National Trust Gala Dinner and National Trust Queensland Heritage Awards

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for the invitation to join you for the National Trust Queensland Heritage Awards.

This Gala Dinner is a worthy celebration of the Trust – a time-honoured concept which has flourished on Australian soil.

The term ‘social entrepreneur’ is a very modern one, yet it captures the spirit of the Trust’s volunteers and employees, from foundress Octavia Hill to the men and women we honour and celebrate today.

Their stories are Queensland’s stories, just as the properties of the Trust tell the story of our State in all its natural, cultural and historic richness.

Ladies and Gentlemen, conserving our heritage is a gift to ourselves and to our communities.

It enriches our experience of the places we live and visit.

But more than that, it is a gift to the future – an intergenerational trust; and as friends, supporters and sponsors of the Trust in Queensland we can be proud of our role in facilitating the protection of our heritage, including our Indigenous heritage, for future generations.

I am truly delighted at the quality of all the nominations for this evening’s awards, and commend all the nominees on the quality of their contribution to the conservation of our heritage.

And I extend my congratulations to the winners, whom I hope will savour these prestigious awards.

It will shortly be my honour to present the John Herbert Memorial Award, which fittingly, for an organisation devoted to history and heritage, honours the immense contribution of John Herbert MLA, former Parliamentarian and Trust President, to the development of the Trust movement in Queensland.

As the proud Patron of the Trust in Queensland, I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the Board, the Executive, the employees and volunteers of the Trust, whose dedication and passion have contributed so much to the protection of our heritage estate.

The volunteers are truly the heart of the Trust. Having been to many Trust properties throughout the State, I can assure you that the Trust’s objectives are well served by its volunteers, who blend enthusiasm for the properties they support with voluminous knowledge, both eagerly shared with the interested visitor.

I wish you all an enjoyable celebration of the Australia Heritage Festival, of which this dinner is a significant event, and thank you for your support for Queensland’s cultural heritage.