RIP Queen Elizabeth II

[ElwoodBlues1]

South Africa seem happy to pay respect to the Queen even with their horrendous past

That's not quite correct Mav.  It is estimated that 15 Indigenous Australians served in the Anglo-Boer War, 1,200 in World War 1 and 6,000 in World War 2.  While the “substantially of European origin” rule was applied, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians  were generally accepted for enlistment if they had not "lived in a tribal environment". 

Discrimination really only kicked in when Indigenous veterans were excluded from the war service benefits granted to all other veterans. Ironically, the Lake Condah Aboriginal Mission in southwestern Victoria was broken up to provide soldier-settlement farms but Aboriginal veterans from the Mission weren't eligible.  Uncle Reg Saunders was from the Mission.  He served in World War 2 and again in Korea and attained the rank of Captain.  He got nothing but his war medals for his exemplary service ... and people wonder why Indigenous Australians don't just accept what they've got.

As an ex-serviceman, nothing annoys me more than "they fought for the Queen".  QE2's reign started in 1952 and those who served in Korea, Vietnam, Malaya, Iraq, and Afghanistan weren't there for the Queen.  They were there because politicians decided that sending our young folk off to fight in other countries was the right thing to do.  I didn't serve the Queen, I served because a bloke whose brother captained Essendon pulled a marble out of a bag and it had my birthday on it.

Paying respect to a dead foreign monarch at the same time as paying respect to Indigenous Australians doesn't work, particularly when that monarch's predecessors oversaw and profited from colonisation. 

My father and Grandfather were volunteers  who fought in the great wars for the Country and for the safety of the Commonwealth, my grandfather was a prisoner of war and tortured by the Germans, he was proud to have served for the Country and the Royals.
I'm a non Royalist and consider the concept of Royal Blood and superior bloodlines deserving higher reward and status ridiculous but Lizzie did a difficult job well and I'm happy to give a minute of my time to respect her and my relatives belief in the Commonwealth system and contribution to the evolution of Australia whether there be both good and bad involved.
As GTC says where does the hate end, people have to move on one day...the Nelson Mandela Foundation wrote a great tribute to the Queen and there is a man who knew a bit more about racism and forgiveness than all of us...