Government House 150th Anniversary

There is celebration in the city today.  The Governor, Malcolm McCusker and his delightful lady, Tonya McCusker are today hosting an open day to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of Government House. 


Government House in Perth

I tinkered with the idea of joining in the celebration.  I thought long and hard how to make it work for us.  I took into consideration the distance between the car park and Government House. How long we would be there and the possibility of seating being available.  After much thought: it was either take the wheelchair or plan a different outing.  I asked Merv how he felt about using the wheelchair and he replied, "I don't need it yet!"  Yes, he is right.  He doesn't need a wheelchair in the house, or the garden or for short trips in shopping centres and ten minute walks, but this is no ordinary outing.
We arrived early and entered through the back garden entrance.  I had been here in 2011 to attend a volunteers garden party with a group of volunteers from my workplace.  We had a wonderful time.


 

Mel with Merv outside the food stalls

 

My quest today was to find which path lead us to the main house.  There were many steps and only one gravel steep path.  We walked past the stage for the preliminary opening and speeches.  Hundreds of people were already seated waiting for the event. We viewed a mother duck and her large brood of ducklings jump excitedly into one of the feature ponds.  As I pushed Merv up the gravel incline I struggled with his weight.  Fortunately an army cadet came over and offered his help to push the chair.  Thank goodness he did.  The path led to the morning tea room.  Perfect!  It was 11am and time for my caffeine fix.  Mel and I shared healthy sandwiches and Merv happily indulged in a chocolate cupcake.  Afterwards we went out on the balcony to listen to the opening ceremony and watch the  tri-service cadet parade.  It was a festival atmosphere complete with dress up characters and entertainment.
While the grounds in front of Government House were transformed into a food court representing almost every nationality, we entered the smaller part of Government House and delighted in the harmony and clarity  of the choir.  I think most of Perth had already appeared and the disability

access was limited.   Unfortunately we had to enter the main part of the house through the 'exit' and therefore we were going against the crowd, which was mostly impossible due to the large number of people.  We did enjoy a number of rooms, including the drawing rooms and  numerous studies before leaving. The opulence and character features of the rooms were a sight to behold.  We left via the St George's Terrace entrance and through Supreme Court Gardens which led us back towards the car park.  There was a ten minute stretch where gravel prevented me from pushing the chair and Merv was happy to walk for that short amount of time.
I asked Merv how he felt being in the chair and he replied he was glad we took the wheelchair.  He knew he would have struggled if he had to walk and spend lengthy periods standing.  All the available seating we saw was occupied, except the morning tea tables.
Our first outing; a difficult one even with the chair due to the parking distance and crowding but overall definitely a gold star event.