Written by Tracy Shirvill
This morning the southern hemisphere woke up to the news that Queen Elizabeth II has died, bringing with it the ever-complex emotions that death brings.
Queen Elizabeth II represents many things to many people. For some she was a great leader, representing the characteristics that women bring to leadership roles in a world led by men. In World War 2 our grandmothers saw their princess rolling up her sleeves working in the war effort. Just like every other young woman who found themselves fixing military vehicles, making uniforms or bullets, and nursing soldiers to health or death before being directed back into their traditional roles after the war. We can only imagine what it was like for the 25-year-old to stand on her own in front of the likes of Winston Churchill at a time of her own personal mourning.
In many ways we see our grandmothers in her. The matriarch of our families trying hard to keep her family together through the good times and the bad. The mother struggling to balance the love for her children with the contention towards their immoral and criminal behaviour.
And while it is easy to romanticise the monarchy as the media displays the pomp and circumstance day and night, we cannot deny the impact British colonialism has had on the world. In Ireland, Scotland, and Wales allegiances towards and against the British Monarchy will inform how Her Majesty’s death is received. For First Nations people her death and the rituals proceeding it, may be a reminder that while people, languages, and cultures have died the institutions which caused pain and destruction live on.
For those of us left behind, bereavement is a deeply personal experience fraught with competing emotions. Conflicts that have been swept under the rug can resurface, and roles redefined. It is also a time where both isolation and connection can bring comfort and safety in turn. As conflicting thoughts, opinions, feelings, and emotions arise over the coming weeks, be compassionate towards yourselves and show empathy towards others. For death is the one life experience we all share.
