Mrs Linda Hurley added, “Kindness and caring is one of the most special things human beings can do with each other…it’s certainly been a trying time for our country (and) for the world in regards to the pandemic. And a lot of people have been having a tough time. And that’s why kindness is so important; to be kind and caring. When the bushfires happened everyone was showing kindness. People were just donating things. And I just thought, “Wow, what a fantastic country we live in, amazing people.” And then when I saw people fighting in the supermarket for toilet paper, I thought, “My goodness, it was everyone for himself? It was just a shock.”

The Governor General was asked about whether Indigenous Australia was a neglected topic in recent times. His Excellency replied that in current circumstances, many issues were competing for attention with the pandemic. “It’s very hard, frankly, for anyone else to get oxygen at the moment. And I think it’s unfortunate because (debate about constitutional legislation) is a big issue at the moment, but it’s time will come in one form or another. But when we travel, we do have one of our priorities of engaging with the Indigenous community, looking at issues and trying to be helpful where we can.”

Their Excellencies recently attended the Cooktown & Cape York Expo on the eastern coast of Cape York Peninsula. They watched a performance of a re-enactment of the first recorded act of reconciliation between Indigenous people and white Australians, which took place between Captain Cook and the local Bama people 251 years ago. “Can you imagine looking down and seeing a big Aboriginal man hugging Captain Cook? This is not an image we’re used to and everyone (viewing the re-enactment) is in tears. I kept saying to myself, “What have I seen here today?” And I think what I’ve seen is a vision of what Australians would like to happen,” the Governor General said.

Naturally, kindness was the theme of the Stay Kind Conversation. Asked how he stays kind to stop himself from feeling overwhelmed, His Excellency replied, “I’m an optimist by nature. My advice to people would be to… look at what’s happening here. Be thinking about how we get through this, whatever the past. If you’re standing still, hand-wringing, then you’re not going to go anywhere… Work your way through many of the things that are in front of us. And for the big issues that we can’t control, even as Governor General I can’t control where the economy goes or whatever, but I can do my bit to help others.”

For her part, Mrs Hurley said that when she feels overwhelmed she likes to sing and she likes to make other people sing. She promptly produced a track on her smartphone and began to sing an original song she has written called Stay Kind.