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Queen's 1959 visit to Banff remembered fondly

Well-known longtime Banff resident recalls being in the crowd as the Queen and her husband Prince Philip were driven along Banff Avenue.

BANFF – As the world mourns the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Banff’s Shirley Naffin remembers her brush with royalty.

Naffin, a well-known longtime Banff resident, was a 21-year-old during the Queen’s 1959 visit to Banff and recalls being in the crowd as the Queen and her husband Prince Philip were driven along Banff Avenue.

“I was on the roadside cheering them on… it’s just a brief memory, but a good one,” she said.

“I was happy to see them. It’s so seldom that we get royalty to visit.”

Queen Elizabeth II died peacefully on Sept. 8 at her Scottish estate of Balmoral, ending her 70-year reign as Britain’s longest serving monarch. She was 96. Her husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, died last year aged 99.

Naffin said the Queen’s death was the “end of an era.”

“She has been front and centre and dedicated her whole life to being a monarch,” she said.

“She did such a good job. She had dignity about her, she was so down to earth. I feel so lucky I got to see her.”

Before her coronation in 1953, Queen Elizabeth was also in Banff on October 18, 1951 on a whirlwind two-hour visit.

According to the Banff Crag & Canyon, light snow and frigid temperatures did not deter several hundred Banff residents from gathering outside the train station to catch a glimpse of the then-princess and her husband.

“The princess stepped out immediately followed by the Duke, to be greeted by Parks Supt. J.A. Hutchison,” states the Oct. 19, 1951, edition of the Banff Crag & Canyon.

“They walked down the platform past Girl Guides, Brownies and Boy Scouts lined up on either side of the main entrance, then through the station, which was barred to the public, and to their car at the south entrance. Jack Hayes drove the Packard which carried the royal couple, and Supt. Hutchison rode with them.”

According to the Crag, the cavalcade of six cars drove to the buffalo paddock (which was closed in the late 1990s) before driving the royal couple to the Banff Cave and Basin and Banff Springs Hotel, where they stayed for a few minutes.

“The royal party then stopped for a half-hour respite at the home of Supt. Hutchison, before returning at 7:30 to the royal train which they boarded immediately,” according to the Crag report.

“As the train pulled out the Princess and her husband stood on the well-lighted platform at the back to wave farewell, and gave the crowd of admirers still left at the station, one of the best views obtained of their Highness during their visit here.”

During the July 1959 royal visit, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip also arrived in Banff by train.

According to newspaper reports, the couple proceeded through town on a motor tour to the School of Fine Arts, now known as the Banff Centre, where they met school director Senator Donald Cameron and assistant director Ken Madsen and their wives.

From there, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh visited the cadet camp at the base of Cascade Mountain (which was shut down in the late 1990s) before travelling onto the Chateau Lake Louise for lunch.

About 1,000 people were waiting to greet them.

“They were shown around the famed resort by hotel manager D.A. Williams and enjoyed a light lunch before being driven to Field where they once again boarded their train,” according to one newspaper report.

Banff Mayor Corrie DiManno has extended her deepest condolences to the Royal Family following the death of the Queen, who was Canada's head of state and is now replaced by King Charles III.

“We hold a special place in our hearts for our official head of state as someone who we know cared for Canada’s first national park," she said during a council meeting on Monday (Sept. 12).

To mark the passing of Britain’s longest serving monarch, Banffites can offer their messages of sympathy through the federal government’s online messages of condolences or in a book of condolences at Banff Town Hall.

“The government of Alberta will send this book along with others from across the province to Buckingham Palace,” said Mayor DiManno.

Banff’s Commonwealth Walkway was created in honour of the Queen’s 90th birthday.

The walkway features bronze plaques along existing trails and at points of significant local interest. The plaques bear Her Majesty’s personal Royal Cypher and include details about royal connections to the mountain parks and Canada’s Commonwealth history.

Four walks begin at the Commonwealth Walkway Commemorative Plaque, located at the southwest corner of Banff Avenue and Buffalo Street outside the Banff Park Museum National Heritage Site.

“It may offer visitors and residents a path for reflection and contemplation of her reign,” said DiManno.

The Town’s flags are at half-mast for the mourning period set by the federal government.

The death of Queen Elizabeth sets into a motion a period of mourning, which culminates with a state funeral on Sept. 19.

 

 

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