FIRST DAY IN AUSTRALIA

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVII, Issue 23114, 31 January 1945, Page 5

FIRST DAY IN AUSTRALIA

Duke And Duchess Of

Gloucester Prince William Popular By Teiegrapn—N.Z Press Assn —eopyrigfil (Rec. 7.30 p.m.) SYDNEY, Jan. 30. Many happy human touches marked the first day in Australia of the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and their family. The most excited and enthusiastic member of the Royal party was the three-year-old Prince William, who was a centre of interest wherever he appeared. He waved to cheering crowds during the drive through Sydney’s streets, but later his interest waned, and he had to be bribed by his father with a rare delicacy in wartime England, an orange, before he would consent to pose for a family photograph. Prince William captivated everybody with a blend of self-possession and ingenious wonder. His baby brother, Prince Richard, was not seen by the great crowd which thronged the city, but posed obligingly for phowjraphers. Prince Richard, with his mother and elder brother, was a passenger in the car which the Duke himself drove for most of the journey from Sydney to Canberra. The car was one of the three Rolls-Royces which the Duke has brought to Australia. A Good Driver

For coolness, the Royal driver wore shorts and a safari jacket. The trip was made at a steady, sustained pace, and high praise was given the Duke’s driving ability. His chauffeur, a British Army sergeant, said the Duke usually drove himself. “I think he just takes me along for the ride,” added the chauffeur. “He is a very skilful driver.”

At the way side township of Marulan, the Royal party broke their journey for tea—at the police station. Their hostess, Mrs A. J. Flynn, wife of the local constable, revealed that the Duke showed a weakness for chocolate cake. Earlier in the day at the Sydney Cenotaph a man ran out of the crowd and attempted to shake hands with the Duke. His Royal Highness stretched out his hand to the man, who fell over the Duke’s feet and was promptly arrested by an alert constable. Later the man was charged with drunkenness.

A slim, blue-eyed figure with a slow, shy smile, the Duchess of Gloucester has already won all hearts. At yesterday’s welcoming ceremonies she curbed the occasionally too enthusiastic Interests of Prince William with a restraining hand, once straightening his hat with a motherly twitch.

Travel by Air The Duchess will take a special interest in a number of organisations sponsored by Lady Gowrie, including the Red Cross ana Women's Auxiliary Services. But the care of her own two children will have high priority. The Duke and Duchess will visit all parts of Australia, travelling by air as much as possible. Three aircraft have been provided for the use of the Royal party. A York will be used for long distances, when a dozen or more, people will be travelling; an Anson transport of the latest type will be used for shorter journeys with up to six passengers; and a Proctor aircraft will be used to carry smaller parties.

It is announced that the Duke will not race horses in Australia while the war lasts, but that “this will not preclude him from going to the races.” Two hunters have been provided for the Duke’s use in Canberra. The first official callers at the Governor-General’s Canberra residence, Yarralumla, were the Prime Minister, Mr Curtin, and Mrs Curtin. They chatted with the Duke and Duchess for threequarters of an hour last night.

Simple Ceremony With simple but impressive ceremony, the Duke of Gloucester was sworn in as Governor-General of Australia promptly at noon to-day. The Duke signed the oath of office and allegiance with the same pen as his grandmother. Queen Victoria, signed the Commonwealth Constitution at Westminster on July 9, 1900,

The oath was administered by the Chief Justice of the High Court, Sir John Latham. The Duke was a stalwart figure in the undress uniform of a lieutenant-general. Only 100 persons saw the swearing-in ceremony. They comprised representatives of Allied Governments, the British and Dominions’ High Commissioner. Federal Ministers, the Chiefs of the Australian Armed Services, and the heads of some Commonwealth departments. After a prolonged dry spell, pouring rain fell as the Royal party drove to Parliament House, where hundreds of residents of the Federal capital waited to cheer them. When taking the oath of office the Duke’s voice betrayed some nervousness. The whole ceremony occupied only 13 minutes, after which the official guests attended a reception given by the Prime Minister (Mr J Curtin) and Mrs Curtin. Throughout the ceremonv there was a sound background of whirring newsreel cameras, the clicking of Press cameras and the faintly audible voice of a radio commentator.