Girl Guides Queensland 2016 Queens’s Guide and Adult Awards

As Patron of Girl Guides Queensland, with Paul, it is both a pleasure and an honour to welcome you to Government House for the annual Queen’s Guide and Adult Awards Ceremony.

I don’t know if any of you saw it, but two weeks ago, in the section called “My Life in Pictures”, the Sunday Mail profiled Margi Brown Ash.

Ms Brown Ash is a renowned actress who is currently starring in the stage production of “The Wider Earth”.

With a stage career spanning New York, Texas, Sydney and Brisbane, and happily married with four children, she must have had literally thousands of photographs to choose from, to find the eight perfect photographs to illustrate her life in pictures.

Yet Margi Brown Ash selected a photograph of herself at age 15 accepting her Queen’s Guide Award.

In a truly remarkable life, it was becoming a Queen’s Guide that stood out as one of her life’s achievements.

I hope that all of the Queen’s Guides receiving their awards today feel very proud.

I congratulate you on this tremendous achievement.

And wherever life’s path takes you, I hope you feel just as proud of it when you reach your 60s, as Margi Brown Ash.

I am also honoured to present this evening the Emu, Bar to the Wattle, and Wattle awards. Tonight, I will also present a very special Star of Merit award, to Cathy Shellshear, who sadly passed away last month – Paul and I are deeply honoured that Cathy’s family are here to receive the award on her behalf.  

Each awardee has made the Girl Guides mission their own, that is, to enable girls and young women to grow into confident, self-respecting, responsible community members.

I thank them and I congratulate them on their leadership, commitment and outstanding service to the Guiding movement.

I commend all the awardees on their service to Guiding, and I thank the families, mentors, employees and friends who have encouraged them and supported them during their Guiding journey.

Paul and I look forward to meeting you all, and we hope you enjoy this special celebration in the Guiding year. Thank you.