No taker yet for $30m lottery ticket

The person who has won $30 million in Powerball is yet to come forward. Picture: Daniel Wilkins Source: PerthNow

THE champagne is still on ice at Lotterywest headquarters in Perth, as the identity of the state's $30 million Powerball winner remains a mystery.

One lucky entrant picked up the entire $30 million division one prize pool last Thursday night, equalling the largest lottery prize ever won in the state.

The only details released by Lotterywest is that the winning ticket was sold in Perth's northern suburbs.

But despite the size of the prize, no winning ticket holder has come forward to claim the massive prize, although he or she has 12 months from the date of the draw to bring in the winning ticket.

The win is the latest in an amazing run of luck for lottery players in the state in 2013.

In February, the state recorded a $20 million win, followed by a $10 million win in May, another $20 million win in August, followed by the $30 million jackpot last week.

About 70 WA players have collected a division one lottery prize in 2013.

And WA players will have another chance to win big this weekend, when $22 million goes on offer in Saturday's Gold Lotto Superdraw.

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Woman bitten by shark near Exmouth

A 60-year-old woman will be flown to Perth for surgery on her arm after a shark attack near Exmouth.

WESTERN Australia will have its first shark-proof fence this summer, after the State Government approved the construction of an underwater barrier in Dunsborough.

A woman is being flown to Perth after being bitten by a shark near Exmouth. File image Source: Supplied

A 60-YEAR-OLD woman will have surgery on her arm after a black tip reef shark attacked her near Exmouth.

The woman was bitten on the right arm at Turquoise Bay in Cape Range National Park, about 60km south of Exmouth. 

A Royal Flying Doctor Service spokeswoman said they received the call about 4pm today and were sending a night crew to transport the woman to Royal Perth Hospital for treatment.

It is expected she will need surgery.

A WA Health spokeswoman said the woman presented at Exmouth Hospital with the shark bite this afternoon and is in a stable condition.

WA Police said they were not needed for a search and rescue operation.

The Department of Fisheries said the woman was snorkelling 40m offshore when the shark bit her arm.

A spokeswoman said it seemed the bite had caused nerve damage to the victim's arm.

The track down to Turquoise Bay has been closed until Water Police and Department of Fisheries assess the waters in the morning.

The attack is the third one recorded this month.

A man had his flipper shredded by a shark on Saturday at Hillarys.

While diver Greg Pickering survived his second shark attack in 10 years after he was bitten on the face on October 9 at a beach about 180km east of Esperance.
 

Turquoise Bay is renowned for its pristine beach and is popular for snorkelling.
 

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The most epic break-up letter

There are break-up letters ... and then there's this one. Picture: Getty Images Source: Getty Images

THEY say "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned". If only this guy had known this before cheating on his girlfriend and dumping her.

She was in - what she thought - was a loving, blissful relationship with her boyfriend of nine months.

But, oh was she wrong.

One day, out of the blue, he said it was over. He said his feelings had changed, according to The Huffington Post.

"But I'm committed to a friendship," he added generously.

Then, quite by accident, six weeks later she discovered there was more to it. He had been cheating on her the whole time with his most recent ex.

"Her life is chaos too, so she gets it," he tried to explain.

Soon after, she penned this letter ...

"Don't worry, darling. My anger won't last long. I know your life is already your punishment. A 40-year-old man of mediocre accomplishment who's incapable of true intimacy, who casually lies and cheats, who's being sued by his own aunt, who hardly has the love of his own family, who has few friends and no community to speak of, who's been living in his musty, forgotten childhood home in suburban New Jersey for almost a year, alone, at 40, who isn't even close to his ultimate dream of a book deal, who is frail, insecure, pathetic, tortured, has no moral fiber, who's dissatisfied with his career and is constantly traveling to corporate wastelands.

And then a woman comes along and tries to love him, encourage his dreams, invite him to be her "other whole," and he repays her kindness with lies, secrecy, a handful of sh*tty chocolates he probably picked up at the airport on his way home from France, an unceremonious breakup based on his own inability to get close to someone who has her sh*t together and with whom he could have a real partnership, and tops it off by having an affair with his ex the entire time - at an apartment just ten blocks away from his girlfriend's. And projects onto his girlfriend that she was the untrustworthy one. And tells her the breakup was about "something I just can't put my finger on."

