Monday, 25th April – Anzac Day …..

We sailed out of Darwin yesterday evening, past the base for the Navy Patrol Boats which cover the seas to our north and are often involved in intercepting refugee boats trying to get to the mainland, or boats trying to smuggle in drugs, etc. When you see how vast the oceans are in this part of the world you wonder how they could ever be effectively patrolled. We remember seeing a TV series called Patrol Boat about this region and quite enjoyed it but it was a bit worrying to see how often our brave sailors were outsmarted by smugglers and other various baddies and had to be rescued by their colleagues. I’m glad it’s only fiction.

Today being Anzac Day, we are told there will be a 6.30am Dawn Service and a full service at 11. It was held on the Pool Deck which is the only reasonably large space where 2000 people could gather. Of course, the space is normally covered with banana loungers so it took a bit of give and take to accommodate the crowds. The dedicated sun-worshippers wanted to watch the service from the comfort of their loungers which take up a lot of room, the rest of us were happy to stand but wanted a bit of shade. The upshot of the negotiation was that the loungers were able to lounge but had to put up with people standing in front of them.

It was a very moving service. Larry, the piano man, sang Eric Bogle’s And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda, they played an excerpt from The Kings Speech on the big screen – the bit where Lionel Logue explains how he tried to help soldiers returning from WW1 with shell-shock, there were the usual hymns and prayers, bugle calls, and two ex-servicemen reading the Recessional before a wreath was thrown overboard. It was a very impressive; Eric Bogle’s song about the futility of war always affects me and the familiar ritual we’ve seen on so many Anzac Days in the past tugs at the heartstrings. Princess Cruises went the extra mile, too, with a large decorated cake and Anzac biscuits available during the rest of the day.

We managed to get into The Kings Speech for the afternoon session so decided to have an entertainment-free evening. We were sailing through the Kimberley Coast so there was a lot to see. This must be one of the most beautiful and spectacular places in the world, and still unspoiled. Our ship is the first vessel of this size to sail through here and it took years of work to ensure the charts were adequate. There’s still a lot of this area un-surveyed or inadequately charted so we felt it a privilege to be among the pioneers.

Seeing The Kings Speech for the second we realized again what a great movie it is. The performances by all the cast were outstanding. Jeffrey Rush is certainly one of the world’s great actors and Colin Firth showed that he certainly deserved all the awards he has received. The two little girls playing Elizabeth and Margaret brought back memories of the photographs we had been brought up on when we were children. One famous photograph of the time had the two princesses in kilts and short white socks, and this was replicated in the movie. The producers certainly knew their audience and there we were on that afternoon, reliving those times. Of course, few of us were alive in the 1930’s but we were all part of the Royalty cult which fed on photographs of the Royal family members from their birth to their death. When Elizabeth was crowned in the 1950’s, we were inundated with photographs of her life in every publication and movie newsreel. You didn’t have to read Women’s Weekly to get your royal fix, although it helped.

After another wonderful meal which included Sashimi of Salmon and Whitefish, and Crispy Skin Duck Breast we decided a dip in the pool was all we could manage. There are a number of pools on the ship and we found one that was deserted so soaked for a while before retiring to read for a while in bed. We have to put our clocks back an hour so will get a bit extra bed-time.

Our next port of call in Broome on Wednesday and Marilyn’s already making plans for the pearls she will buy – not for herself, you understand, but for gifts. Oh, well, you can’t take it with you.