The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have spoken with business leaders and first responders from Kangaroo Island to hear how they have recovered following the devastating bushfires in Australia earlier this year.
Kensington Palace shared a snippet of their video calls on Thursday, though their conversations took place last week.
“This is Grace,” Dana Mitchell, owner of the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park says, gesturing to a tiny koala bear wrapped up in a blanket. “She came in about a month ago and she’s gaining weight pretty well and loves her bottle and pretty much just sleeps all the time.”
William says, “She looks very well looked after. Grace looks like she has a very nice life there.”
William and Kate also spoke to a volunteer firefighter, Captain Mike Swayne, who told them that he had been volunteering for over 50 years. “I’ve never seen anything like this,” he tells them. “And I never want to see it again.” Brigadier Damian Cantwell, with the Australian Defence Force, told the couple how it was “Our immense privilege to answer the call… it was a huge team effort.”
A young woman then tells the couple that she and her family lost their home and all the infrastructure on their farm. The video then cuts to a businessman named Mike, who was occupied with handling the fire damage while his wife took over running their business in the interim.
“A good pair of hands helping you out is important,” William tells him, looking over at Kate. “She’s a good boss lady,” Mike replies.
Kensington Palace shared the video with the following message: “Not only have they had to rebuild their lives from the wildfires, but they also had to manage to the spread of COVID-19, which has hugely impacted their desire get back to a normal life. Its residents, joined by our friend Grace [the koala], have shown an incredible community spirit!”
William said on the chat, “It’s fantastic to hear about the community spirit in Australia as always, which is what Catherine and I see when we come down there.
“Aussies are very good at looking out for each other and it’s fantastic to see that you’re all pulling together.”
He continued: “So I do hope all of you feel that you’ve got that support you’ve got someone you can speak to and somewhere you can go to receive support whether it’s financial or whether it’s just having a chat. Please do look after yourselves.
“Hopefully Catherine and I, when the world goes back to whatever normality we have in the future, we can come and visit you all and see Kangaroo Island for ourselves.”
