"Hi Dan, just thought you would like to know that we're off to have lunch with the Queen tomorrow at the Government House in Melbourne. Hope all is well with you both."
Therein lies both the upside and downside of communicating via Facebook. On the one hand, it is an exceptionally efficient means of keeping in touch with people across the globe. On the other hand, the ability to communicate instantly tends to dilute the message. In times like these, I find myself craving more information.
You may recall that about a year ago, my friends in Australia got hit with a series of devastating floods. The entire community in which Andrew and his family live was underwater, the town of Rochester evacuated, and its residents moved to emergency relief centers. Andrew's farm experienced some of the worst conditions. An entire year's supply of stored feed was ruined, not to mention the stress put on his cattle. When the waters swept around the milking facility, three days passed before he was able to milk his cows once again.
Nearly everything was ruined - houses in the affected area had to be gutted, right down to the ductwork that was spawning noxious mold. Crops failed, having been saturated with the deluge. Veterinarians worked around the clock to treat cattle dangerously close to developing chronic mastitis infections.
This all happened in January, February, and March of 2011. Eventually, the stains were erased and a sense of normalcy returned. I was thus caught offguard when, in October of 2011, I signed into Facebook and received the aforementioned blurb, "We're off to have lunch with the Queen."
It was a fairly typical day when Andrew and his wife Belinda-Ann received a unique invitation in the mail. Very simply, it requested their company for a formal luncheon in the presence of her majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. Would they make the two-hour drive from Rochester to Melbourne, to attend lunch at the Government House?
Andrew described how he got up that morning, milked his cows, showered and donned his most formal attire, and then drove to Melbourne with Belinda-Ann. Together they arrived at the Government House to a mass of people, all invited to attend the event. As it turns out, Queen Elizabeth was touring Australia to get a feel for the scope of the disaster. She had been up the East Coast, to Brisbane, and was now visiting the state of Victoria, which had suffered bush fires the year before as well as the recent flooding.
Upon arriving and passing through security, Andrew and his wife were directed to wait with a select few other people while some 200 others shuffled into the main hall. It quickly became apparent to him, that this would most likely not be a drive-by, in-and-out affair as he originally thought. He commented, "At first I figured if I was lucky, I'd see her walk across the stage, wave for a moment or two, and then walk off. I might catch a glimpse from across the hall."
It quickly became apparent that Andrew and Belinda-Ann were part of a smaller, more diverse group selected to include a wide range of people affected by the natural disasters. This small, but authentic group would have the honor of dinning with the Queen. "We could hear the Reception Hall buzzing with the cocktail chatter of some 300 souls, while there we were, with 20 other people in a formal dining room."
Andrew and Belinda-Ann mingled, and introduced themselves to the other guests. As they walked around the table, they searched for their place cards. Then the realization hit them - Andrew and Belinda-Ann's place cards were at the head table with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Andrew began to wonder why he was there. In his words, "To my left was a scientist on the verge of curing cancer, to my right a woman who had lost everything in a bushfire (including her husband and child), and an Aboriginal elder who has contributed greatly to his local community. Over there were the previous and present State Governor Generals, opposite to me was the Premier of Victoria, and there I was - just a dairy farmer."
With great fanfare, the announcement came, "Please rise for Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II." All stood up as she entered the room. There she was, the Queen of England. Not a physically tall woman, but infinitely grand, instantly recognizable, and flawlessly composed, to the detail. She swept across the room and was seated at the head of the table. Andrew told me later, "I never, ever, in all my life, thought I would meet the Queen. It was a fantastic experience; I've never felt so proud."
All were seated. Scarcely was a glass set down before a server refilled it. The Queen went around the table in conversation, asking everyone where they were from, and how they had been affected. Andrew explained that he milked cows, to which the Queen asked, "What sort of cows?"
As it turns out, Queen Elizabeth II has her own herd of cows, the Royal Jersey Herd at Windsor.
As quickly as it all began, the luncheon was over. The Queen was ushered out, gave a drive-by wave to the crowd in the Reception Hall, and was gone; off to tour the next affected area of Australia. Andrew and Belinda-Ann drove home, dazed with the whole occurrence. As he described, "I got up that morning, milked cows, drove to Melbourne and dined with the Queen of England, and returned home in time to finish up chores. What a truly bizarre day."
