Government House Queensland
Lyceum Club Brisbane Christmas Morning Tea
Good morning everyone.
It is a wonderful privilege to be back at the Lyceum Club for this Christmas Morning Tea.
For me, it is one of the first events of the festive season, coming even before the first public viewing of our Christmas Lights display at Government House, which this year will be open from 7 until 8 each night from the 8th to the 12th of December; I warmly invite all members and their families to come along and enjoy the free display.
With no snow to go dashing through, a Queensland Christmas is characterised by sunshine and warmth, lights and music, friends and family.
On the musical front, I am looking forward, with great anticipation, to the performance of the Lyceum Choir.
It was Strauss who said that “The human voice is the most beautiful instrument of all, but it is the most difficult to play.”
It takes real work and dedication to bring harmony to the human instrument, but what joy that work yields to both the chorister and the audience.
And our musical entertainment continues, for we are to be treated to a performance by the Doreen Ord Lyceum Club Prize winner for Classical Voice, whom I congratulate wholeheartedly.
So much wonderful music – it feels like the first gift of the festive season.
If so, the second and more enduring gift must surely be the fellowship of the Lyceum Club, through this gathering of likeminded women sharing an interest in art, literature, music, science, education, journalism and current affairs.
The warmth of this fellowship, coupled with the stimulation of shared interests, certainly helps to explain why people value their membership so highly.
I congratulate most sincerely the members who will shortly be presented with their 25-year membership badges.
May you remain members for many years to come!
It is a genuine privilege to be the Patron of the Lyceum Club, and to enjoy this delightful Christmas event, with music at its heart.
The name “Lyceum” even sounds musical to modern ears, gifted to us, like so many wonderful things, by the Ancient Athenians.
I hope the Brisbane Lyceum Club endure as long as the name “lyceum” itself, and I wish all members and their families a most joyous Christmas and a Happy New Year.