2017 Anglican Schools Australia Annual Conference Eucharist Service and Welcome Reception

Your Grace the Archbishop; Your Grace the Primate; members of the Clergy; distinguished guests including senior Anglican Schools Australia representatives led by their President; ladies and gentlemen. As Governor of Queensland, I warmly welcome delegates, and all other attendees today, to this important schools conference in our wonderful State. 

Many of you may know of my wife Kaye’s and my strong connections with the Anglican Church Grammar School in Brisbane – in my case as an alumnus and over some years as a member of the School’s Council, and in Kaye’s and my cases, as parents. I will not delay you by exploring further my family connections with Churchie. And lest there be further need to establish credentials, there is my more than 2 decades’ service, with Kaye’s support, as Diocesan Chancellor, culminating in the honour of appointment as Chancellor Emeritus of the Diocese in 2014.

You have chosen a special time to hold your conference in Brisbane.

August is the time when Queensland’s largest community event, the RNA Show, or as we rather fondly term it, the ‘Ekka’, attracts 400,000 people each year.

If you have noticed a surprising number of big country hats in the streets, and children staggering home holding large stuffed toys, that’s why!

I was reminded of the coincidence by your 2017 Conference theme of Joy. The Ekka, too, brings simple joys, especially to children – whether the thrill of a sideshow ride, or discovering that the ultimate source of milk is not the supermarket.  

Your conference theme embraces these simple joys too, but also quite different kinds and sources of joy.

In that respect, no less a figure then Albert Einstein said: “It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.”

A large part of Kaye’s and my present role involves visiting school communities.

We both experience the joy behind those wide-eyed, intrigued expressions of the students as we enter the school assemblies.

We are so impressed by the dedication and professionalism of all who underpin our State’s education, through all systems.

We were honoured to be at the unveiling of a sculpture of St Magnus the Martyr, the Patron Saint of Churchie at East Brisbane, yesterday morning. Two weeks ago, we attended the NAIDOC Week Assembly of Marist College Ashgrove – much joy attended the celebration of the achievement of their Indigenous students.

Those are comparatively very large schools, but with great effort, creativity and professionalism, they manage to personalise their commitment to the particular achievement, the optimal achievement of every student – and undoubtedly, I emphasise as Governor, their roles as future mature citizens.

My attention as Governor, with Kaye, is of course not limited to large schools in the Church tradition. I recently opened the Brisbane StateHigh School art show – a school of great achievement with as many as 3,000 students.

And passing to size, I go to Jundah in Central West Queensland: Kaye and I visited the State primary school in November last year and proudly met all eight students – swelled that day by the four students from neighbouring Stonehenge – its entire school population.

A great delight in my early months at Government House was to welcome into my formal Study at Fernberg the entire student population of three other Central West towns, Ilfracombe, Windorah and Muttaburra – including parents and teachers, all 35 of them!

These were truly joyous occasions!

What a wonderful State Queensland is – that it supports such remote communities, such diverse communities.

And tonight I warmly congratulate and commend the Church based sector for the frankly monumental role it plays in the education of young Queenslanders, young Australians.

In his welcome message to delegates, ASA President Jim Laussen captures the same thought as the ‘aha’ moment of a student’s understanding and discovery.

We all recognise the joy these moments bring to student and teacher.

We recognise the vital importance of these magic moments to the education of our young people, and to the future they will create with the skills, knowledge and understanding they acquire.    

We admire the dedication, patience, and hard work of wonderful teachers who lie behind these moments.    

I wish conference delegates many ‘aha’ moments as they share ideas during the conference. I thank Dr Mark Sly and his team for their organising skills.

I hope delegates may find time to explore some of the marvellous attractions of this beautiful city and State – maybe even the ‘Ekka’!

I thank delegates – probably most of them volunteers – for the invaluable work they do in the education of our precious young people, and I wish them every success on return to their schools, refreshed and invigorated by this Brisbane, this Queensland experience. Thank you.