This is who you are: an aging, sad, sneaky, devious man who travels from one hotel to another, putting on a face for strangers, living out of a suitcase, having no real home and no connections, lying to others, lying to himself. So I don't have to humiliate you. Your entire life is one big humiliation. And no matter how much you meditate, do yoga and undergo therapy, this will never change. This is who you are."

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The most enviable office view in Perth

Creative director of Open House Perth, Carly Barrett, photographed on level 45 of the BHP building. Picture: Marie Nirme Source: PerthNow

The 360-degree panorama taken from the top of the BHP building. Picture: Marianne Annereau / businessphotos.com.au Source: Supplied

IT'S the most enviable office view in Perth. West Australians will have the chance to gawk at the CBD from 45 floors above thanks to Open House Perth next weekend.

BHP Billiton Brookfield Place is one of the 35 new destinations adding to the event's line up this year.

Open House gives the public a chance to go inside some of the city's landmark structures free of charge.

More than 60 corporate offices, government centres and residential spaces will be made available to visitors.

Stunning Interactive: Zoom in and move around to see the view

Open House Perth founder Carly Barrett, 33, said people will get a sneak peek of the city's most coveted design and architectural spaces for the event, now in its second year.

Last year 50,000 West Australians took part.

"The biggest challenge I feel is how do we follow up when we've had such an unprecedented success and give people something that's new," Ms Barrett said.

Other new landmarks in this year's program are the WA Ballet Centre and the Old Treasury buildings.

Mt Eliza Apartments, considered the city's first modern apartment block, is also open for viewing. "That's the main thing we try to do with the event, is give people access to spaces they wouldn't normally get a chance to see," Ms Barrett said.

"They love their city, they want to know more about it and they want to share it with friends and family and perfect strangers.

"(These buildings are) the type of things that when people go to another city they're like, 'I wish there was more of that in Perth'. We've uncovered the kind of places that you see outside of Perth, in Perth."

For more information openhouseperth.net

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Kimberley hype 'long needed'

Lonley Planet has named the Kimberley as the second best region in the world to visit. Pictured are Kimberley boabs, only found in the region. Picture: Ken Duncan Source: Supplied

LONELY Planet's listing of the Kimberley a must-see for 2014 is the "shot in the arm" that the region has long needed, according to tourism leaders.

This morning the travel bible announced its top 10 destinations for next year.

Sitting at number two, behind Sikkim, India is WA's own Kimberley region.

Tourism Council of WA chief executive Evan Hall said the listing was "absolutely brilliant."

"It's the shot in the arm that tourism in that region needed," he said. "It just confirms we've got really amazing places."

Mr Hall said the listing would open the Kimberley to people seeking out an adventure, hopefully boosting tourism in the rest of WA.

"It's worth travelling a continent, it's worth travelling from Perth to see," he said.

"You're not travelling for a weekend, you're travelling for an experience and I would expect a flow on for the rest of WA because of the distance they (tourists) have to travel to get there."

Best of the Kimberley travel agency owner Rosemary McGuigan said Lonely Planet's recommendation was a vital boost for the region.

She said in the last 18 months she felt the Kimberley had been a victim of the high Australian dollar and other economic pressures, limiting the number of tourists.

"I'm hoping this will see a lot more enquiries," Ms McGuigan said.

"Lonely Planet is such a strong brand that, if Lonely Planet says it's the second best in the world, you have to visit."

Ms McGuigan said the region's isolation and lack of development made it special.

"The Bungle Bungles are just magical and the coastal region is an incredible destination, it's breathtaking in its beauty," she said.

"The Kimberley puts your life in perspective, it's such a remote place you just sit back and go 'wow – this is amazing'."
 

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Schapelle could soon be free: mum

Schapelle Corby could be granted parole soon, says her mum. Source: News Limited

SCHAPELLE Corby's mum believes her daughter could be freed from prison any day now, but fears she will continue to be plagued by her frail mental condition after leaving Kerobokan.

