Residents of Bathurst shared their thoughts on Queen Elizabeth II

Just three weeks into my journalism career, I was tasked with the heavy duty of approaching the grieving people of Bathurst on their thoughts of the Queen's passing.

As I walked through the CBD, the feeling of loss in the atmosphere was palpable and the responses from Bathurst residents were unanimous.

"It's a very sad day," was the general consensus of Bathurst locals.

There were people meeting friends and family to talk through their feelings, and others were browsing through the shops just in order to distract themselves from their grief.

Tina McClintock, a Royal enthusiast said she cried this morning when she heard the news.

"The Queen was so resilient and just a remarkable lady. She was always true to her word and worked very hard," Ms McClintock said.

Young and old were saddened to know that the only monarch they have seen in their lifetime is no-longer, and were curious as to how - now King Charles - will handle the task.

Bernadette Groves was informed of the Queen's death in the early hours of the morning by her son who had recently been involved in commemorating the life of Prince Philip.

"I was just devastated when I heard this morning, Ms Groves said.

"I didn't think it was going to happen this quickly. We've only just gotten past Prince Philip and now we have this news.

"There's definitely going to be a big change with King Charles, and it will be interesting to see how he performs,"

Beryl Arnold was obviously saddened about the Queen's passing, however, she was confident in her beliefs that King Charles will "do just fine."

"We've never seen a King," Ms Arnold said.

Regardless of whether King Charles will be seen as successful in his role, Ms Arnold was positive that Queen Elizabeth II will always be remembered.

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"Nobody will ever forget her, she was a beautiful lady, just gorgeous," Ms Arnold said.

Danielle Ballinger and her daughters Georgie and Lucy told me that they had spent the morning discussing the succession of the monarchy.

"We were talking about how it will all work, I was explaining to the kids that now there will be a King and if he dies, his son will become the next King," Danielle said.

Though Danielle and her daughters were obviously saddened at the Queens passing, they also felt a sense of peace.

"She was 96 and had an amazing life, though it's sad, it's also nice because now she can be with Prince Philip," Danielle said.

Jules Bardon and Nicholas Gillman told me they had spent the morning reminiscing Queen Elizabeth II and their fond memories of her wholesome and fulfilling life.

"I'm going to miss her yearly Christmas speeches the most," Mr Bardon said.

"I used to watch her speeches every year with my family, so I'm definitely going to miss that."

As well as reminiscing on her long and well - lived life, Mr Bardon and Mr Gillman were also confident in King Charles' abilities.

"It's obviously a tragedy and it's definitely a setback for Australian's but I know King Charles will take things forward," Mr Gillman said.

Not only did the Queen leave a remarkable legacy to Bathurst, she also gave the people of Bathurst a sense of belonging when she visited in the earlier years of her monarchy.

Abercrombie House owner Christopher Morgan was always incredibly thankful for what the Queen was able to do for the Bathurst community.

"Because the Queen visited Bathurst twice in 1954 and 1982, it demonstrated that her position as a world leader allowed regional cities like Bathurst to be linked to everything else," Mr Morgan said.

"It also made us feel like we were a part of a bigger picture. It removed that sense of isolation from other places, in a big country like Australia. We felt really connected."

Though there was clearly a sense of loss in the Bathurst community, there was also a sense of pride and gratitude for the duty and grace the Queen displayed throughout her years as leader of the monarchy.

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