Prince Charles wanders into a monarchist hotbed in Arnhem Land

Prince Charles felt the warmth of the sun, and an indigenous Welcome to Country in Arnhem Land yesterday.

Prince Charles arrives for a Welcome to Country at Mt Nhulun in Gove, Arnhem Land, yesterday. Picture: AAP

You might think that in the heart of Arnhem Land, where anger about colonisation fomented the Aboriginal land rights movement, the public mood towards a visiting British royal would be considerably cooler than the blistering tropical heat, but you’d be wrong.

Seated in a shady patch out of the midday sun, Eunice Djerkknu Marika couldn’t wait to catch a glimpse of the Prince of Wales, her defiantly independent Yolngu people’s likely future king.

“He’s so clever; he’s so beautiful; he’s so awesome,” she gushed. “This is something different, something good for all black people. He’s like a king, we worship him.”

Indeed, it was hard to find anyone with a bad word to say among those who turned out to see Prince Charles on his flying visit to the Gove Peninsula, about 650km east of Darwin, yesterday.

Bakamumu Marika, a leader who holds a royal-like position within his Rirratjingu clan, proudly proclaimed, “I am a monarchist”, after watching Rirratjingu dancers perform a traditional welcome ceremony. “It’s something pretty new for the community … some people are saying, ‘Who is he?’ They still don’t know who the head of state is,” Mr Marika said.

He explained that his father, the celebrated land rights activist Roy Marika, “was not against the royal family; he was against the laws that took the land”.

Prince Charles was met on arrival by the Gumatj clan leader Galarrwuy Yunupingu and other dignitaries, after which he attended a “Wuyul” ceremony atop Mount Nhulun.

At the Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Centre in nearby Yirrkala he met local artists and other leaders of Yunupingu’s Gumatj clan. Djawa Yunupingu explained that there was “a similar kind of leadership in the Aboriginal world” in which his brother Galarrwuy was “like royalty to me.”

Nhulunbuy is the region’s largest settlement and services a bauxite mine. Three contractors, John Kidd, Daniel Lovatt and Dave Preest, taking a long lunch break to watch the prince and his entourage said they were apathetic about the republican movement. “I think the British royal family is part of our history, too,” Mr Kidd said. “If I had to choose, I would probably stick with a monarchy, although I wouldn’t have said that 10 years ago.”

Across the road, George Wunungmurra seemed unexpectedly lonely in his conviction that “Australia should become a republic”.

“Our head of state should be someone else, maybe one of our own,” he said.

Prince Charles met the local independent MP Yingiya Guyula and other Yolngu leaders, who gave him a message stick calling for Aboriginal sovereignty.

Renowned didgeridoo player Djalu Gurruwiwi then gave the royal a therapeutic 30-second blast of a blessing, after which Prince Charles smiled and said: “I feel better already!”

The Yirrkala School co-principal, Merrkiyawuy Ganambarr-Stubbs, joked that she had reminded Prince Charles yesterday was his wedding anniversary. “I said, ‘I hope you didn’t forget’, and he said, ‘How did you know?’ ”

Prince Charles was guided around Buku-Larrnggay by Wukun Wanambi, an artist he first met in 2015 at an exhibition opening at the British Museum. “He remembered me as soon as I shook his hand,” Mr Wanambi said.

Wilingarr Bukulatjpi’s grandfather was awarded an MBE, of which he was very proud. “I don’t mind a British monarch as the leader of Australia,’’ she said.