Press Release
Press Release of the Monarchist League of New Zealand
23rd January 2001
The Monarchist League's Queen Victoria Day celebrations were held on Sunday 21st January. A picnic in Albert Park, Auckland, celebrated New Zealand's unique cultural heritage and identity from Queen Victoria's time through to the present day.
The day included a formal ceremony at 11 am, with the unveiling of a floral tribute to Queen Victoria, who died almost one hundred years earlier.
Men of the 65th Regiment, a military re-enactment group, provided a formed body for a feu de joie to the accompaniment of a cannon. The Auckland City Brass and Corps of Drums provided afternoon entertainment while members of the public enjoyed a Victorian-themed picnic in Albert Park.
Members of the Maori group Rangi o te Ao, and dancers from the Auckland Scottish Society performed at intervals until festivities concluded as 3 pm. There was also a reading from "The Passing of a Great Queen" by Mr Donald Linden.
Large numbers of people attended the day, which began with a martial parade, and a royal salute. A message of good wishes from Her Majesty The Queen was read by the Chairman of the Monarchist League of New Zealand, and there were addresses from Mr Philip Warren, QSO JP, Chairman of the Auckland Regional Council, and Mrs Anne Kendall, of the Department of Internal Affairs.
Dr Noel Cox
Chairman