AS THE Queen embarks on her golden jubilee celebrations in the United Kingdom, British expatriates in Cyprus are organising a host of events of their own to mark the occasion.
In the UK, the celebrations, including street parties, royal garden parties and a nationwide tour by Queen Elizabeth II, are expected to involve millions of people. Those born on the date of the Queen’s accession to the throne, February 6, 1952 have the opportunity to be one of 3,500 attending a Golden Jubilee Garden Party hosted by the Queen. During the Queen’s Silver Jubilee year in 1977, more than 100,000 street parties were held nation-wide.
In Cyprus, supporters of the Queen are buzzing with excitement as they prepare for their own celebrations to mark the Queen’s fiftieth anniversary on the throne. Committees are meeting island-wide to organise events to concur with festivities in the UK.
Sylvia Smith is a member of one such committee along with James Anderson, Defence Attaché to the British High Commission and British members of UNFICYP.
On Sunday, May 12, there will be a garden party for children at the residence of the British High Commissioner in Nicosia. The next major event will be a weekend away at the aptly named Jubilee Hotel in Troodos on May 25. The Saturday will involve a Tennis Tournament followed by a buffet and a quiz. The next morning will entail a three-mile hike, an egg hunt for the children and a barbeque. The hotel is already fully booked for the weekend but Sylvia Smith encourages those who wish to join them for Sunday’s activities to contact her as soon as possible on 22-761005.
The location for the event was aptly chosen as the hotel derived its name from the Silver Jubilee of King George V in 1935. Ironically, it was later used in the 1950s as an EOKA hide out in the struggle against British colonial rule. The hotel has recently undergone renovation and gives the impression of an Indian Hill Station similar to that of Dehra Dun where British governors ran state affairs during hot summer months.
On June 2, St.Paul’s Church in Nicosia will be holding a thanksgiving service at 9.30am, dedicated to Her Majesty’s Golden Jubilee, followed by coffee and cakes in the garden.
As the sweltering heat starts to wane, a huge celebration will take place on September 21 at the UN. Fireworks, lasers, dancing and eating are all part of the entertainment. Tickets will be available closer to the time for the jamboree.
The United Kingdom Citizens Association (UKCA) is also planning colourful events in all major cities of the island. Paphos is celebrating in style with a street party in the UKCA car park on Saturday June1, with the British High Commissioner as Guest of Honour. Proceeds of the raffle will be going to the Kidney Renal Unit for dialysis machines. Larnaca is celebrating on June 2 with a barbeque for members followed by extensive games such as skittles, can stalls, bowling for a ‘pig’ and darts.
The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.
