when we saw him late last year, he was a sick and old man using a walking frame. One of his sons was running the place, and the Prince stayed in the building with the various Kingdom money notes, stamps etc.
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Cheers Bruce
The amazing things you see when nomading Australia
We were there last year as well. The Prince was walking around quite fine then, flirted with our friend Mel - she said to him - oooh, never met a prince before, should I curtsy? He was quite taken with her. We met his son (can't remember his name), he was running the government office, issuing stamps, visas, stamping passports etc.
Loved staying there, it was a really nice spot. Shame if it closes to the public. The chapel is lovely - the guy who did most of the paintings in there is an ambassador for the Hutt River Province. As was Steve Irwin, and a lot of other famous and not so famous people.
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jules "Love is good for the human being!!" (Ben, aged 10)
He was ok when we were there, explained the whole history to us and I had my photo taken with him. His son was in the Post Office and we got a visa to be there. Stayed a couple of nights down in the camping ground.
Reading that article things will carry on as usual for some time to come.
-- Edited by Happywanderer on Sunday 6th of September 2015 05:42:22 PM
We were there last August and found it a magic place especially so if you wander around the paddocks and down the river. Helped Prince Leonard plant saltbush seedlings down near where we had our van - he has a theory that cattle fed on saltbush taste better.
We saw him when Princess Shirley was alive, she came out to greet us with pink fluffy slippers on.
While the Australian and West Australian Government won't recognise the Principality it is actually legally another country recognised by the High Court, and as such it does not have to pay taxes but does not get any assistance either. His going to war with Australia was a tactical ploy, he had to be at war for a specified period and then if not invaded by Australian forces within that time he could claim independence as a nation which he did, the gooses in Canberra woke up to it too late.
He is also an RAAF war veteran and flew bombing missions on the Japanese during WW2 and took part in the surrender of the Japs in the Borneo region at the end of the war. However being an independent nation he cannot claim any war veteran benefits. He also has a star constellation named after him. He is also a Rhodes scholar. He told me that the average person could not have afforded to take on the government like he did and he had to sell a lot of assets to do so, but he won in the end. A remarkable man, and not the nutcase some would try to make him out to be. A true Aussie legend.
-- Edited by Weevil on Sunday 6th of September 2015 09:54:14 PM
we were there about October last year. His son said he was going down hill - hes no spring chicken - health wise.
He has a large family. One son has essentially taken over running the "show" and he will continue to run it when the old man dies. There is no intention of closing the place down and when we were there they had tradies in there putting up another building and also others up-grading the camping areas for more water and power.
Two other sons run the farm, which is a mixed farm of grains, sheep and cattle
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Cheers Bruce
The amazing things you see when nomading Australia
