Carl Zanon will be watching the upcoming coronation of King Charles III from afar, but his mind will inevitably cast back to a similar event for which he had a front-row seat, nearly a lifetime ago.
Zanon, who now lives in West Kelowna, was 16 years old in 1953 when Queen Elizabeth II was set to be crowned, following her accession to the throne nearly a year earlier.
It was an event with all the pomp and circumstance that British royalty can muster, and people from across the Commonwealth were tapped to take part. Among them were 12 sea cadets from across Canada, and Zanon was in their ranks.
The once-in-a-lifetime experience started with a train ride across the country, ending in Halifax with the Canadian Sea Cadet Contingent.
Once there, they all boarded HMCS Magnificent and set sail across the Atlantic.
Zanon documented much of his experience with photos he still has, courtesy of a camera gifted to him from a Nelson community group.
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“Black and white, of course,” he said.
Zanon captured images on board the carriers, at famous landmarks and — on the day of the coronation, when he stood outside — as the queen passed by in the gold state coach.
“And this is my photograph. We were in Westminster Abbey, we saw the queen arrive and we saw (her) leave,” Zanon recalled.
The way that small details of the global-sized event were meticulously tended to is something that Zanon marvelled over.
“It was really, really impressive. The details that they went to, not only for us but all the things that they were doing,” he said.
Decades have passed since that event and its threads have woven their way into the fabric of Zanon’s life in countless ways.
His journey there inspired a love of photography. It’s also why, when he was old enough, Zanon joined the Navy.
His family has gone and visited the sights he once did and walked in the footsteps. It also inspired a lifetime interest in the monarchy, though it’s not one he speaks about much.
As a monarchist, he’s looking forward to seeing what King Charles’s coronation will be like and how his reign will compare.
“The parades, the details that went into it and we have now 70-plus years later,” said Zanon.
“I hope that King Charles III is gonna get the same treatment and I wish him well.”
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