Thursday, April 17, 2014

Blue Mountain's Jounrey for the Cambridges

     After a spectacularly successful start to the Australian leg of their 2014 Down Under tour – complete with a visit to the iconic Sydney Opera House and a walkabout attended by hundreds if not thousands of people – the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge headed to the Blue Mountains just outside of Sydney yesterday.
     It was a more solemn occasion since the area had been devastated by a brush fire last year in October, which resulted in the deaths of two people and the loss of 212 homes, and the people in these communities are still recovering. For this reason, the media were requested to leave their ground cameras behind when William and Kate came to pay their visit to the victims, out of respect for their healing process (though this seemingly did not apply to news choppers, whose cameras were rolling above the scenes).

     Upon their arrival by helicopter, the Royal couple – in a manner of speaker – went door-to-door and engaged with residents in Winmalee on a street that had lost 40 homes alone in the horrific blaze, including a woman who had built a home with her late husband. She commented that Prince William had told her that he and Catherine would return for a tea visit when the house was rebuilt. Her opinion of the Duke and Duchess? “They are really lovely people.” Another resident said that the Royal visit did not replace what was lost, but did help with the process of healing.


     From there, they went indoors the local Girl Guides Hall for a sausage sizzle (a common community event in Australia and New Zealand) with some of the firefighters and first responders who assisted in the firefighting, medical, and relief efforts, including volunteers from the Rural Fire Service.
     Then the Duke and Duchess met with the Winmalee Girl Guides themselves to plant a gum tree. The girls serenaded William and Kate with the Guides song Bravo and looked on as the couple shoveled up some dirt over the base of the tree, and then all of them gathered around for a large group photograph. Instead of saying “cheese” for the picture snap, the girls said “Princess.”
     Later, at Echo Point in the mountains, William and Kate took sight of the fantastic views of the scenery which included the Three Sister’s Rock formation. It was here that the Duke and Duchess of York (the future George VI and Queen Elizabeth) also visited during their 1927 tour on behalf of George V. In 1954, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh also made a point to visit the area.

     While up there, the Cambridge’s were met by Aboriginal elders who represented the indigenous populations of Echo Point, and they presented the couple with kangaroo skin cloak for themselves and a possum cloak for Prince George.

     It was originally believed that the Royal couple would be abseiling the mountainside, but instead, they stayed on the topside. However, Prince William did decide to walk up to the edge so that he could get a view below, which produced some gasps since he was not wearing a harness or any protective gear. That must have been a bit of a doozy.
     Upon leaving the Black Mountains, the Duke and Duchess headed back to Admiralty House – the official residence of the Queen’s Australian representative, the Governor-General – for a meeting with Prime Minister Tony Abbot, which included a photograph of the two men.

     Today, William and Kate will attend the Royal Easter Show at Sydney Olympic Park and view various agricultural stands. In Manly, they will be meeting young patients, families, volunteers, and staff at Bear Cottage Children's Hospice. Finally, the Royal couple will be witness to a life-saving display by the staff and volunteers at Surf Life Saving, the country's main rescue, water safety, and drown-prevention authority.


Photo Credit: Screen shot captures from live stream and Twitter embeds
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