Lady Flo Bjelke-Petersen to be farewelled in state funeral

The family of Lady Florence 'Flo' Bjelke-Petersen have accepted the offer by the Queensland and federal government to farewell her at a state funeral.

Lady Flo will get a state funeral

Lady Flo will get a state funeral after she died on Wednesday aged 97 following complications from a fall she suffered a few weeks ago. Source: AAP

Lady Florence Bjelke-Petersen's family have taken up the Queensland and federal governments' offer to farewell their matriarch at a state funeral.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk's office confirmed on Thursday she and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull had agreed to extend the offer of a funeral or memorial service to Lady Flo's family, depending on their wishes.

Her son, John Bjelke-Petersen, thanked the government and said the family would accept a state funeral.

"Mum certainly deserves the recognition by that," he told AAP.

Mr Bjelke-Petersen said the family was working on a date that would suit as many people as possible, but it would be held in the Kingaroy Town Hall, near where she lived for most of her life.
"That's where dad's funeral service was," he said.

The former senator, best known for being the wife of long-serving Queensland premier Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen and her pumpkin scones, died on Wednesday aged 97 following complications from a fall she suffered a few weeks ago.

Sir Joh received a state funeral when he died in 2005 and was buried on the family's property Bethany in Kingaroy.


Share
1 min read
Published 22 December 2017 3:34am
Updated 22 December 2017 11:00am


Share this with family and friends