Prince Charles visits Bundaberg
PRINCE Charles has drunk to the resilience of Queensland’s rum town, as wife Camilla wraps up her Queensland visit.
QLD News
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PRINCE Charles stood in front of the Bundaberg Rum Distillery today and praised the Australian spirit.
Breaking with the official program towards the end of his visit to the sugar town this afternoon, the heir to the throne took to the microphone to wild cheers and applause to praise Bundaberg for its rum and the “wonderful” Australian characteristics of resilience.
“Before either the microphones blow away or the roof on this thing collapses, I just wanted to say how enormously touched I’ve been by the incredibly warm welcome you’ve given me today in Bundaberg, and to thank all of you for coming here to the distillery,” the Prince said.
“It’s either for the rum or for something else, I’m not sure, but I certainly after being here in 1994 and having tasted the Bundaberg Rum, it has taken me I’m afraid all those years to come back for another tot.
“And I’m thrilled this distillery is still producing some of the special, most famous rums around the world.
“I realise you’ve all been through some difficult and painful times since I was last here, and you’ve all had the most awful experiences of floods and goodness knows what else, and I just wanted to say, apart from the fact I feel nothing but the greatest possible sympathy for all of you who have suffered in so many ways or had property that has been damaged, I do hope that there has been a chance to recover and to become gradually more resilient against these problems and natural disasters.
“I also wanted to pay particular tribute to the people in the emergency services and the volunteer organisations who clearly make a huge difference in making sure people recover from these awful disasters.
“But I do know the Australian spirit and character is such that you are unbelievably resilient and somehow you manage regardless of what happens and that is one of the great characteristics that I have always admired ever since I first came her 52 years ago. Don’t change, and you’re just as wonderful.”
Mayor Jack Dempsey said he was overwhelmed that the Prince had chosen Bundaberg to make an off-the-cuff speech.
“He has really showcased this region to the world,” Cr Dempsey said.
The Prince was also due to attend an environmental roundtable on Lady Elliott Island, where he would discuss the plight of the Great Barrier Reef with stakeholders including Queensland’s famous Irwin family.
Meanwhile, the Duchess of Cornwall spent her final day on the royal visit focused on two issues important to her: women and the less fortunate.
Camilla undertook two solo engagements in Brisbane today while Charles visited Bundaberg and Lady Elliot Island.
First stop was King George Square where she was shown the works of several charities aimed at helping the homeless, including food rescuer OzHarvest and Micah Projects, which provides medical services.
The Duchess even put her hand up to be the first volunteer for a charity founded in Brisbane - Orange Sky Australia, the world’s first free mobile laundry service for homeless people - if it startrf in the UK.
“We had really genuine conversations with her when she visited us and that’s what Orange Sky Laundry is all about, having genuine conversations with our friends on the street,” the organisation’s chief financial officer Emma Young said.
At her next engagement, the Duchess spoke about domestic violence during a lunch at the Women of the World Festival.
Camilla was greeted by former governor-general Quentin Bryce, WOW founder Jude Kelly and Australian executive producer Cathy Hunt.
Wearing a blue paisley chiffon dress designed by Anna Valentine, Camilla shared a story about a woman being shot in a domestic violence situation, which she said was just one of many stories.
Camilla also spoke about the importance of people speaking about domestic violence.
Aboriginal rights activist Jackie Huggins spoke with Camilla about domestic violence and closing the gap for indigenous people.
Camilla, who arrived with Prince Charles on Wednesday for the opening of the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, will leave her husband to continue the rest of the tour ending next Tuesday.
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