A cheering crowd of thousands lined Sydney streets yesterday to greet the Queen as she arrived at St Andrew's Anglican Cathedral for a moving and dignified Commonwealth Day observance.
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were in Sydney on the first leg of a visit for the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games.
As the Queen and Prince Philip drove into Sydney Square in a black Rolls Royce, people of all nations and ages lined the streets, many of whom had waited for hours in the summer heat to catch a glimpse of the royal couple.
It has been 14 years since the Queen last visited the Cathedral.
Excited primary-aged students of St Andrew's Cathedral School waved Australian flags while dignitaries gathered outside the West Door of the Cathedral to welcome the Queen and Prince Philip.
The Earl of Wessex, Prince Edward, walked through the square towards the Cathedral prior to the Queen's arrival, waving at the cheering crowd.
Bells rang out from the Cathedral and police stood to attention while Her Majesty, dressed in a lime green coat and dress, alighted from the car.
The Queen was greeted by the Archbishop of Sydney Peter Jensen, the Dean of Sydney Phillip Jensen, the Prime Minister John Howard and his wife Jeanette and Donald McKinnon, Commonwealth Secretary General and others.
Yesterday's historic visit was the first time the observance has been held outside of London.
Attendance at the observance was by invitation only and security remained tight during the royal visit.
The Queen's earlier appointment yesterday was to officially open a new extension to Sydney Opera House.
Observance celebrates health and vitality of Commonwealth nations
Yesterday's service was broadcast live across Australia on ABC TV and began with a procession of St Andrew's Cathedral School students, carrying the flags of the Commonwealth into the church.
The service had a strong multicultural flavour drawing on the themes of health and vitality in keeping with the spirit of the Commonwealth Games.
A blend of traditional and contemporary music kept the congregation entertained and showcased Australia’s cultural diversity.
Alongside God Save the Queen and Advance Australia Fair, the sounds of didgeridoos and singing by an Indigenous group, the Saltwater band, was followed by Indian folk dancing from the Commonwealth Day Rahjasthani Dance Group.
Australian Idol pop star Anthony Callea performed his number one hit, The Prayer, with the Cathedral Choristers. The Rooty Hill Samoan Community Choir sang a traditional song with lyrics from Psalm 23.
The Cathedral's newly appointed Director of Music, Ross Cobb, conducted an orchestra of musicians from across Sydney, accompanied by the Fanfare Brass from the NSW Police Band and Assistant Organist, Mark Quarmby.
Mr Cobb led the robed choristers in song, including the rousing hymn, Let all the world in ev'ry corner sing.
A focus on the good news of Jesus Christ
The Dean of Sydney Phillip Jensen led a gospel-focused service that began with a welcome to VIPs and guests and an extended welcome to the crowds outside in the streets and across the nation.
The service included the Lord's Prayer, a prayer of confession and a declaration of forgiveness.
The Scriptures were read by the Prime Minister and the NSW Premier, Morris Iemma.
In his sermon, Archbishop Peter Jensen called upon the people of the Commonwealth to "meet the challenge of new plagues' such as HIV/AIDS, a situation that he said as as global citizens,
"we cannot tolerate'.
Dr Jensen urged people to put their hope in Jesus Christ, who as the Bible's "great physician' will "defeat these evils' and in whom the final healing of the world lies ahead of us in the Kingdom of God, "made possible by his death on the cross'.
"It is the intention of God, through Jesus, to defeat sickness and evil and death itself in the new heavens and the new earth which God is going to create," Dr Jensen said.
The Queen's pre-recorded Commonwealth Day Message was broadcast during the service with accompanying images of developing Commonwealth countries.
She joined the Archbishop in speaking of the scourge of HIV/AIDS, highlighting the statistic that well over half of AIDS victims today are Commonwealth citizens.
The Queen said as governments search for new ways to tackle important challenges like fighting disease and improving health for all, "we as individuals can also play our part, so that, in pursing health and vitality for all, we can bring hope to the world'.
Commonwealth Secretary General Donald McKinnon paid tribute to the "extraordinary family' that is the Commonwealth, declaring it a "living, evolving organism'.
The Commonwealth is an association of 53 countries. Its 1.8 billion citizens comprise about 30 per cent of the world's population.
Prayers of thanksgiving were led by a 15-year-old girl from Strathfield Girls High School, Kiruba Ranjit and a ministry trainee from St Paul's Anglican Church, Carlingford, Sam Mak.
Six religious leaders from the major faith groups in Australia gave affirmations for the good health of the Commonwealth, such as liberty, justice, faith and democracy.
Queen greets children, onlookers
Following the service the Queen, joined by the Prime Minister, greeted the crowds in Sydney Square and accepted posies of flowers from delighted children and onlookers.
From then the royals travelled to the Sydney home of the Governor-General, Admiralty House in Kirribilli, for a VIP reception.
The Bishop of North Sydney, Dr Glenn Davies, said it was splendid to have the Queen in St Andrew's Cathedral and remarked that the tone of the service was an appropriate reflection for Commonwealth Day.
Dr Davies gave special mention to the music, saying Ross Cobb, formerly Director of Music at Christ Church in Bristol, "deserved to be congratulated'.
"The music was superb and the orchestra and choir had never sounded better," he said.
The Queen and Prince Philip and their son Prince Edward travelled to Canberra last night en route to Melbourne, where they will attend the opening ceremony and sporting matches.
Photos courtesy Ramon Williams/Worldwide Photos
