Normanton Community Morning Tea

Good morning – and thank you for giving up some of your precious weekend time to join Kaye and me for today’s morning tea. We are delighted to be here.

I begin by respectfully acknowledging the Traditional Owners, and elders past and present. All Queenslanders have much to gain from a greater understanding of our Indigenous past, and by supporting contemporary Indigenous contributions.

This is our very first official visit to this region since I was appointed Governor in July twenty-fourteen, and we have been overwhelmed by the warmth and generosity of the welcome we have received.

Yesterday, we had the privilege of visiting both the Normanton State School and the Gulf Christian College.

On each occasion, there was palpable pride in the school and its achievements and both visits left us feeling very positive about the next generation of Far North Queenslanders.

One of the reasons for that positive reaction was the strength of the connection between the schools and this community. There is a genuine sense of mutual support.

Kaye and I were also greatly buoyed by our visit yesterday afternoon to the Bynoe Community Advancement Cooperative Society and the Bynoe Arts Centre — the services provided by the Society are targeted, practical and vital to the development of community capacity and to the economic future of this region. It was a most stimulating and informative visit.

Our stay in the Gulf may be very brief, but yesterday’s visits and informal events like this have only increased our admiration for the immense resourcefulness, resilience and determination of the people of this region.

As Governor, I congratulate and thank you, on behalf of all Queenslanders, for everything that you do, collectively and as individuals, to support and strengthen those key values.

Kaye and I will return to Brisbane with a much deeper understanding and appreciation of what it means to live in the remote Far North, and I look forward to learning even more as we meet and chat to you over morning tea.