King Charles and Queen Camilla were invited to help out at a traditional Australian barbecue and were encouraged to use the tongs ‘the Australian way’.
Scott McCoy, 42, manager of Black Bear BBQ restaurant in Sydney and better known as ‘Chop’. McCoy said it was “an honor” to have some of the royal helpers.
Chop said, “I’m still shaking. It was great.’
The King and Queen declined the chance to taste any of the sausages, which included lamb, beef, pork and vegetarian varieties.
Chop said the Queen was instructed to use the tongs ‘the Australian way’ to turn the ‘hooks’ (sausages) by clicking them twice before using them.
Chop said the King and Queen thought the sausages were “amazing” and that they “could say they were awesome without trying them.”
Murray Wilkinson from Mudgee brought along a handful of his 16,000 Merino sheep to demonstrate the art of working with sheepdogs to the King and Queen. With him were Colt, five, an Australian Kelpie and Meg, six, a British Border Collie.
Mr Wilkinson, who also has 3,000 head of cattle, said: ‘I’m going to demonstrate to them how we work the dogs and then let them jump on the backs of the sheep.
King Charles and Queen Camilla were invited to help out at a traditional Australian barbecue and were encouraged to use the tongs ‘the Australian way’
The King and Queen declined the chance to taste any of the sausages, which included lamb, beef, pork and vegetarian varieties
“It took me about three weeks to train Meg and about a year to train Colt. The girls tend to pick it up quicker.
‘It is a great honor to have been asked. I interned with the Packers for 14 years and I know there are some crossovers there.
‘It has been a difficult time for the sector. International prices have fallen.
“Business is up, but it’s been tough, so it’s good to showcase our industry.”
The King and Queen watched Colt being put to the test, but unfortunately the sheep got confused by the large group of photographers and cameramen in the pen and it took several tries to get them in.
‘Too many people!’ Charles gestured and laughed. He smiled at Meg, who was waiting for a barrel, desperate to join in.
Colt finally succeeded, barking in annoyance at the cattle and running over their backs.
The King and Queen were treated to an exhibition of sheepdogs
The demonstration did not go entirely according to plan, because the media distracted the sheep
Mr Wilkinson said afterwards: ‘It was a bit frustrating when the media moved around and confused the sheep. He could have done it very quickly, but it took him several tries. However, the king still said he was impressed and talked about how wonderful it was. He said how good the sheep looked and what the price of the wool was.’
The barbecue came after the Queen met passionate young readers and leading authors during a visit to Sydney’s Green Square Library today.
Camilla, a long-time literacy and reading advocate, attended the event to celebrate and promote the role of writing and literacy for young Australians.
She met with former Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition participants and Australian authors to highlight the importance of reading across the Commonwealth at the award-winning underground library beneath Green Square Plaza, which opened in 2018.
Camilla was joined by New South Wales Deputy Prime Minister Prudence Car and met with representatives from the NSW Government Department of Education, the Royal Commonwealth Society and the Aboriginal Education Consultative Group.
The Queen visited Sydney’s Green Square Library to meet Australian creative writing students and famous authors
The Queen listened to a student read her story and encouraged ‘future writers’ to continue to find inspiration (pictured The Queen with New South Wales Deputy Prime Minister Prudence Car)
She took part in a series of writing workshops with students from across Sydney, before presenting certificates to past entrants in the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition, an annual competition of the Royal Commonwealth Society.
When he met author Kylie Captain at a table of schoolchildren, Captain told her, “I write about Indigenous culture and what it means to me.”
Camilla replied: ‘That’s great, you inspire people.’
She turned to the children and said, “Will any of you read something to me? I’d love to hear your story.’
One student, Maya, 10, read her story called The Lonely Sea.
Camilla then joined children from South Sydney High School who did a workshop with author Will Kostakis.
He told Camilla: ‘I write coming of age stories. I asked them to think about the communities they are a part of.”
Camilla told the table of young aspiring writers: “There’s a lot of talent there. I see a lot of aspiring writers. It is so important that you get the right teacher and inspiration.’
Queen Camilla met Australian authors and had a chat with Thomas Keneally (pictured) whose book was adapted into the film Schindler’s List
The Queen posed with students, authors and book club members after presenting certificates to former entrants in the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition, an annual competition organized by the Royal Commonwealth Society.
After presenting four young medalists from the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition with their certificates, Camilla greeted her friend and former private secretary, Amanda McManus, who has been in Sydney for the royal tour and still works with the Queen in her reading room.
McManus introduced Camilla to members of local book clubs in Sydney and several leading Australian authors, including Thomas Keneally, who wrote Schindler’s Ark, which was adapted to become the film Schindler’s List, and Liane Moriarty, author of Big Little Lies.
Camilla also met Matt Cosgrove, author of Macca the Alpaca, and told him: ‘We had an alpaca yesterday which I unfortunately missed.’
To conclude the engagement, Camilla posed on the steps of the library for a group photo with the schoolchildren, authors and book club members before waving to the crowd gathered outside as she left.