Harvey’s hidden history: How a small wooden ramp holds the memory of the Queen Mother’s South West visit

What may look like an ordinary wooden ramp situated next to Harvey’s railway station holds a hidden royal history in its planks, and the town’s historical society has made sure it is never removed. More than five decades ago the Queen Mother — Queen Elizabeth, mother to Queen Elizabeth II and wife to King George VI — landed via plane in Perth during a nation-wide visit. The Queen Mother took her first steps via a special ramp in Harvey on March 30 1966 after an invitation from the Harvey Shire president. The ramp had been specially requested by the Queen Mother to ensure she could “keep eye contact” with the large crowds raring to see her, according to president of the Harvey Museum Marion Lofthouse. “The Queen Mother wanted to keep her head up so she could have eye contact with the people who came to watch her, she wanted to be able to look at them,” Ms Lofthouse said. “If there were steps she would have had to look down at her feet, she was 66 years old at the time.” Following Harvey the Queen Mother’s only other stop would be Bunbury, resulting in a sea of awestruck residents from across Harvey, Collie, Yarloop and Brunswick all eager to be a part of the rare historical moment. With streets lined in flags and banners displaying the Union Jack, Ms Lofthouse said it was a “big day” for the town. “We’d never had a member of the royal family come to Harvey and in 1966 it was quite a big thing, the whole recreation ground was covered in people and the grandstand was full,” she said. “Collie brought a big train load of people over and local children put on some gymnastic displays for the special visitor.” Hoping to protect the ramp from any accidental removal, members of the Harvey Museum commemorated the anniversary of the visit by setting up a plaque on its railing. Ms Lofthouse said the idea behind the plaque was to “keep the ramp safe” as well as inform Harvey residents of the importance of the small ramp’s significance. “It was just an ordinary ramp but putting the plaque on it will make people aware it was built for the Queen Mother’s visit to Harvey in 1966,” she said. “It is probably the only ramp still remaining from the Queen Mother’s visit in 1966.” Opening Flinders University in SA, admiring the views of the Snowy Mountains in NSW and touring the ACT were all part of the 16-day trip around Australia, with Harvey seeing only one other royal visit since.