A Royal Connection.
The Sea Heritage Foundation and MV Cape Don commenced a connection with the British Royal Family on the 10th of April 2022, when HRH The Princess Royal, Princess Anne, Queen Elizabeth II's daughter, visited Sydney to open the Easter Show.
HRH was met on arrival by the Chairman CJ Manjarres-Wahlberg, CEO of the Prince's Trust Australia Michelle Endacott, Mayor of North Sydney Zoe Baker, Trent Zimmerman, Member for North Sydney, his partner Carlos and Commodore Charles Huxtable RAN.
HRH was escorted during the visit by CJ, who walked with HRH down to the Coal Loader Terminal platform to a waiting crowd where a traditional welcome to country was performed by Indigenous Australian's from the Tribal Warrior Aboriginal Corporation. On completion of the welcome, she was given gifts for herself, her daughter (Zara Philips) and the late Queen Elizabeth.
The visit then moved onto the former lighthouse tender ship, the MV Cape Don, permanently berthed at the old Coal Loader.
The Princess was taken around the ship, a time capsule to the 1960s, where she was able to view the training conducted on the bridge by Indigenous students, including how they learn to read a navigational chart before moving below deck to inspect the Saloon, Saloon Galley and an exhibition in the ships Tween deck to demonstrate its future use as an exhibition and training space.
The visit then moved back up to the coal loader administration area, where a reception was held in honour of HRH. The Princess was introduced to members of the board, Indigenous Advisory Committee, volunteer crew, and dignitaries.
The visit to the ship was to commemorate the official launch of the Get Into Maritime Program run in partnership with the Sea Heritage Foundation, TAFE NSW, and the Prince's Trust Australia.
Indigenous students complete an Internationally recognised Certificate 1, general purpose hand course graduating as deck hands. This course provides the base maritime qualification for people to work in the maritime field in Australia over a three-month period.
The visit finished with speeches and three glorious cheers to HM The Queen to recognise her 70 years as Queen of Australia.
The visit to the ship was to commemorate the official launch of the Get Into Maritime Program run in partnership with the Sea Heritage Foundation, TAFE NSW, and the Prince's Trust Australia.
Indigenous students complete an Internationally recognised Certificate 1, general purpose hand course graduating as deck hands. This course provides the base maritime qualification for people to work in the maritime field in Australia over a three-month period.
The visit finished with speeches and three glorious cheers to HM The Queen to recognise her 70 years as Queen of Australia.
A Coronation.
On completion of our first successful pilot "Get Into Maritime" course in December 2022, all our students graduated after completing the course material one week early. A fantastic result.
After the passing of the late Queen Elizabeth II in September and the proclamation of HM King Charles III, preparations commenced for the Coronation of our new King in May 2023. The Prince's Trust Australia contacted the foundation to communicate that one of our graduate Indigenous students, Tayla Green-Aldridge, a Wiradjuri and Djirringanj woman, had been invited to attend the King's Coronation in London with her mother who also completed the course as her companion.
The week of the Coronation, Tayla and Julie, her mother, both flew to London to take part in a number of official functions with the Prince's Trust, sightseeing, and afternoon tea with the CEO Michelle Endacott and Executive Director Justin Hewitt of the Prince's Trust Australia and Chairman CJ Manjarres-Wahlberg and Professor Larissa Brendt of the Sea Heritage Foundation in London before the Coronation on Saturday morning.
On the day of the Coronation, Tayla and Julie Bishop, the Chair of the Prince's Trust Australia and Australia's former Foreign Affairs Minister, walked into Westminster Abby to take their seats with other members of the Prince's Trust International guests ahead of the ceremony which was a spectacle of British pomp, pageantry, and century-old majesty.
For a young woman who had never travelled on a plane, owned a passport to completing a life-changing course, flying halfway around the world and attending the Coronation of a King. Tayla has come a long way. On the first day of the course, Chairman CJ Manjarres-Wahlberg stated to all present. "This course will change your life"; it certainly did.
