Statement from the Benalla Auto Club Inc. Concerning the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II came to the throne in the decade after the Second World War, which represented a time of unbounded hope, and improving economic prosperity, especially in Australia, following the dark days of the conflict, and for many of us and our parents, the Queen and the monarchy became an admirable constant in our lives.God, King (obviously in this case, the Queen) and Country became a creed by which many Australians lived by. Every community group, charity and non-profit organisation sought the “Royal Seal”, and the recognition that brought at the time.This was the amazing period of history in which the Benalla Auto Club was founded, and its foundation and early members set us on a path to where we find ourselves today.Obviously things evolve, and Australia now finds itself with a potential desire to become a republic, rather than a monarchy, but it is also noted that many migrants to Australia came here, post war, because our system of government represented great stability and gave us unbounded prosperity compared to other parts of the world, and the monarchy was very much part of that sentiment.That is the environment in which the Benalla Auto Club was founded, and grew on the back of the growth of motor sport in general and circuit competition in particular.Seventy years of sovereign reign as head of the Commonwealth, and Queen of Australia, is both absolutely remarkable, and will most probably never be challenged.Our Club, as an organisation founded in the 1950’s, and which grew to become part of an international family of “motor sport” of which some would argue that it has its spiritual home in Great Britain, gratefully acknowledges the Queen’s service as our head of state over those seven decades, and the stability she brought to the whole western world over those years.Many of our members, particularly the elder members, will be deeply saddened by the passing of the Queen.  Many of us recall the excitement of the Queen visiting Australia, and of course she spent time in North East Victoria, both staying locally, and travelling through, on a couple of occasions. It is but a small but humbling gesture from the Benalla Auto Club Committee, and on behalf of our members, and in the most respectful way, to thank the Queen for her service to us all, as citizens of Australia, over the years.We also say, whilst Australia remains a monarchy, “Long Live the King”. A formal letter of acknowledgment of service and respect will be forwarded to the Governor General in coming days, from the Benalla Auto Club.