge crowds are expected when Army horses pull coffin to Westminster Hall

Background

Horses that will pull the late Queen’s coffin are having flowers and flags thrown at them in preparation for the ceremonial procession and state funeral.

Troops are pretending to sob and throwing Union flags and flowers on the floor to prepare them for the huge crowds that will line the streets of central London to pay their respects.

Wednesday’s procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall will see horses pulling the coffin, which is to be pulled by sailors at the funeral itself on Monday.

To the front left of the animals, Sgt Tom Jenks, 30, will be riding Cassius - the designated “number one” horse and also overseeing the “gun team”.

Speaking at Wellington Barracks after an early-morning rehearsal for the procession, Sgt Jenks said: “The horses go through preparation and training, so they get taken away after we’ve been training normally for our daily routines and they get exposed to loud noises, flags, flowers, people sobbing or making different noises.

“We try to do it regularly, like once every couple of months with the horses. They’ve always been constantly exposed to it so it’s never an imminent surprise.

“Even to the point [of] banging loads of drums [and] making aggressive noises in case of anything that could arise.”

Cassius, 18, takes part in his final public event on Monday after a distinguished 12-year career that saw him participate in Margaret Thatcher’s funeral in 2013.

Sgt Jenks said: “He’s retiring after this parade and he was not kept on especially, but we couldn’t retire him just until we had another horse of his establishment to be able to replace him.

“So it’s quite timely and fitting that he gets to retire doing this job.”

Some of the horses have initially struggled to adapt to the pace required for the procession and funeral because it is so slow, Sgt Jenks added.

“They’ve struggled to actually slow [themselves] down, and it’s quite a tall order to ask them to walk at a slow march pace.

“At normal parades they’ve done it based on a horse’s natural walking pace, so we’re trying to halve it against that.”

Lance Bombardier Tara Kelly, 25, has been in the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery for the past four years and will be the wheel driver guiding the gun carriage down its route in the mounted procession on Wednesday.

She described it as a “massive honour to be part of such a prestigious event” and said she felt “humbled” to represent the King’s Troop.

Lance Bombardier Kelly also took part in the Platinum Jubilee celebrations and was part of the procession for the Duke of Edinburgh’s royal ceremonial funeral in April 2021.

Asked about how the horses have coped with rehearsals to date, she replied: “They have been amazing – they have not put a foot wrong, bless them.

“They have worked so hard and they just keep excelling every day. They all got pulled out their stables and loaded onto a horse box. They just do it, they are so great.

“We’ve got to match the correct horses to the job and the role that they’re currently doing. You wouldn’t want, for example, a bit of a skittish horse near the massive main procession. So it’s just matching up and making sure that a horse is capable of the job in hand.”

The Telegraph

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Queen Elizabeth II dies aged 96: Royal family and World in mourning

 

Queen Elizabeth II has died at the age of 96 CREDIT: Julian Calder

HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II

1926 — 2022

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, by the Grace of God Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain,  Northern Ireland and the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, who has died aged 96, was the longest-serving monarch of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. During a period of remarkable change throughout her realms and the world at large, she proved herself one of the most effective and best-loved sovereigns Britain and the Commonwealth of Nations has ever known.

The Queen, Britain's longest-serving monarch, sadly passed away after 70 years on the throne. Buckingham Palace said the Queen “died peacefully” on Thursday afternoon at Balmoral. 

Charles, who has now ascended the throne and will be known as King Charles III, paid tribute to his much-loved mother. 

The King and Camilla, now the Queen Consort, remained at Balmoral on Thursday night and will return to London on Friday. 

Buckingham Palace had confirmed on Thursday lunchtime that Queen Elizabeth II had been under medical supervision after her doctors had become "concerned" about her health. 

All of the Queen's children, as well as Prince William, who assumes the position of heir to the throne and will now be known as the Duke of Cambridge and Cornwall, travelled immediately to be with her. 

The Queen was last pictured formally appointing the new British Prime Minister, Liz Truss, at Balmoral on Monday, her final public duty. 

Queen Elizabeth II is survived by her four children, eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

Queen Elizabeth II visited more than 100 countries across six continents during her reign. She was admired by the people, politicians and religious leaders from all corners of the world.

Many New Zealanders would have known no other monarch and head of state in their lives other than Queen Elizabeth II. Many admired, loved and followed Queen Elizabeth II for her great devotion to serving the Commonwealth and in particular Her Majesty's love of New Zealand.

Little wonder that tributes poured in from across the globe as news of Her Majesty's death spread and the world started to mourn.

World leaders were quick to pay their respects and send their messages of condolences to the Royal family.

The Queen died where she felt most comfortable and at home, at Balmoral where Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh chose to spend every long summer break, with their family, away from palace grandeur and the bustle of public life. 

Large crowds dispersed from Buckingham Palace in the early hours of this morning, but bouquets of floral tributes continue to be left by mourners outside the gates. The early hours of the morning, nor the rainy weather, have stopped a steady flow of people coming to pay their respects.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she was awoken just before 5am local time by a police officer shining a torch into her bedroom to tell her the news of the Queen's death.

"The last days of the queen's life captures who she was in so many ways," Ms Ardern said.

"Working until the very end on behalf of the people she loved.”

Liz Truss, the new British Prime Minister, on Thursday night praised the Queen as the “rock on which modern Britain was built”,  just 48 hours after Her Majesty had appointed her. 

Standing on the steps of Downing Street for a second time in two days, Ms Truss again addressed the nation as she hailed the monarch as the “very spirit of Great Britain”.

She spoke of the country’s loss and said the Queen’s death was “a huge shock to the nation and to the world”.

Thousands of people remained at Buckingham Palace just after midnight, with grieving mourners lighting candles and laying flowers outside the black iron gates to honour the Queen.

