A photo of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on their wedding day takes pride of place among a Dubbo family’s album from its first trip to England.
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Neil and Carol Sturrock and daughter Amy, 19, have priceless memories of the day they spent at Windsor to witness the royal occasion beamed across the world.
The crowning moment was their up-close view of the newlyweds as they processed past in the open-top carriage, captured for all time by the camera of the tourists from Dubbo.
Mr Sturrock, who is also captain of the Dubbo Rescue Squad, is sharing their Windsor experience with the Daily Liberal as the city prepares to welcome the duke and duchess on October 17.
It was a happy coincidence that saw the family’s holiday and the royal wedding fall at the same time, and one that’s not being repeated this month.
Mr Sturrock said disappointingly they had a commitment but he said the visit would be a “great coup for Dubbo”.
“We would have liked to catch-up, so to speak,” he said.
The family, with their trip booked, was “happily surprised” when Kensington Palace announced Prince Harry would marry fianceé Meghan Markle on May 19.
With a slight tweak in their itinerary they were able to take the train from London to Windsor on the morning of the ceremony.
“As luck would have it, we met a gentleman who was a freelance photographer,” Mr Sturrock said.
“He gave us a few heads-up to get close.”
Arriving in Windsor the Sturrocks settled into position and soaked up the atmosphere, which was “like a big carnival”.
“Everyone was genuinely excited, as were we,” Mr Sturrock said.
“There was a lot of respect from the crowd and the community for both the couple and the royal family.”
There was entertainment and a sunny day for the crowds.
“It was a beautiful day - we were taking credit for bringing the weather from Australia,” Mr Sturrock said.
The hard-working volunteer captain “could not believe it” when the duke and duchess’s visit to Dubbo during their tour of Australia was announced on September 10.
“It’s great of them to take time out of their busy schedule to come to rural NSW, and where better than Dubbo,” Mr Sturrock said.
Faye Wheeler
I have been a journalist for more than a decade and in that time I have been keeping Daily Liberal readers up to date about issues affecting them and what's happening in their community. Throughout my career I have covered a range of rounds and most recently I have been focusing on the business round.
I have been a journalist for more than a decade and in that time I have been keeping Daily Liberal readers up to date about issues affecting them and what's happening in their community. Throughout my career I have covered a range of rounds and most recently I have been focusing on the business round.
