To commemorate the life and death of Queen Elizabeth II, Monday's special souvenir edition of this newspaper will feature exclusive vintage-style tribute poster art inspired by a formative event in the life of the late monarch.
Memories of Her Majesty - When The Queen Came To Town celebrates the history and majesty of the late Queen and her affection for Australia in a 20-page keepsake available only with the September 19 print editions of publisher ACM's 14 daily newspapers.
With historic photos from the archives and flashbacks to local coverage of memorable royal tours, ACM's editors, journalists and photographers join with readers and civic leaders to share treasured memories of their community's brush with the monarch.
The centrepiece of the commemorative special is a pull-out poster inspired by a vintage souvenir produced to mark the coronation of King George VI.
Featuring sepia-toned photographs of the king and his wife Elizabeth - later known as the Queen Mother - and adorned with hand-drawn and coloured crown motif, flags and ribbons, the original 1937 coronation souvenir postcard also depicts their first-born daughter, the young Princess Elizabeth, then presumptive heir to the throne.
Elizabeth's father Albert was crowned George VI on May 12, 1937, following the scandalous abdication of his brother, Edward VIII.
Elizabeth had just turned 11 when she watched on at Westminster Abbey as her parents were anointed sovereigns. The spectacle and solemnity of the occasion is said to have shaped her own deep respect for her royal inheritance, as did her father's declaration in his coronation broadcast that "the highest of distinctions is the service of others.
Among countless items of memorabilia issued to commemorate the coronation, the Rotary Photographic Co Ltd of London used rotary presses to mass-produce small photographic and illustrated postcards.
Monday's Queen Elizabeth II tribute poster art incorporates photographs of the late Queen striking a commanding pose early in her reign and all smiles at Royal Ascot in 2018 (wearing her grandmother Queen Mary's Russian Sapphire Brooch), plus a 1972 portrait with her family.
The poster and the commemorative special Memories of Her Majesty - When The Queen Came To Town are published on Monday, September 19, exclusively in The Canberra Times, Newcastle Herald, Illawarra Mercury, Tamworth's Northern Daily Leader, Orange's Central Western Daily, Bathurst's Western Advocate, Dubbo's Daily Liberal, Wagga's Daily Advertiser, Albury-Wodonga's The Border Mail, the Bendigo Advertiser, Ballarat's The Courier, Warrnambool's The Standard, Launceston's The Examiner and Burnie's The Advocate.
Don't miss your must-have royal souvenir in Monday's print edition.
And be sure to join our live coverage online from 5pm Monday
LIVE BLOG
From 5pm Monday, the ACM national team will have live coverage of Her Majesty's funeral from London.
Follow who's there, what's happening, what Australians are saying and the local memories of royal visits from our reporters and readers around Australia.
