Queensland Day is officially celebrated on 6 June as the birthday of the

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state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

History

Letters Patent for Colony of Queensland 1859

Moves towards statehood began with a public meeting in 1851 to consider

separation of Queensland The Separation of Queensland was an event in 1859 in which the land that forms the present-day state of Queensland in Australia was excised from the Colony of New South Wales and proclaimed as a separate crown colony. History European settlemen ...

from the

Colony of New South Wales The Colony of New South Wales was a colony of the British Empire from 1788 to 1901, when it became a State of the Commonwealth of Australia. At its greatest extent, the colony of New South Wales included the present-day Australian states of New ...

. As the push for separation gained momentum,

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

was approached to consider establishing a separate colony based at

Moreton Bay Moreton Bay is a bay located on the eastern coast of Australia from central Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources. The waters of Moreton Bay are a popular destination for recreational anglers and are ...

. The Queen gave her approval and signed the

Letters Patent Letters patent (plurale tantum, plural form for singular and plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, President (government title), president or other head of state, generally granti ...

on 6 June 1859. On the same day an Order-in-Council gave Queensland its own Constitution. Queensland became a self-governing colony with its own Governor, a nominated Legislative Council and an elected Legislative Assembly. Now 6 June is celebrated by Queenslanders as the day when the new colony of Queensland was established. With the word 'Separation' painted on its hull, the ship ''Clarence'' sailed into

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

on 10 July 1859, to be greeted by a jubilant crowd eagerly awaiting the news of separation. ''Clarence'' was welcomed with a 14-gun salute, a 'blue light' display and

fireworks Fireworks are Explosive, low explosive Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large numbe ...

. On 20 July, Queensland was informed that Sir George Bowen would be the State's first

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

. Celebrations resumed with fireworks, cannon fires, flag raisings and the sound of gunshots. On 10 December 1859, Governor Bowen arrived in Brisbane to a civic reception in the Botanic Gardens. He officially marked the historic occasion of Separation by reading a proclamation from the verandah of the Deanery of St. John's Cathedral.

The Sunshine State

The song, ''The Sunshine State,'' by prolific Queensland composer

Clyde Collins Clyde may refer to: People and fictional characters * Clyde (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Clyde (surname), including a list of people * Walt Frazier (born 1945), American basketball player nicknamed "Clyde" * Colin Cam ...

was written for the centenary of Queensland in 1959. It is still performed regularly by bands and choirs, especially on Queensland Day. Songwriter, harmonicist and clarinettist

Horrie Dargie Horace Andrew Dargie (7 July 1917 – 30 August 1999) was an Australian musician (harmonica, clarinet), television compère, talent manager, music label founder and music arranger. As a member of Horrie Dargie Quintet he was awarded the first go ...

(1917-1999) recorded the song in 1959 with the famous Horrie Dargie Quintet. The quintet’s farewell concert in

Sydney Town Hall The Sydney Town Hall is a late 19th-century heritage-listed town hall building in the city of Sydney, the capital city of New South Wales, Australia, housing the chambers of the Lord Mayor of Sydney, council offices, and venues for meetings and ...

before their tour of England (1952) became Australia’s first Gold Record, selling 75,000 copies.

Queensland Greats Awards

Since 2001, the

Queensland Greats Awards The Queensland Greats Awards recognise outstanding Queenslanders for their years of dedication and contribution to the development of the state and their role in strengthening and shaping the community in Queensland Queensland ( , common ...

have been presented as part of Queensland Day celebrations. These awards recognise outstanding Queenslanders for their lifetime of dedication and contribution to the development of the state and their role in strengthening and shaping the community. A posthumous category was added in 2015 and from 2016, an institution has been acknowledged annually.

References

Attribution

{{SLQ-CC-BY, url=http://blogs.slq.qld.gov.au/jol/2010/06/03/the-sunshine-state/, title=The Sunshine State, date=3 June 2010, authors=Laurel Dingle, accessdate=25 May 2017

External links