Meanwhile, police attempted to remove people from the Queen Victoria Memorial as crowds kept growing.

The huge swell of tributes and flowers from ordinary people in Britain and even around the globe, prove just how iconic Her Majesty has been: a woman the face of her nation and the Commonwealth for more than 70 years.

Pigeon Post News

Friday 9 September 2022

Fonterra targeting the multi-billion-dollar Medical and everyday Wellbeing Nutrition markets.

 

FONTERRA LAUNCHES WELLBEING NUTRITION 

SOLUTIONS BRAND

Fonterra is taking another step in implementing its strategy to be a leader in nutrition science and innovation with the launch of a new wellbeing solution brand, Nutiani.

The new business-to-business brand is targeted at both the multi-billion-dollar medical and everyday wellbeing nutrition markets.

 

Fonterra’s Chief Innovation and Brand Officer Komal Mistry-Mehta says “the creation of the new brand brings to life concepts that help customers tailor their products to meet consumers’ evolving wellbeing nutrition needs.”

 

“Our health and wellbeing customers are facing growing pressure to accelerate their innovation pipeline to respond to these dynamic consumer demands, yet they face common challenges during new product development and are looking for partners to fill their capability gaps.”

 

“Nutiani answers this need by providing a suite of solutions which help customers tackle the pain points associated with each step of the innovation journey – from identifying the opportunity to validating the final product.”

 

“Nutiani will offer end-to-end solutions to customers through a combination of wellbeing nutrition products, concepts and services that leverage the Co-op’s intellectual property and investments in research.”

 

“We see a clear opportunity to win in critical segments of the global wellbeing nutrition space. Fonterra’s deep expertise in nutrition science gives us an incredible advantage here.”

 

“We will use Fonterra’s existing expertise in nutrition science to develop targeted solutions, while opening up opportunities for strategic partnerships to deliver access to new markets and consumers,” says Ms Mistry-Mehta.

The opportunity for the Co-op is significant. The global markets for physical, mental and inner wellbeing nutrition are growing at 6% per year and worth US$66 billion today, while medical nutrition is valued at US$50 billion and growing 5% annually.

 

“There’s no doubt that people are paying more attention to wellbeing and managing it through diet. Research shows 96% of consumers actively manage their wellbeing, with more than half of these consciously managing their diet to improve their wellbeing,” says Ms Mistry-Mehta.

 

“To create a greater impact in the health and wellbeing space, we must not only capture the opportunities we see today but also look to the future, helping our customers stay ahead of the curve.”

 

The numbers:

• The global markets for physical, mental and inner wellbeing nutrition are growing at 6.1% per year and worth US$66 billion. 
• Medical nutrition is valued at US$50 billion and growing 5% annually.
• 90% of global consumers believe that being healthy involves looking after all aspects of wellbeing, including physical and mental. (Source: Nutiani Wellbeing Research)
• 96% of consumers actively take steps to manage their wellbeing, including maintaining a healthy and balanced diet. (Source: Nutiani Wellbeing Research)
• 56% of consumers manage their health via their diet. (Source: IPSOS Nutiani, Consumer Wellness Research (August 2021))

Wednesday 7 Sep 2022.

Press Release from Fonterra

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Tasman Mayor Tim King welcomes the ‘Streets for People’ funding announcement

 

Tasman Mayor Tim King

“Richmond and Māpua to benefit from funding stimulus for Walking and Cycling”

Major road safety improvements are on the way for Richmond and Māpua with a significant funding boost announced by Waka Kotahi today. (Tuesday 06 September)  

Richmond is to get $2.4 million, while $840,000 has been earmarked for Māpua to rapidly implement the beginnings of a complete network of safe walking and cycling spaces in our streets, which is a cornerstone of Tasman District Council’s Walking and Cycling Strategy. 

Street art from Murchison, Tasman

Tasman Mayor Tim King welcomes the ‘Streets for People’ funding announcement and says it’s great news. 

“We appreciate that Waka Kotahi has included funding for Tasman in this programme” 

He says, “For many years our Council, and the wider local government sector, have been telling the Government and Waka Kotahi that the biggest limitation on making improvements to our road network is the Councils, and ratepayers, ability to pay for it – so to have them listen and now provide substantial funding and support is welcome.” 

Over the next two years the Council will create and improve spaces for safer cycling on Salisbury Road, Wensley Road, Queen Street, Hill Street, Champion Road, and on Aranui Road in Māpua, linking places where people live with schools, commercial centres and the wider existing network of cycle trails. 

The last New Zealand Household Travel Survey in 2018 showed nearly a third of all car trips are less than 2-kilometres, while earlier research by the Ministry of Transport showed that the percentage of primary school students walking or cycling to school has dropped from 54-percent in the late 1980s to 34-percent in 2015, reflecting the concerns people have about safety on our streets. 

Tasman District Council Transportation Manager Jamie McPherson says "the 2018 Census showed that in Tasman’s urban areas, about 19-percent of trips to work and school were made by walking or cycling - our strategy aims to increase this to 40-percent by 2030." 

 “Making it easier for our people to get around town without having to drive a vehicle to feel safe, is essential to meet our safety, livability and emissions goals while freeing up road space for our essential vehicles like freight and trades.” 

McPherson says, “We’re disappointed that our Motueka project was not funded in this round of 'Streets for People', but we are actively chasing another opportunity to gain funding through a central government Carbon Emission Reduction Fund, also known as ‘Transport Choices’”.  

He expects to hear whether that is successful by November 2022. 

Editors comment:

The Hill Street Community will be pleased if the intersection between Hill Street and Queen Street is upgraded for Pedestrians and Cycling in this round of funding.

Tasman District Council

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