Roseleigh Rose said Corby would leave the notorious jail a "very different woman" after spending nine years there for drug trafficking.

Ms Rose said her daughter was nervous and happy about the prospect of being granted parole, which would mean she would be able to live in her sister's home in Kuta in Bali's tourist district.

She would have to remain in Bali until her sentence ends in 2017.

"She is excited (to be able to) do things we take for advantage, like go pick out her clothes, her underwear, have a shower," she told Channel 7.

Ms Rose said her daughter's depression would be her biggest hurdle when she left prison.

"Her mental state is stable at the moment but the thing is, we don't know how Schapelle will be on the outside," she said.

The former Gold Coast beauty therapist was convicted in 2005 for attempting to smuggle 4.1kg of marijuana into Bali in a bodyboard bag.

Bali Corrections Board and Justice Ministry officials have given Corby's parole application the green light, but the Justice Minister and ministry officials in Jakarta are still deliberating over whether to give the 36-year-old's bid the green light.

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WA fire trucks lack safety gear

Firefighters face two more bushfire seasons without life-saving gear. Source: PerthNow

Wendy Bearfoot, a volunteer firefighter who died while fighting a bushfire in WA's South-West. Source: PerthNow

WA firefighters will confront major blazes this summer in vehicles lacking vital safety equipment common in other states one year after the death of a firefighter exposed WA as "significantly out of step" with the rest of Australia.

The Sunday Times has confirmed that none of 667 vehicles that will operate in "high to extreme" risk areas this bushfire season has been fitted with in-cab breathing, water spray protection or advanced GPS systems.

Just 11 per cent or 71 vehicles have been fitted with heat shields.

Emergency Services Minister Joe Francis has admitted the Government has not yet even decided on a manufacturer for the in-cab breathing, water spray protection and advanced GPS systems.

The best he could do was say the tender process was expected to be finished by June.

This means WA firefighters could go into at least two more bushfire seasons without the lifesaving devices.

An official report into the death of firefighter Wendy Bearfoot during an Albany blaze last October found WA was failing to protect firefighters.

"South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania and NSW all place far higher priority on vehicle protection ... and have done so for years," the report, released early last month, said.

"This lack of action in WA is not a result of ignorance. Agencies have been aware of developments in other jurisdictions."

Mrs Bearfoot, a mother of three, suffered horrific burns when her truck was engulfed in flames while she was fighting the October 12 blaze. She died three weeks later.

The report said every vehicle expected to enter a fire ground should as "minimum protection" have heat shield panels that can retard fire which other states began rolling out 15 years ago.

Authorities said the shields, which can be used internally or externally, protected crews from death or injury during the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires that engulfed parts of Victoria.

Following the report, Worksafe called for vehicle upgrades.

Opposition emergency services spokeswoman Margaret Quirk said more WA firefighters could die before our vehicles met national standards.

"It is an absolute disgrace that WA firefighters do not have the same protection as their colleagues in other states," she said.

"The fact that Worksafe issued improvement notices on the vehicles after (Mrs Bearfoot's death) and the increasingly unpredictable bushfire behaviour suggests (the vehicles) are potential death traps."

Three weeks before this year's March 9 state election, the Barnett Government said it would improve protection for firefighters by rolling out the safety features in vehicles in a $15 million promise "designed to save their lives" and "increase chances of survival".

"These new crew protection systems are proven to save lives and we must provide the best protection for the volunteer and career firefighters who fight dangerous bushfires across WA," then emergency services minister Troy Buswell said.

Mr Francis denied the Government was failing to deliver on its promise.

"Under existing contracts, 71 high-risk appliances have been installed with radiant heat shields and this process is continuing on a rolling basis over the next two years with priority given to vehicles in high-risk areas," he said.

Association of Volunteer Bush Fire Brigades of WA vice-president Dave Gossage said it was pathetic that "red tape" was compromising safety measures.

"We acknowledge there are State Government policies and processes to be followed (but) we question the level of red tape that slows positive actions," he said.

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Bali Nine courier's double murder plot

Convicted drug trafficker Renae Lawrence, a member of the Bali Nine, pictured in her cell at Kerobokan Prison, Bali in 2010. Source: Supplied

BALI Nine drug courier Renae Lawrence is accused of ordering a hit on two female prison guards.

