In an impressive speech at a community bbq attended by 300 guests — stockmen and their families, farmers and people who work on the land from the isolated community of Longreach — Prince Charles paid tribute to the outback and recalled his own experiences as a schoolboy in the Australian bush.
“The outback is a large part of the Australian experience, its history and its sense of identity,” he said to the rapt crowd.
Relate: Charles and Camilla all smiles in Longreach
“I was fortunate enough to experience just a little of outback life when I was a schoolboy in Victoria nearly 50 years ago.
“And I cannot pretend to remember a great deal about my school curriculum but I can recall in every detail the long treks through the bush in searing heat.
“And for company I remember funnel web spiders, bull ants, leaches that could only be removed with a cigarette end, snakes of every description and kangaroos that overtook us on the country runs through the bush at Timber Top.
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“If, as they say, those are your formative years, then they certainly formed me and ladies and gentlemen look at the result.”
The crowd clapped loudly and a chuffed Prince Charles chuckled.
It’s rare to see the heir to the throne so relaxed and happy in his skin and despite admitting fighting jetlag, it was a great start to his Australian journey.
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