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Royal salute for our Marj
By Allan Cole
Volume 49, No. 16, September 06, 2007 |
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CHEERIO: Guard of Honour member LAC Matthew Wicks from 1RSU joins in the final cheer for the departure of the Governor of South Australia, Marjorie Jackson-Nelson, in Adelaide.
Photo by AC Glen McCarthy |
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HONOUR ROW: From left, Parade Commander LCDR Trish Matthews, CDR AOSG GPCAPT John Teager and Governor of South Australia, Marjorie Jackson-Nelson, inspect the front row of the tri-Service Guard of Honour.
Photo by AC Glen McCarthy |
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Air Force members from RAAF Base Edinburgh formed part of a tri-Service Royal Guard to honour the departure of the Governor of South Australia, Marjorie Jackson-Nelson, in Adelaide recently.
Commander Aerospace Operational Support Group GPCAPT John Teager, who is also the Senior Defence Force Representative – SA, was part of the escort party as the governor inspected the guard for the last time.
Watching the governor say farewell was FLTLT Guy Bowering, an honorary aide-de-camp to the governor since June 2006.
“The governor is an outstanding Australian who has worked hard for the people of South Australia and while it was the governor’s desire to return to civilian life, it was still a sad occasion for all those who had the pleasure to work with her,” FLTLT Bowering said.
“Investitures at Government House were always a highlight for me. It is humbling to meet people who have worked hard for an extended time or carried out an act of bravery, and I was always touched by the way the governor could interact with people from all walks of life.”
LACW Zoe Webb from Area Health Services – SA said it was an honour to be part of the guard.
“I was very excited to be there and it was great to recognise all the things the governor has been involved with,” she said.
Marjorie Jackson-Nelson, affectionately referred to as ‘our Marj’ in South Australia, was appointed governor in 2001 and is well known throughout Australia for her outstanding athletic achievements, and for her work in raising money for leukaemia research.
Nicknamed the “Lithgow Flash” after the NSW town in which she was brought up, Marjorie won two Olympic gold medals and seven Commonwealth Games gold medals. Marjorie was the first Australian woman to win an Olympic gold medal for track and field and the first Australian to win an Olympic gold medal on the running track since 1896.
In 1953, Marjorie Jackson married Peter Nelson, an Olympic cyclist. Following his death from leukaemia in 1977, she launched the Peter Nelson Leukaemia Research Fellowship and has since dedicated herself to raising funds to sponsor research into fighting the disease.
In 2001, Marjorie became a Companion of the Order of Australia and, as governor, was appointed a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order by the Queen during the Royal Visit in February 2002. |
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