a human adventure of the finest sort brought to life from my recent time down under. i was so taken by this, i’ve decided to share it even though i’ve since returned. while i was there, an extraordinary woman passed away. this is her story. 

 

Not what I have, but what I do is my kingdom. Thomas Carlyle

tributes poured in from around the world with the news that princess shirley casley, of hutt river, age 84, had passed away, surrounded by family and friends. shirley was the wife of self-proclaimed prince leonard casley, and matriarch of the principality of hutt river, a 75sqkm micro-nation north of perth. 

prince richard casley, one of her seven children, said the family ‘was reeling from the loss of their rock, a woman who lived for her family, and a true matriarch.’  a fine familial tribute if i’ve ever heard one.

the casleys, a farming family, made history in 1970, when they declared their property to be a separate country apart from all of australia,  in protest to the government’s imposition of low wheat production quotas. under australian law, the government had two years to respond to the declaration, and their failure to do so resulted in the official birth of the principality in 1972. 

shirley and her prince leonard, the love of her life,  bought their wheat farm in the 1960s, were married for 66 years, and raised seven children, twenty grandchildren, and thirty + grandchildren there. once the principality came into being, they introduced their own currency, postage, and visa requirements. 

prince richard said his mother preferred to stay out of the spotlight, but was the behind the scenes driving force behind the principality –  hosting dignitaries, media, and the 40,000 tourists who visited each year.  ‘we’ve had messages from people all over the world who knew her. she was a very special woman to so many people – she enjoyed life,” he said. an understatement i’m sure.

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Our ambition should be to rule ourselves, the true kingdom for each one of us; and true progress is to know more, and be more, and to do more.  Oscar Wilde