With the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, the royal family is receiving an outpouring of condolences from all over the world.
If you wish to send your condolences to the royal family, there are three places where you can leave (and send) your messages of sympathy.
1. A book of condolence is available at the electorate office of Member for Riverina Michael McCormack for those who wish to write messages.
The condolences will be collated and sent to Buckingham Place.
Mr McCormack’s office is located at Suit 2, 11-15 Fitzmaurice Street, and is open from 9 am to 5 pm from Monday to Friday.
2. The Australia Government has created an online condolence form and has given people the option of downloading a condolence book.
If you choose to write a message on the condolence book, it must be mailed to the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
The online and physical condolence pages will be available to sign until Friday, 23 September and will be collated and sent to Buckingham Palace.
The messages will also be archived by the Commonwealth and may be displayed at its national institutions, such as the National Library of Australia, to form a lasting record of this moment in history.
3. The official British royal family website also has an online condolence form.
The royal family’s official Twitter announced on Sunday (11 September) that an online book of condolence is available on its website for people to send their tribute to the Queen.
A selection of messages will be passed on to members of the royal family and may be held in the royal archives for posterity.
Wagga residents who wish to lay flowers in honour of the Queen can do so at the flagpoles in front of the Council Chambers.
The Queen’s state funeral will be held at Westminster Abbey on Monday, 19 September, at 11 am British Standard Time.
The funeral will be broadcast live on ABC at 8 pm Eastern Standard Time on the same day.
The Queen will be laid to rest in the royal vault at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, beside her husband, Prince Phillip, her parents King Geroge VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and her sister Princess Margaret.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced a one-off national public holiday to allow the people of Australia to pay their respects to the Queen.
At 96, the United Kingdom’s longest-serving monarch died peacefully at Balmoral Castle on 8 September.
For 70 years, the Queen reigned as Australia’s Head of State and consulted with 16 prime ministers and 16 governors-general who served in her name.
The Queen visited Australia 16 times, one of which was the Royal Tour in 1954, in which she visited Wagga for 145 minutes. She was the patron of more than 20 Australian charities and associations.
During her visit to Australia in 2002, the Queen said: “For myself, I thank all Australians … I declare again … that my admiration, affection and regard for the people of Australia will remain, as it has been … constant, sure and true.”