First of all, a warm welcome to you and the Queen on what is your 17th visit to Australia and first as monarch.
We understand it is an arduous journey to undertake, particularly in the circumstances of your recent health. You have the good wishes of all Australians in your ongoing cancer treatment.
Your commitment to royal duties and concern for philanthropic and humanitarian causes even at a time of great personal difficulty stands as an inspiration to people of all walks of life.
As we carry on through our own hardships and burdens, as we must, your example reminds us that life is a gift and an opportunity to serve.
Although you may be under the impression that you are touring Sydney, it is time – if I may say so – to banish all comforting thoughts of Admiralty House and panoramic delights of the Harbour and Circular Quay that may have filled your initial hours here. For it is hopefully no coincidence you have opted to spend precious hours in Parramatta – far closer to where the majority of people in this city actually live.
Best of all, there is no need to peruse your briefing books about this unfamiliar place now that you have picked up a copy of the Parra News.
During your time in Parramatta, you will meet local luminaries that reflect the ingenuity, dynamism and diversity that our region has to offer (regrettably it seems my invitation was lost in the mail).
From the globally renowned materials scientist Professor Veena Sahajwalla, a leader in the field of sustainable waste, to Danny and Leila Abdallah of Oatlands who continue to teach our entire nation the meaning of grace. From Dr Daniel Nour, founder of Street Side Medics and Young Australian of the Year, to quite possibly your most famous namesake around these parts, the newly elected City of Parramatta Councillor Charles (Xiao) Chen. Proof that while there may only have been a handful of leaders named Charles throughout history, we have a fourth here.
My wish is that you make the most of your time in Parramatta, a place where many residents are more likely to put cumin in their sandwiches rather than cucumber. So, while you are at The Crescent in Parramatta Park, issue a pretext.
Give security the slip.
Politely mumble to the Premier that you need to duck off to the loo.
Put on a disguise if you must and with Queen in tow, wander off into the green expanse like we do at lunchtime – where the jackhammers fall silent, the skyscrapers blur into the distance – and you can imagine you are retreating into time itself.
Contemplate the twists and turns in the upper reaches of our river, teleporting yourselves back tens of thousands of years to when the original inhabitants, a clan of the Dharug, used to spear, swim and fish.
Reconciling present and past, including the displacement and massacres of Indigenous people, the brave resistance of leaders like Pemulwuy – is part of the ongoing story of Parramatta.
There are few other places in Sydney where such heavy history broods in the air. But ours is also a story of triumph – one of intrepid explorers, female pioneers who spun linen and wool, and industrious landholders whose farming exploits turned this area into the cradle of the new colony.
We see traces of that early activity in properties such as the Female Factory, Elizabeth Farm and Old Government House.
But in the intervening centuries, it has also been reinforced by a new generation of entrepreneurs, making their presence felt from local spice shops to legal practices and office blocks that threaten to touch the sky.
As you meander incognito, Your Majesties will have a chance to practice languages from Cantonese to Filipino, Punjabi, Arabic, bogan and Telugu.
Perhaps you will duck into Wigram Street to satisfy your cravings for aloo tikki chaat (fried potato cakes) or goat mughlai.
Or you can do like the rest of us and get your hands on some chicken at El Jannah.
It’s only two stops away on the train at Granville.
You will see a new Parramatta gradually assuming the place of the old.
A place of modernity, fused with conservatism and tradition.
Best of all, the fact you are here will become part of our history, too.
Alan is a journalist and communications specialist. He writes a weekly column for Parra News.