I listened intently as he told the story. In the end, I was left with one burning question: "So, who milks her cows when she's off on vacation?"
Therein lies both the upside and downside of communicating via Facebook. On the one hand, it is an exceptionally efficient means of keeping in touch with people across the globe. On the other hand, the ability to communicate instantly tends to dilute the message. In times like these, I find myself craving more information.
You may recall that about a year ago, my friends in Australia got hit with a series of devastating floods. The entire community in which Andrew and his family live was underwater, the town of Rochester evacuated, and its residents moved to emergency relief centers. Andrew's farm experienced some of the worst conditions. An entire year's supply of stored feed was ruined, not to mention the stress put on his cattle. When the waters swept around the milking facility, three days passed before he was able to milk his cows once again.
Nearly everything was ruined - houses in the affected area had to be gutted, right down to the ductwork that was spawning noxious mold. Crops failed, having been saturated with the deluge. Veterinarians worked around the clock to treat cattle dangerously close to developing chronic mastitis infections.
This all happened in January, February, and March of 2011. Eventually, the stains were erased and a sense of normalcy returned. I was thus caught offguard when, in October of 2011, I signed into Facebook and received the aforementioned blurb, "We're off to have lunch with the Queen."
It was a fairly typical day when Andrew and his wife Belinda-Ann received a unique invitation in the mail. Very simply, it requested their company for a formal luncheon in the presence of her majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. Would they make the two-hour drive from Rochester to Melbourne, to attend lunch at the Government House?
Andrew described how he got up that morning, milked his cows, showered and donned his most formal attire, and then drove to Melbourne with Belinda-Ann. Together they arrived at the Government House to a mass of people, all invited to attend the event. As it turns out, Queen Elizabeth was touring Australia to get a feel for the scope of the disaster. She had been up the East Coast, to Brisbane, and was now visiting the state of Victoria, which had suffered bush fires the year before as well as the recent flooding.
Upon arriving and passing through security, Andrew and his wife were directed to wait with a select few other people while some 200 others shuffled into the main hall. It quickly became apparent to him, that this would most likely not be a drive-by, in-and-out affair as he originally thought. He commented, "At first I figured if I was lucky, I'd see her walk across the stage, wave for a moment or two, and then walk off. I might catch a glimpse from across the hall."
It quickly became apparent that Andrew and Belinda-Ann were part of a smaller, more diverse group selected to include a wide range of people affected by the natural disasters. This small, but authentic group would have the honor of dinning with the Queen. "We could hear the Reception Hall buzzing with the cocktail chatter of some 300 souls, while there we were, with 20 other people in a formal dining room."
Andrew and Belinda-Ann mingled, and introduced themselves to the other guests. As they walked around the table, they searched for their place cards. Then the realization hit them - Andrew and Belinda-Ann's place cards were at the head table with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Andrew began to wonder why he was there. In his words, "To my left was a scientist on the verge of curing cancer, to my right a woman who had lost everything in a bushfire (including her husband and child), and an Aboriginal elder who has contributed greatly to his local community. Over there were the previous and present State Governor Generals, opposite to me was the Premier of Victoria, and there I was - just a dairy farmer."
With great fanfare, the announcement came, "Please rise for Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II." All stood up as she entered the room. There she was, the Queen of England. Not a physically tall woman, but infinitely grand, instantly recognizable, and flawlessly composed, to the detail. She swept across the room and was seated at the head of the table. Andrew told me later, "I never, ever, in all my life, thought I would meet the Queen. It was a fantastic experience; I've never felt so proud."
All were seated. Scarcely was a glass set down before a server refilled it. The Queen went around the table in conversation, asking everyone where they were from, and how they had been affected. Andrew explained that he milked cows, to which the Queen asked, "What sort of cows?"
As it turns out, Queen Elizabeth II has her own herd of cows, the Royal Jersey Herd at Windsor.
As quickly as it all began, the luncheon was over. The Queen was ushered out, gave a drive-by wave to the crowd in the Reception Hall, and was gone; off to tour the next affected area of Australia. Andrew and Belinda-Ann drove home, dazed with the whole occurrence. As he described, "I got up that morning, milked cows, drove to Melbourne and dined with the Queen of England, and returned home in time to finish up chores. What a truly bizarre day."
I listened intently as he told the story. In the end, I was left with one burning question: "So, who milks her cows when she's off on vacation?"