The alleged plot came to light when mobile phones belonging to Lawrence and another female prisoner were found during an unrelated raid of the women's block in Bali's Kerobokan Jail on Thursday.

The jail's governor Gusti Ngurah Wiratna told AAP that evidence was found on the phones of Lawrence and alleged accomplice Joaninha Maria Sonia Gonzalex, known as "Black Sonia''.

"She (Lawrence) was discovered to be plotting the murder of two female guards,'' he said.

"In her phone was a message in which she ordered Sonia to eliminate the female guards.

"We found a knife in her cell.''

An earlier exclusive story by the Daily Telegraph said Lawrence was plotting to murder one female guard she "hated''.

The governor said they were still investigating the motive.

"At first she (Lawrence) denied it, but after we showed her the evidence in her phone, she couldn't deny it.''

Gonzales is an East Timorese inmate charged with kidnapping a baby from a French family in Bali.

Lawrence is serving 20 years for her part in a 2005 plot to smuggle more than 8kg of heroin from Bali to Australia.

She recently had six months of her sentence pardoned for good behaviour, but that is expected to be cancelled.

She has reportedly been moved to a jail in Jembrana, West Bali.

A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade told AAP consular officials in Bali will be meeting Indonesian authorities to discuss Lawrence.

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Inside our most powerful bikie gang

Dozens of Mongols Motorcycle Club members go on a victory ride. Courtesy: Mongols MC

New member of the Mongols outlaw bikie gang in Australia. Picture: News Limited. Source: News Limited

THE Mongol Empire has begun its invasion of gangland Australia.

Considered by US authorities to be "most violent and dangerous biker gang in the USA", the Mongol Motorcycle Club has arrived in Australia and immediately set up chapters in NSW, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia

And police motorcycle gang investigators have told news.com.au the Mongols are likely to become the ruling outlaw force in the country.

Mongols bikie gang. Picture: News Limited Source: NewsComAu

"Mongol bikers engage in drug trafficking, gun running, assaults, thefts, intimidation, and extortion," Detective Steve Cook, a Missouri, US police officer and motorcycle gang expert said.

While an Australian police officer who has been investigating outlaw bikie gangs for more than a decade said Mongols were known for "torture, murder, drugs, guns, explosives".

"Their reputation for violence and criminality is well deserved," he said. "And don't believe all the PR they might say about how they're just men who love their bikes and have a fight now and again, but collect toys for kids at Christmas.

"They are criminals.

"They are one per centers. They deal in methamphetamines, and to a lesser extent ecstasy and cannabis.

"They are into extortion big time, fraud and involved in places that are on the knife edge of criminality, like strip clubs."

A Mongols Australia member. Picture: News Limited Source: News Limited

The "instant" arrival of the Mongols as a new force among Australia's 40-plus bikie clubs is the result of a "patch over" of the former Finks Motorcycle Club, ahead of a court challenge on November 15 to outlaw the Finks under tough new Queensland anti-bike laws.

But the two police investigators, who spoke exclusively with news.com.au about the Mongols, said the patch over was no mere name change.

"They are now under the rule of the gang's mother chapter, the Mongols in the US," the police investigator said.

"We are gathering intelligence so we can be ready for when it begins ... beatings, stabbings, shootings and arson, whatever happens."

So who are the Mongols and what are their rules?

NAME

Also called the Mongol Nation or Mongol Brotherhood, their name comes from the vast 12th century empire formed by the Asian warlord said to have killed more people than anyone else in history, Genghis Khan.

The Mongols began in California and have spread across the US. Source: NewsComAu

THE CLUB

Began more than 40 years ago in California as a result of the Hells Angels gang ban on Hispanic members, the Mongols have spread across the US, although their mostly Latino membership is concentrated heavily on the West Coast. The Mongols have chapters in Mexico, Norway, Spain, Germany, Thailand, Malaysia, and now Australia.

