Welcome to the inside of the main Concert Hall of the Sydney Opera House. Nearly 50 years ago, on an extremely hot Saturday in October 1973, my mother and I attended the opening ceremony of the Opera House. How did we find ourselves there? My father.. Dad worked on the foundations of this building in the 1960's. Anyone who worked on building the Sydney Opera House was put into a ballot and if your name was pulled out then two tickets came your way for the opening ceremony. Dad said he never won anything in his life, but lo and behold his name was pulled out of the thousands of names that went in. Mum and I sat on the stairs outside to watch Her Majesty the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh go through the motions, surrounded by a flotilla of boats on the harbour, the release of balloons, and the inevitable speeches. When it was over, and Her Majesty was directed up the stairs to go inside, I grabbed my mother by the hand and ran to the top of the stairs so we were within a few feet of her as she passed by (see photo below). We stood with the crowd of journalists taking photos for their newspapers and magazines. The Queen, the Premier's wife Mrs Askin and my Mother were all suitably attired in a dress, heels, a hat, and gloves "just in case I meet the Queen", said Mum. That night at the opening concert, my father sang before the Queen as part of the Sydney Philharmonia Choir, accompanied by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
1 Comment
|
AuthorSamthoughts.com is authored by an Australian, who recently discovered a love of writing. CategoriesArchives
December 2019
|