The Coronation of King Charles III has been a spark for all kinds of writing, some good, some pointedly derogatory. Yesterday, the Newcastle Herald had twenty pages devoted to the event in a gigantic wrap-around supplement, this before the main paper actually got under way.

Further inside, there was an editorial (mildly critical) and an opinion piece by a regular columnist, which was excoriating. A couple of the letters to the editor were in a similar vein, though there was one that was stridently royalist. None of this could compare with the massive supplement, which touted the coronation as a once-in-a-lifetime must see. If you had read the whole paper through, your head would be spinning.

I am in favour of a republic, but not before the vast majority of the population is in favour too. Sudden changes in the political structure of a state, no matter how cosmetic, can have unforeseen consequences. Patience is the key and republicans would do well to remember this. Australians are suspicious of elites with an agenda to fulfil, no matter how transparent the case is.

Meanwhile, there is no harm in wishing the new monarch well and hoping, as I do, that he understands his historic role in the Christian scheme of things. That role was explicit in the coronation service. Only time will tell if he is prepared, like his mother was, to live up to it.