After 96 years of life, 70 of which were spent on the throne, Queen Elizabeth II passed away Sept. 8. Flin Flon's ties to the Crown include celebrations, commemorations and a royal visit more than 50 years ago.
Despite some recent accounts to the contrary by media and provincial government, the Queen herself never came to Flin Flon. However, one of Flin Flon’s largest-ever events was held in celebration of the Queen’s June 1953 coronation. The city hosted a lavish parade that included floats from several community groups, led by the Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting (HBM&S) Pipe Band and a colour party from the Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 73. Part of the parade included an elaborate replica of the Queen’s royal carriage, built by HBM&S employees and local artists. The carriage would later be displayed at Phantom Lake, during its heyday as a summer hotspot.
Members of the Flin Flon Rotary Club dressed up as beefeaters - the famous royal guards of the Tower of London - and noted British personification John Bull. A car was covered from top to bottom with white flowers, complete with the Queen’s seal on its rear window and a large replica of the Queen’s crown on its roof.
In recent years, the Queen’s most visible representation in Flin Flon may have been the portrait of the royal that is mounted on the north wall of the Whitney Forum. The piece, a painting of the Queen’s initial coronation portrait, has been mounted in the rink since it opened in 1958.
Visit
While the Queen never came to Flin Flon, the newly crowned King Charles III did visit the area back in 1970 as part of a royal tour to celebrate Manitoba’s 100-year anniversary of joining Confederation. A royal delegation including the Queen, Prince Philip, the then-Prince Charles (at that time, the Prince of Wales) and Anne, Princess Royal visited 17 different locations throughout Manitoba, including Flin Flon. The delegation did not visit each community together, instead splitting off to go to separate places through the north after a group visit in Thompson.
The then-Prince Charles was 21 years old when he came to Flin Flon on July 11, representing the Royal Family, weeks after his graduation from Cambridge University. The prince toured the community and locations like Main Street, the then-recently opened Flin Flon Public Library and nearby Bakers Narrows Provincial Park, meeting with then-mayor Jack Freedman and leading a parade through the streets. The future king’s visit coincided with celebrations for Bakers Narrows Day - the observation tower at the park was meant to be opened to the public in time for the visit, but was not finished in time and was opened later in the summer.
While the visit itself was short, it left an impact on the community - a residential street in Flin Flon was christened Prince Charles Place in honour of the royal visitor.
