From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 25 December

It has been a momentous year. The death of The Queen of Australia. Monarchist or republican, there was consensus: the world lost a truly remarkable leader.

LIKE the pointer star of the Southern Cross, The Queen has been an immoveable constant in our lives; a symbol of continuity and commitment. King Charles said, “It was a life well lived; a promise with destiny kept.”

In 1952, in the first of her Christmas broadcasts, The Queen said, “Let us set out to build a truer knowledge of ourselves and our fellowmen, to work for tolerance and understanding among the nations, and to use the tremendous forces of science and learning for the betterment of man’s lot upon this earth. If we can do these three things with courage, with generosity, and with humility, then surely we shall achieve that ‘peace on earth, goodwill toward men’ which is the eternal message of Christmas, and the desire of us all.”

In 1957, the first television Christmas message, The Queen said, “That it is possible for some of you to see me today is just another example of the speed at which things are changing all around us. Because of these changes I am not surprised that many people feel lost and unable to decide what to hold on to, and what to discard. How to take advantage of the new life without losing the best of the old. But it is not the new inventions which are the difficulty. The trouble is caused by unthinking people who carelessly throw away ageless ideals as if they were old and outworn machinery.

“They would have religion thrown aside; morality in personal and public life made meaningless; honesty counted as foolishness; and self-interest set-up in place of self-restraint. It has always been easy to hate and destroy. To build and to cherish is much more difficult.”

A woman of deep faith, The Queen said in 2015: “There’s an old saying that it is better to light a candle than curse the darkness. There are millions of people lighting candles of hope in our world today. Christmas is a good time to be thankful for all that brings light to our lives.”

In Her final Christmas message, The Queen said, “I am sure someone, somewhere, today will remark that Christmas is a time for children. It’s an engaging truth, but only half the story. Perhaps it’s truer to say that Christmas can speak to the child within us all. Adults, when weighed down with worries, sometimes fail to see the joy in simple things, where children do not. They teach us all a lesson – just as the Christmas story does; that in the birth of a child, there is a new dawn with endless potential.”

It is this simplicity of the Christmas story that makes it so universally appealing: simple happenings that formed the starting point of the life of Jesus – a man whose teachings have been handed down from generation to generation, and which, The Queen said “have been the bedrock of my faith.” His birth marked a new beginning.  As the carol says, “The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.”

The Bible tells how a star appeared in the sky, its light guiding the shepherds and wise men to the scene of Jesus’ birth.

Let the light of Christmas – the spirit of selflessness, love, and above all, hope – guide us in the times ahead.

Her late Majesty concluded, “It is in that spirit that I wish you a very happy Christmas.”

Roland can be contacted via [email protected].