Whyalla's Barbara Derham looks back with a tinge of pink at the Queen's 1986 royal tour

This comes after Foreshore Motor Inn owner Barbara Derham, of Whyalla, took a trip down memory lane after watching the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations that took place in London.

In 1986, Mrs Derham, her husband Tom and her restaurant team catered for the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh's lunch at the Whyalla council chambers when the monarch and her consort visited Whyalla - but there had been much discussion earlier about just how to decorate the bathroom being made available for regal use.

"A month before the Queen arrived, council discussed at length what they would do for the bathroom," said Mrs Derham who was then Deputy Mayor.

"There was a long debate about what colour we should have for the toilet seat cover and we ended up with a fluffy, pink toilet seat cover."

Mrs Derham recalled the security measures surrounding the royal visit.

She said the security team had arrived the night before the Queen touched down in Whyalla. The team had stayed at the motel.

"We had a beautiful dog called Shane at the time and my husband Tom went down to the motel at 5.30am and the security people were cleaning the Rolls Royce," she said.

"Our dog suddenly jumped up and sat in the backseat so that was a bit of fun."

Hundreds of children from Eyre Peninsula, Whyalla, Port Augusta and Port Pirie gathered to see the Queen open the first development at the foreshore.

"Then we catered for her lunch, but the night before the lunch there had been a blackout affecting the fridges and the food was wasted so we had to go out and buy more food," she said.

"There were probably 80 people at the lunch and we had to send the menu and stock we were working on to be cleared by security weeks before.

"We were only allowed to have in the fridge certain kinds of wine.

"We were told wine, no beer, but when the staff asked the Duke what he would like to drink, he said, "a beer'.

"The staff had to run down the road to buy a bottle of beer.

"The Queen went into the Mayor's Chamber to have a drink of gin-and-tonic and kicked off her shoes.

"The setting of tables for the meal had to be in the half-round because everyone had to face the Queen."

As Deputy Mayor, Mrs Derham was an official guest as was Mr Derham, then a member of the hospital board.

No stone was left unturned in the quest to provide a safe environment for the monarch.

Australian police sniffer dogs checked the flowers at Ada Ryan Gardens before the royal party stopped by.

"At the lunch, we served chocolates and the Queen's doctor was sitting next to me and said, 'I don't eat chocolates'," Mrs Derham said.

"But my staff told him he should try one of them because they were 'Whyalla chocolates' made by a very famous citizen.

"Before the Queen arrived, a member of her staff came with an aluminium case that contained her special mineral water."

Realising how important the visit would be to senior citizens, Mrs Derham requested that the monarch visit the Yeltana aged care home.

"It was a great thrill for the elderly people in the home and nursing staff," she said.

"She then opened Hummock Hill for which material had been provided by BHP, then operator of the town's steelworks.

"And then she flew out that night so she had a full day in Whyalla.

"The excitement of the children during her tour was something to be seen.

"If anyone askes me the highlight of my career, it would be catering for the Queen and, of course, meeting her.

"The Duke was a bit of a character; she was delightful and so committed. The Queen stopped to talk to all our staff who were thrilled.

"One of the chefs on the day was Darren White who is now at the TAFE college and whenever I see him, he says, 'remember the day we catered for the Queen?'"