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Sport
King of Mansfield Schooled and groomed locally - and even an official Eagle - King Charles III could be claimed as Mansfield’s own
FLYING HIGH TOM McDonagh and the Mansfield Eagles scored a thrilling win against the Mooroopna Cats on the weekend. Full story in sport. PHOTO: Paul Martin
THE newly crowned King Charles III has had many brushes with our little Shire. Possibly most notorious in recent memory was when international headlines were made after the thenPrince was presented with a Mansfield Eagles jumper. But Charles’ link to Mansfield first kicked off decades earlier, specifically in 1966, when he famously took two terms at Geelong Grammer’s nearby Timbertop campus as a teenager. On February 2, 1966 the prince was officially welcomed to Mansfield, where hundreds of people lined the streets and dozens reached into his slowly moving car to shake hands with the young royal. After which, a young woman was reported to have run down the street yelling, “I touched him, I touched him.” Many locals reported that it was clear the young prince had already been sunburnt after his first taste of a real summer in Australia. He was asked by the radio on the day what he thought of the local sights, to which Charles replied, “I think it’s absolutely marvellous.” Charles often came into Mansfield to sporting events and selected his weekly meat requirements from Highton Butchery.
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He also left his mark by signing into the Shire of Mansfield’s visitor’s book on July 27, 1966 - overseen by then acting Shire President Cr Frank Findlay. Another duty that had to be performed in Mansfield was getting his hair cut, which was given much fanfare at the time. Mansfield barbers Charles Richardson and Bill Hogarth cut the future king’s hair a few times each. Mr Hogarth admitted that he was a bit nervous cutting a prince’s hair for the first time. But the elder Mr Richardson wasn’t so easily intimidated, “To a barber, one head is the same as any other,” he said. “There will be no fancy trimmings.” Charles got plenty of time on horseback while he was in the High Country and of course strapped his skis on up at Mt Buller. Even on his very first day at Timbertop, Charles tackled the Howqua River in a rickety homemade flying fox and was guided by weather-worn local Fred Fry, who was incidentally known as the King of the Howqua. ■ Continued page 2
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