COLOURS AND STATUS

Like all outlaw gangs, or "one per centers", the Mongols wear the three-piece patch which is central to the outlaw gang ethos and jealously guarded, to the extent gangs will attack non-outlaw bike groups who "dare" to wear the three-piece, which consists of the "top rocker" with the club's name, "bottom rocker" with the club chapter location and the central club emblem.

In 2011, fellow one per center club, the Nomads, threatened social bikers club Ulysses during a rally ride to Canberra within ultimatum to remove their three rocker patches. The one per center status of outlaw clubs represents the legend they are the absolute minority of people on motor bikes who are "bad".

MOTTO, REPUTATION AND TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS

"Respect Few, Fear None" is the Mongols' byword and they have established a widespread and fearless criminal enterprise in which they enforce their core business - drug dealing, money laundering, robbery and in particular motorcycle theft, extortion, firearms violations and murder.

US law enforcement authorities say the Mongols are the "most violent and dangerous" bikie gang in the country, perhaps the world.

There is an "ingrained hatred" between the Mongols and the Hells Angels bikie gangs which goes back more than four decades. Picture: AAP Source: NewsComAu

ENEMIES AND FRIENDS

Sworn enemies of the Hells Angels, and despising of the Angels' hatred for Hispanics, Native Americans and African Americans (who are refused membership), the Mongols have a "shoot on sight" policy against the Angels.

Their allies among other outlaw bikie gangs include the Sons of Silence, the Outlaws, the Bandidos and the Finks, who share their deadly rivalry with the Hells Angels.

The Mongols is one clubs that "allows" their women to advertise their property status. Picture: Mongols MC Source: NewsComAu

STATUS OF WOMEN

Women cannot become members and do not rank even in second place, "but more like third or fourth place" in status, police investigators told news.com.au. The Mongols are one of the outlaw clubs which like their women to advertise their status as the "property" of individual members. Group sex is tolerated, although it has become rarer among older club members.

MONGOL MEMBERS

The Mongols have a more violent culture because of their pattern of recruiting from street gangs which bring with them a more bloodthirsty "revenge" culture.

While membership has moved from the once compulsory bike (usually Harley Davidson, or at least V-twin engine motorcycle) riding, mostly bearded men to include clean cut younger members who may not even ride bikes, police said "the culture is shifting".

"It will be interesting to see what happens in the Mongols, because there are divisions emerging between the older bikies, many of whom are from Anglo backgrounds, and the younger ones, who are more ethnically diverse," the investigator said.

THE MONGOLS IN AUSTRALIA

With an estimated 90 per cent of the Finks repatching as Mongols, the club may almost be at the same strength as the Hells Angels, which has between 300 and 400 members in Australia.

Although the Rebels club is Australia's largest, with about 1000 members, the Mongols are now like the Angels, a club with strong global connections, and more prone to crime and violence.

State governments had already introduced tough new legislation to counter fears suburban Australia is under increasing risk from bikie gangs and their appetite for drugs, violence and gun running.

The emergence of the Mongols onto the scene has police worried, even though lawyers for bikie groups claimed the news laws were "against human rights" and an "overreaction".

Queensland lawyer, Michael Bosscher, who represents the Bandidos, said most bikies were "fathers and grandfathers with jobs".

He said new laws which threatened the ability for bikies to gain bail while on charges and to sentence them to extra prison time of up to 25 years were an assault on the individuals' human rights.

Bandidos colours handed in to Michael Bosscher's law office. Picture: Glenn Barnes Source: NewsComAu

Barrister Wayne Baffsy of the United Motorcycle Council of Australia also said the new anti-bikie gang laws were against the Australian constitution, and police had exaggerated the danger of so-called outlaw motorcycle clubs in this country.

"Many of them have no smoking, no drinking and no drug laws in their clubhouses and they are into physical fitness," Mr Baffsy said.

However, US detective Steve Cook, warned against the community or justice authorities being complacent about the Mongols.

Founder of the Midwest Outlaw Motorcycle Gang Investigators, Mr Cook is one of the few international law enforcement officers with a working knowledge of the bikie gang scene in Australia.

"They love hiding behind these images that they are just a group of guys who just want to ride their motorcycles, the whole brotherhood thing," he said. "Don't buy it. They are in it for ego, status and money from criminal activity.

