Royal Visit 2003

Her Royal Highness Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, created tremendous local interest when she visited Hastings in 2003.

She had been invited by the Western Port Oberon Association. This was a natural sequel to her having commissioned HMAS Otama in an impressive ceremony at its builders in Scotland in 1978.

At a function in the Association's Centre she met 90 special guests. A large group of local people, including supporters of the project also welcomed her. She was also greeted by Greg Hunt, the Federal Member for Flinders. The project had been initiated with a grant from the Centennial Fund created by the Federal Government.

Princess Anne impressed with the manner in which she mingled with the guests.

She received a detailed briefing on the entire project and was so enthused that she accepted an invitation to be the Association's patron and said she would be delighted to Officially Open the completed project.