Official Visit to Gordonvale State School

Speech delivered as Administrator of the Government of the Commonwealth of Australia:

A very good morning to the students, staff, parents and friends of Gordonvale State School. Kaye and I are so very glad to be here to meet you all and to visit some of the classrooms this morning.

I know it’s possible that not all of you will be entirely sure who I am and what I am doing here. So allow me to explain that I am the Queensland Governor, your Governor, and that means I am the representative here of Queen Elizabeth the Second, our Head of State.

You may have seen the flag on the front of the car we arrived in just now. That is the Governor’s Standard. It flies on any car in which I travel. When it flies above the house I live in Brisbane - Government House, it means I am inside, so the postman always knows when I’m home! Perhaps one day some of you will come to Brisbane and visit Government House, and you will see for yourselves the flag flying on the roof top, and know what it means.

Part of my role as Governor is to travel around Queensland, to all the towns including the remote communities – and even islands you can only reach via helicopter or small plane. Kaye and I do this to meet people, listen to them, encourage them to do their best, and to say thank you for making our State such a great place to live in.

That’s why we are so excited to be here in the Cairns region, and particularly here at Gordonvale State School; to meet with you - the students, and encourage you all in your studies and all your interests. Also to meet your teachers and congratulate them for their passion in providing you the very best foundations for your future.

The advice I was most often given when I was young, was simply that I should always do my very best. That is the best advice which anyone can be given. If you do your best, you will make the most of your talents, and feel a great deal of personal     satisfaction – increased immeasurably if you use those talents to help others.

So, I urge you boys and girls, to strive to do your utmost. Never   underestimate your capacities and potential in any aspect be it in the school environment or in other areas of your lives. And        always respect those wonderful people who help and support you along the way - many of them will be right here at Gordonvale State School – be they teachers, support staff or your classmates.

Kaye and I look forward to talking more with some of you this morning and hearing about your activities and achievements. We wish you all, and this great school, every success!

Thank you.