THE parents of an Ormiston woman killed by Islamic jihadists in London have met with Prince Charles.
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Sara Zelenak, aged 21, had her life tragically cut short while leaving a bar with friends in June last year.
A van was driven into pedestrians on London Bridge, beginning a terror attack which claimed the lives of eight victims, including one other Australian.
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Sara Zelenak’s parents, Julie and Mark Wallace, were invited as guests to a Brisbane reception with his Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales, at Government House on Friday night.
The event, hosted by the Governor of Queensland, Paul de Jersey, marked the long-standing connection between Britain and Australia, gathering inspirational Australians to meet Prince Charles.
Ms Wallace described the Prince of Wales as sincere and funny. “He was a really nice man,” she said.
Sara, a former Moreton Bay College student, was described by those who knew her as beautiful, kind and smart.
The 21-year-old was employed as an au pair in England but had left work early for a fun time out with friends on the night she died.
Ms Wallace said her daughter’s death had shaken her family, with waves of sorrow reverberating across the Redlands community.
Redlanders had helped raise money for Ms Wallace after Sara’s death, celebrating the 21-year-old’s life with a fitness class organised by Healthworks Fitness at Cleveland.
Ms Wallace said the former Govenor-General of Australia and Govenor of Queensland, Dame Quentin Bryce, had also offered to help in the future.
Ms Wallace met Dame Bryce at the royal reception on Friday night.
Prince Charles had toured Queensland and other parts of Australia with his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, before and after officially opening the Commonwealth Games last Wednesday.
He addressed Games spectators and those watching its televised coverage with a speech penned by the Queen.
Her message was carried inside the Queen’s baton for more than a year as it travelled from Britain to Australia, via Africa, the Carribeans, the Americas, Europe, Asia and Oceania.
“Even though we may be half a world away, we are all connected,” Prince Charles read.
