by Joel van der Veen
July 12, 2010

DAVIDSON - Step forward and offer Her Majesty the flowers. Step backwards and curtsey. And, no matter what, don't turn your back on the Queen.

These are instructions Eileen Peters will remember for the rest of her life.

At age seven, she was chosen to present flowers to Queen Elizabeth II during a royal visit to Hanley on July 22, 1959, part of Her Majesty's tour across the country.

The girls in her class were told to practice their curtseying. Peters' name was drawn out of a hat, and she quickly realized what a big deal it was.

"I know that my mom was quite excited," recalled Peters, now a public health nurse living in Tisdale with her husband, David Bone. "She sewed me my dress."

They also travelled to Saskatoon to buy a new hat, gloves and sandals, something they seldom did.

The Queen has visited Canada several times since then, including her most recent tour, from June 28 to July 6. This year, though, she made it no further west than Winnipeg.

But in 1959, the royal party made several stops in the area during their tour, which included the official opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway. The Queen, then 33 years old, and Prince Philip, then 38, rode by train through this region. It was a whistle-stop tour, with the royal party also visiting Saskatoon, Dundurn, Davidson, Craik, Chamberlain and Moose Jaw that same day.

In Davidson, 5-year-old Wendy Edom was chosen to present flowers to Her Majesty. She remembers being chosen personally by Mayor Jack Sellers, who said she always smiled and said hello to people when she walked down the street.

"He thought I was friendly, so I guess that's why he picked me," she said. But she wasn't terribly excited, despite all the pomp and pageantry.

"It seemed to be a big deal to everyone around me," she recalled. "At five, you don't really know who the Queen is."

She had grown her hair long and wore a blue dress with a headpiece to match, but after a tussle with her brother that left bubble gum stuck in her hair, an emergency trim was needed.

"I can remember my mom was upset about that," said Edom, now also a public health nurse and living in Nelson, B.C., with her husband, Steve Bareham.

Eileen Peters recalls a large crowd that day in Hanley, with around 1,500 people gathering there for the royal visit.

"I just remember there were a lot of people around," she said. And after she presented the flowers, the Queen told her, "Thank you very much indeed."

According to historical records, the crowd cheered jubilantly as the Royal Train departed, singing "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean."

Meanwhile, Wendy Edom was nervous about meeting the Queen. She was also to be a flower girl at a wedding that summer, with different directions, and was worried that she'd get confused. But when the big day came, she pulled it off.

"It was a nice, sunny day," she recalled. "(The Queen) bent over, and I think she kissed me on the cheek."

The Davidson Leader reported that 2,500 spectators were present when the Queen arrived at the train station. Mayor Sellers escorted her down the platform and introduced her to various people, including Grade 12 student Joan Farden, who achieved the highest marks in the entire Davidson School Unit the previous year.

"As Her Majesty and Prince Philip proceeded down the platform, they seemed pleased with the tremendous ovation from children and adults," The Leader reported. "The radiant smile of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II won the hearts of everyone."

An even larger crowd was reported in Craik, where 3,000 people welcomed the royal couple at the station. Six-year-old Janice Newlove presented the Queen with flowers, and after as the train departed, the Craik band played "Anchors Aweigh."

Frances Wiggins, The Davidson Leader's correspondent from Tugaske, reported the following week that her community was "almost evacuated" on July 22, as most residents were in other towns to see the royal couple.

"One sensed throughout the whole proceeding a feeling of family solidarity, as if a dearly loved member of our own family was momentarily expected," she wrote. "And when the Queen and Prince Philip stepped out of the press and TV pictures in the flesh, there was a spontaneous welcome."

"Her Majesty in her small person is a symbol of unity," she continued. "Possessed of courage, a deep sense of duty and an unnameable charm with handsome Prince Philip and his infectious grin - what wonder if we breathed a 'God Save The Queen' as the royal train pulled out of Davidson."

The leaderonline is a division of The Davidson Leader, Davidson, Saskatchewan, Canada.