When 30-year military veteran Cath Harvey told her therapist that instead of attending her PTSD session she’d instead like to go see the King, the psychologist agreed it might be good therapy.
So wearing her medals on her chest from the two tours of Afghanistan that saw her medically retired from the Royal Australia Navy, the 59-year-old took off early with her neighbour as support.
Waiting in the sun for hours at the Sydney Opera House, Cath used her naval training to tactically pinpoint the Man O’ War steps as the best position to score a royal handshake.
And at around 4.45pm Cath hit the jackpot, when she was picked out in the crowd by Queen Camilla, and then once more by King Charles.
Fizzing with excitement after both encounters – a virtually unheard of quinella for a member of the crowd in a royal walkabout – Cath revealed what Camilla and Charles had each said to her.
‘When Camilla came up, I couldn’t believe it, but I said to her, ‘I want to thank you for all you have done in looking after us and your service to my king,’ and she looked a little startled.
‘But she shook my hand and said, ‘That’s really kind of you to say so, thank you very much’.
‘She has very soft hands.’
When 30 year military veteran Cath Harvey ditched her PTSD therapy session to see the King, she never in her wildest dreams thought she’d meet both royals
Queen Camilla and King Charles are seen descending the stairs of the Sydney Opera House
Charles spots Cath’s medals and the two speak about the navy
After the Queen’s greeting, the royal couple turned and stood for a while as primary school children performed a dance in their uniforms.
Cath said she saw the King spy her medals near the end of the dancing, after which he came over and asked her, ‘Are those your medals?’
‘I said yes and as he shook my hand, I said ‘I have just retired after 30 years service for the Queen and then King and country’ and he said, ‘In the Navy?’ and I said ‘yes’.
‘He’s a navy man and he looked up with a smile of recognition.
‘At that point the security guy just about had to break my thumb to stop me shaking Charles’ hand.’
After Cath’s double royal flush, she pointed out things to the crowd that only a navy veteran and former Chief Petty Officer could do as the royals moved from the Opera House to Sydney Harbour for the naval review.
The HMAS Arunta was waiting for Charles and Camilla to sail past on a smaller boat, the Admiral Hudson, and the top deck of the Arunta had sailors ready to do a ‘hats off and three cheers for King.’
Cath thanks the Queen for all her support and service to King Charles over the years, garnering a warm response from Camilla
Cath Harvey, a 30-year naval veteran shows the medals she wore which attracted the royal couple
Cath also explained that the helicopter flying overhead trailing a huge Australian flag was a naval chopper, and the crowds cheered in response at each flyover.
Cath Harvey told Daily Mail Australia that she had retired from the navy in February after her three decades of service and that her medical retirement from PTSD had been caused by the stress of two tours, between 2015 and 2016.
It’s just constant, constant adrenalin because you are always on alert and then there are the incidents.’
Based in Kabul, Cath earned one of the medals which attracted King Charles’ attention from the US Army, a commendation for her mentoring of US Navy sailors on her 2nd Afghanistan tour.’
The other medals are her Australian Operations medal for two tours, her Long Service Medal, Australian Defence Medal and NATO Medal.
Since being medically retired from military service, Cath has recently had her medals tattooed onto her leg, along with the dates of her naval career
Cath was affectionately referred to as ‘Chief Harvey’ by the naval personnel who worked with her in Afghanistan and Australia during her long career in the Royal Australian Navy
Cath has been Treasurer and now Vice-President of her local RSL Club at Branxton in the NSW Hunter Valley, and works in her region helping the elderly, running a Woman’s Shed, making ‘Boomerang Bags’ for shoppers and making bedcovers for Aussie Hero Quilts.
The neighbour that accompanied Cath in support on the royals trip, Virginia Upward, says she is widely liked and admired, and has used her own trauma and experiences to help others.
Of her blitzing the field on Charles and Camilla’s last day of public walkabouts in Australia, Cath said, ‘It’s very hard getting out of the defence force. Maybe I can feel like a chapter has closed.’
‘I’m absolutely thrilled.’
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