Through her role on the Bicentennial Committee as a historian and correspondent, she said she was responsible for curating the exhibition which displayed the construction of the Australian State Coach by local Jim Frecklington. 

Her collection connects stories, memories and anecdotes of what it was like to work on the Australian State Coach and to meet the Queen during the State Luncheon in 1992.

When Mrs Foley learnt about the upcoming royal visit, she said she thought Dubbo could have been chosen because of “previous visits from the Queen” and the fact the “Australian State Coach was built here”.

“Who would ever think it would all come up again,” Mrs Foley said.

Ms Foley said she presented the Queen with an album which as a replica the pieces in the gallery which tell the story of how the coach was constructed in 1992.

When explaining her role Mrs Foley said “it was quite amazing, I had the Queen all to myself as I toured her through the exhibition.” 

“This was an exciting time in our life, I never expected, when we first started, it would lead to where it lead to, it was amazing,” Mrs Foley said. 

“It absolutely seemed genuine, we got on quite well, she was very friendly, as I was walking her around the exhibition, she was lovely.”

The exhibition included photographs of the building process and the people involved in building it, the certificates they received and the booklet which accompanied the exhibit.

Mrs Foley said she still has her old glasses which the Queen borrowed to view one of the items in the exhibit.

Mrs Foley said the Queen borrowed her glasses “to read the clipping of the newspaper story titled The Queen flies blind to Lismore,” because of rain at the time. 

Mrs Foley said Dubbo was “abuzz with excitement” before and after the visit especially young children who drew pictures after the visit.

She said she has kept all the drawings since. 

Do you have a story? Email: antonia.oflaherty@fairfaxmedia.com.au