14th Parliament · 1st Session
The House of Representatives on the 6th December, 1935, adjourned until a day and hour to be fixed by Mr. Speaker, and notified by : him -to each honorable member. The House met pursuant to such notification.
Mr. Speaker (Hon.G. J. Bell) took the chair at 3 p.m., and read prayers.
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His Majesty King George V. having died on the 20th January, 1936, and His Majesty King Edward VIII. having succeeded to the Throne,
Mr. SPEAKER (Hon. G. J. Bell).I have to report to the House that, on the occasion of the lamented death of His Majesty King George the Fifth, and of the accession of HisMajesty King Edward the Eighth to the Throne, the following Message was transmitted through His Excellency the GovernorGeneral by Mr. President and myself on behalf of the Parliament -
To The King’s Most Excellent Majesty:
MostGracious Sovereign:
We, the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives, desire on behalf of the Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia, to convey to your Majesty an expression of the widespread sorrow with which the news of the death of your Royal Father and ourmuch-loved King hasbeen received by the people of Australia, and of their heartfelt sympathy with Her Majesty the Queen and all the Members of the Royal Family.
Australians feel that they have lost a friend who, since he opened their first Commonwealth Parliament, bad always taken a warm interest in the . progress of their country, whose example during the Great War was an inspiration to them, and whose service in the cause of peace made him also the friend of all mankind.
Australia rests assured that those high ideals which were cherished by His Late
Majesty King George the Fifth will be followed by bis son and successor, Your Imperial Majesty.
Our citizens recall with pride and satisfaction that Your Majesty’s visit to our country in 1920 resulted in strengthening the ties of kinship and affection which link together the free nations of the British Empire.
On behalf of the Parliament of the Commonwealth we desire to convey its unwavering loyalty to the Crown andto the Person of Your Most Gracious Majesty, andwe, with confidence, hope and pray that, under Divine guidance, Your Majesty’s reign may be a long and beneficent one, bringing happiness and prosperity to Your Majesty’s subjects, and abiding peace among the nations of the world,
J. Lynch, President.
Geo. Bell, Speaker.
Parliament House,
Canberra, 22nd January, 1930.
The following message was received in reply : -
GOVERNOR-GENERAL,
Sydney.
Please convey following reply from His Majesty the King to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives: -
On behalf of Queen Mary and myself I thank you most sincerely for your kind message of sympathy in our great loss. I have received with deep appreciation your expression of loyalty to myself on my accession to the Throne and your prayers for the happiness of my reign. It will always be my earnest endeavour under Divine providence to . follow the example of duty and devotion to the welfare of the Empire which was set by my dear father.
Wigram, Private Secretary.
Buckingham Palace, London.
Dated 25th January, 1936.
– I move -
That the following resolution be transmitted through His Excellency the Governor-General to His Majesty the King: - “We, the members of the House of Representatives in the Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia, on assembling for the first sitting of the Parliament since the lamented death of our late beloved Sovereign, King George V., express our profound sympathy in the great loss which Your Majesty, Her Majesty Queen Mary and the other members of the Royal Family have sustained.”
It is with feelings of deepest regret that I submit this resolution. I shall not attempt to add anything to the references contained inthe Messagesent by the President and Mr. Speaker to His Majesty.
– I beg to second the motion. I do so not only on behalf of the Opposition as I have led it hitherto, but also on behalf of those honorable members who hitherto in this Parliament have had as their leader thehonorable member forWest Sydney (Mr. Beasley). We entirely agree with the sentiments contained in the Message which you, Mr. Speaker, and the President of the Senate forwarded to His Majesty King Edward VIII. We say that King George V. was ft truly great King, and that he personified thq aspirations of the people of the British Commonwealth of Nations. We believe that his rule gave symbolic fitness to the Throne, in that it indicated a leadership of peoples who believe in selfgovernment, and at the same time can reconcile what in other parts of the world might be conflicting ideas, but which in our system of government unite the Throne and the people in a common fealty to the ordered instruments of democratic government.
– As Acting Leader of the Country party, I desire specifically to associate the members of that party with all that has been said by the Prime Minister (Mr. Lyons) and the Leader of the Opposition (Mr. Curtin).
Question resolved in the affirmative, honorable members standing in their places.
– I move-
That the following resolution be transmitted through His Excellency the Governor-General to His Majesty the King: - “ We, the members of the House of Representatives in the Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia, offer our congratulations on Your Majesty’s accession to the Throne, and desire to assure Your Majesty of our loyalty and allegiance, and to express our earnest hope that Your Majesty’s reign may be a long and successful one, and marked by the prosperity and progress of the countries comprising the British Empire.”
It is appropriate that this House, at its first sitting since the accession of His Majesty King Edward VIII., should take the earliest opportunity to convey to His Majesty a message expressing its congratulations on his accession, and an assurance of its loyalty and allegiance. I Tegard it as a great privilege to submit this resolution for adoption by the House.
.- I beg to second the motion. The people of Australia have had knowledge of the personality of King Edward VIII. I am certain that the affection that they held for his Royal father will be entertained for him in full measure. We hope that his rule will be beneficent, and lengthy. We also are inspired hy the belief that his reign will be marked by great changes for the betterment of humanity. King Edward VIII. has already manifested attributes of deep sympathy with the best instincts of humanity. He has, we believe, an intimate knowledge not only of the exacting dutieswhich have come to him, but also of the lives of his people, including those who are numbered among the most lowly of his subjects. We are confident that, however great has been the sympathy which in the pasthas existed between the Throne and the people, it will be even greater in the future.
Question resolved in the affirmative, honorable members standing in their places.
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– As a mark of respect to the memory of His late Majesty, King George V., I move -
That the House do now adjourn.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
House adjourned at 3.10 p.m.
Cite as: Australia, House of Representatives, Debates, 10 March 1936, viewed 22 October 2017, <http://historichansard.net/hofreps/1936/19360310_reps_14_149/>.