It’s not every day you get asked to send a birthday present to The Queen at Buckingham Palace.
For over 25 years, PACK & SEND has been Australia’s experts at shipping valuable antiques and art all over the world, but there was something extra special about the painting that PACK & SEND Albion recently shipped to the UK.
"It's not unusual for us to get art come through our service centre and we always ensure it is packaged safely and securely for our clients. But with this shipment, we pulled out all the stops," says Lisa Rowley, PACK & SEND Albion franchisee.
“One of our wonderful regular customers, Chris from Frames on Farrant, contacted us to advise that a lovely couple, Herbert & Natalie Snide wanted to arrange the shipment of a unique birthday present. They had commissioned Gordon Hooper, a portrait devotee, to fulfil their request of painting, framing, packing and sending a portrait of the Queen to deliver to her for her upcoming birthday.”
Herbert, being in the Military and a loyal serviceman, had gained a level of respect for the monarchy throughout his years of service. He had sent her a birthday card years ago and to his delight, received a letter of thanks back from Her Majesty – The Queen.
Herbert had come across some of Gordon Hooper’s works in the past and felt that it would be the perfect gift to the Queen to show his appreciation for the letter of thanks he had received.
Gordon (who is the same age as the Queen) completed the masterpiece and it was framed by Chris in a complementary gilt-edge frame.
“Herbert proudly walked into our store in Albion carrying the masterpiece and we walked Herbert through our packing and sending process. Without delay (as we were on a tight schedule), packing commenced, with all the team being involved to give the package the extra special treatment.” she said.
Sending an item like this, you must ensure the right steps are taken. The sender needs to contact Buckingham Palace and arrange authorisation for receipt of the goods. “Unfortunately, we found out the hard way, with the package being rejected, with insufficient information. Thankfully due to the good relationship we have with the carrier, they (along with the sender) were able to get the paperwork to authorise delivery before Her Majesty’s official birthday” Lisa explained.
“Once packed, we arranged the international documentation and followed the progress of the package from our store in Albion, through the Brisbane Global Forwarding Facility, into London Heathrow, and onto the destination in London just in time for the big event.”
So, whether you’re sending a gift to the Queen, or anything fragile, large awkward or valuable to anywhere in Australia or around the world, you can rely on PACK & SEND to get it there safely.