They were fashionably late but the crowd didn’t seem to care. In fact as the minutes ticked by more and more locals and blow-ins lined Bridge Street in the historic town of Richmond in Tasmania until the crowd was several deep.
The town only has a population of around 1600 but it looked like more than half turned out today.
While not everyone I spoke to was for the monarchy as a system of government in Australia, they were all for Prince Charles and the Duchess.
Tuning up on the sidelines was the St John’s Catholic Church choir, a troupe of sixteen 10-12-year-olds, five boys and 11 girls, who for two weeks have been practising their welcoming serenade.
Teacher and choir mistress Sue Breen had known for a while that her pupils had been chosen to sing, but for security reasons she wasn’t allowed to tell them until a week ago.
When she revealed who they would be singing for, she confesses not all the kids were entirely sure who the couple were.
“But they know now,” laughs Sue and today they are eager to flex their vocal chords.
“You’ve got to be nice and you’ve got to smile,” repeated a couple of girls as they stood chanting an obviously much-drilled mantra to each other waiting for their special audience.
And when the royal couple stepped out of their car to applause and cheers and the choir started singing, they didn’t disappoint. Singing “I am Australian” in perfect multi-part harmony, it was pretty moving stuff.
The Duchess wore another Fiona Clare-designed chiffon dress and silk coat and the Prince was proudly in a suit made from Australian Fine Merino Worsted wool, especially pertinent as later in the day he was to visit a sheep stud farm.
Working their way up either side of the street the couple were mobbed with one lady jumping out and kissing Camilla, who didn’t seem to mind a bit.
Opposite they shouted “Over here Charlie!”
Informality was certainly the name of this day but it’s a form the royal pair are readily taking to.
They ducked into a wood work shop to see the work of 60 local artists, one of them, Daryl Freestone , who with his wife Carol met the Duchess and the Prince is one of only a handful of woodturners using only locally sourced wood.
“Daryl was up until three in the morning turning some more pepper mills to fill the shelves,” says Carol.
“This means a lot to him”.
Originally from the UK, they have lived in Tasmania for seven years but say that despite loving Tasmania, if Australia ever becomes a republic, they will have to move back to England.
Further up the street 63-year-old Sandra Nomikos is having palpitations after meeting Camilla.
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“We flew from Melbourne just for the day to see the Duchess, I knew this would be the spot I’d get to meet her. I have been a monarchist since I was three years old and heard the Queen’s ascension on the wireless. Camilla was wonderful, so gracious.”
A pot of cascade draught in the Richmond Arms was next on the agenda and much more chat. The couple spent much longer than their allotted time here in Richmond but they just didn’t seem to want to leave.
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