Retired teacher Bernie Kromhout had only been in the lakecity for less than two years when he captured a candid portrait of Queen Elizabeth II.
The Queen visited Williams Lake in 1971, and was attending the Williams Lake Stampede. Kromhout went to see and brought along his old battered manual film camera he had purchased for just $10 many years before.
All by himself, because his wife was very pregnant and had stayed home, he sat on a fence near the old two-story VIP stands, a wooden structure which no longer exists.
Queen Elizabeth II walked by dressed elegantly in navy and white, a bouquet of flowers in her hands, on her way to her seat.
Kromhout was only a few feet away where he sat on the fence as she passed thanks to the low levels of security in those days.
The queen looked up at him and smiled and he managed to snap a single shot of her on slide film, capturing the moment.
Upon learning of the passing of the monarch, he recalled this momentous visit and the slide and managed to dig it out thanks to his carefully itemized storage system.
Kromhout projected the slide onto a white surface and took a photo so he could bring it down and share it with the Tribune and the community.
It was a lovely memory of a unique moment in time, when a Queen came to town to enjoy our own Williams Lake Stampede. The Tribune would like to thank Mr. Kromhout so much for sharing and taking the time to bring us this beautiful street portrait to share.
Read more: PHOTOS: Queen Elizabeth II in Canada over the years
ruth.lloyd@wltribune.com
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