General Sir John Monash Foundation Afternoon Tea

Welcome all to Government House today – executive and members of the Foundation, sponsors, volunteer supporters, scholars, friends.  Kaye and I are delighted to celebrate with you, the success of the twenty-sixteen John Monash scholars for Queensland – Abigael Mawby and Katherine Mansted.

It is very pleasing for me, as Queensland’s former Chief Justice, to note that both Abigael and Katherine are students of the law. They have excelled in their studies and have already launched impressive careers but both have also continued their interest in music and languages, and already have the global perspective that our nation needs in its future leaders.

Today’s celebration brings together these two newest scholars and their families with those who have made the scholarships possible — the sponsors, the members of the selection panel, and the directors, members, volunteers and supporters of the General Sir John Monash Foundation. I thank them all for their generous contribution to this splendid program.

Importantly, today’s afternoon tea also provides an opportunity for the newest scholars to meet previous recipients.

Since the first scholars were selected in two thousand and four, only a hundred and twenty-seven of Australia’s most outstanding undergraduates have received support from the Foundation to pursue post-graduate study overseas.

I’m proud to say that fifteen of them — almost twelve per cent — have been Queenslanders and it is especially pleasing to welcome three previous winners here today.

Like Abigael and Katherine, they are inspiring latter-day exemplars of the qualities that defined General Sir John Monash himself:

• Eleven years ago when she became a John Monash scholar, Dr Catherine Rock’s focus was on biomedical engineering; today she’s an international patent attorney and serves on the scholarship selection panel.
• The scholarship awarded to Dr Joe Gattas in twenty-ten may have been to research origami engineering, but he continued to maintain his proficiency as a cellist and as a concert pianist.
• And Dylan Morris is about to head to Oxford to further his research in cardiovascular disease — but will no doubt take every available opportunity to continue his interests in taekwondo, Mandarin, and the piano.

 Like their predecessors, Abigael and Katherine will become part of the proud history of these awards. As Patron of the Foundation in our State, I congratulate them most warmly on behalf of all Queenslanders, and wish them every success for their studies and for their future.