"They are violent and anti-social and will threaten, intimidate and mistreat the general public.

"And they are selfish and childish. What kind of grown man likes to call himself Pig Pen or Tank and wear patches and a costume?
"They turn it on for the media and then they go out and shoot someone and an innocent person gets hurt."

The Australian bikie gang investigator said the community had every reason to fear the Mongols and advised people - and especially women - not to be taken in by the "romantic" view bikies "love to present".

"It's all PR, the ride of bikies with the noise and the line up of men in uniform," he said. "It's meant to impress, just like a military procession.

"Don't be fooled by that, or by the statistics you might hear from lawyers about how 'little' crime is committed by bikies.

"They hide behind the fact there is gross under reporting of their criminal activity. There's a code of silence among members. You don't assist police and you say as little as possible.

"And cases don't get to court, or go nowhere once they do because they intimidate witnesses.

"People are too scared to give evidence because they fear [the bikies] will burn their houses and shoot their kids."

Continue the conversation on Twitter @newscomauHQ | @candacesutton1

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Voice of our princess heals hearts

On day four of the Royal Tour, Princess Mary and the Crown Prince of Denmark visited areas devastated by the NSW bushfires

FOR once, there is no dazzling smile sweeping across her face.

As she walks up the bricked driveway and stares through the empty carport, Princess Mary is quiet, contemplative, unable to comprehend the sheer devastation that lies before her - a crumbled, tortured spiral of blackened metal where a house once stood.

Prince Frederik and Princess Mary in Buena Vista Rd, Winmalee. Source: News Limited

She stops in the middle of Buena Vista Rd, one of a handful of Winmalee streets that burned on the afternoon of October 17, and commends the firefighters, the volunteers and the everyday residents for their formidable community spirit.

And then she reminds them, though slow and thoughtful delivery, what matters most. Them.

"People who are standing here today having lost their homes, the most important thing is that people have their lives,'' she says.

Danish Royals Prince Frederik and Princess Mary visit Winmalee Rural fire crews at their station then inspect homes lost in bush fires. Source: News Limited

A few metres away, a family, as if proving her point with perfect timing, pull into their driveway and set about walking through the blackened remains of their home. They are there, their house isn't. It was a scene to be thankful for, without diminishing their loss.

This was not a scheduled visit. Sunday morning was meant to be a time of relaxation for Crown Prince Frederik and his Tasmanian-born Princess; a chance to enjoy Sydney's spring sun on the harbour, perhaps, or recline without the humdrum of officialdom bearing on them.

Drone footage has been released showing residents and fire crews battling bush fires around the town of Lithgow. Courtesy CiviDrones/YouTube

Instead, they drove down a smoky M4 and into the Blue Mountains foothills to shake the hands of 60-odd Rural Fire Service volunteers, thank their long-suffering families, and see for themselves just what 100km winds, searing temperatures, and a flame can do to a suburb.

Nor was it a time to wear their Sunday best. Immaculate dresses and designer heels would not be pulled from the wardrobe of Princess Mary's penthouse suite yesterday morning.

A group of around 200, mostly locals, turned out to meet Danish Royals Prince Frederik and Princess Mary. Source: News Limited

It was time to don the jeans, the green joggers, and a navy knit that was later tied around her slim waist when the mercury started moving north. Prince Frederik went to the suitcase and came back with a pair of purple cargo pants, proving once again the bearded Dane can make anything work.

As the Springwood fire continued to burn a few kilometres away in a valley behind Faulconbridge, the pair received an in-depth briefing from RFS Commissioner Shane

After losing homes and belongings the Royal visit was a great chance for a change of pace. Source: News Limited

Fitzsimmons about the intricacies of the Australian bush and its propensity to burn. Fast and furious.

As Prince Frederik himself mentioned in a speech at the Sydney Opera House on Friday, this was not a scenario that Danes are particularly accustomed to.

For the suffering community of Winmalee, home to the bulk of the 200-odd destroyed homes, a visit from a Prince and his adored Princess delivered a welcome boost to morale.

Princess Mary talks to two young residents of Buena Vista Road, Winmalee. Source: News Limited

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