Honours and Awards within the Australian Honours System Investiture Ceremony (E) for Residents of Queensland

It is my great pleasure, with Kaye, to welcome you all to Government House, and I extend a special welcome to the family, friends and colleagues of our awardees, and our official guests.

Your pride and joy in seeing these awards presented lends a special atmosphere to this ceremony, and I extend that warm welcome to those watching today via livestreaming.

I at once acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the lands around Brisbane, the Turrbul and Jagera peoples, and extend respect to Elders past and present.

This House receives many great visitors, but none are more special or more respected than our honoured guests today, the most recent recipients of Australian honours and awards.

This room is known as the Investiture Room because ceremonies like today’s are its primary purpose.

Months in advance, plans are made to ensure that Fernberg and its gardens look their very best for this week of investiture ceremonies.

In an extraordinary range of fields, each of you has achieved that hardest of all things to achieve in life: you have made a tangible difference for the better, and for that you have earned the gratitude of your community.

The span of disciplines, activities and regions for which honours are presented today is truly immense.

They include: service to veterinary science as a specialist in bat biology; service to primary industry, particularly to the livestock sector; service to medicine, in plastic and reconstructive surgery, neurosurgery, ophthalmology, and in psychology and health administration; there is service to education and to business, for outstanding public service in areas ranging from local government, the infrastructure sector, and the provision of welfare services.

There are awards in honour of service to tertiary education, engineering, country music, maritime history preservation, and for service to the communities of Ormiston and Toowoomba. Others have had distinguished careers in law enforcement, held leadership roles with Lions International and international humanitarian support agencies, aided veterans and their families, and advanced the interests of multicultural communities and inclusivity in sport.

The breadth of the citations reflects the complexity, diversity and vibrancy of contemporary Australia, upon which each of you have made an indelible mark.

Your hard work, perseverance, dedication and commitment have not gone unnoticed, and they have not gone unappreciated.

The medals and awards with which you are presented today are richly adorned with the symbols of Australia.

For example, the deep blue of the sea which girts our nation is reflected in the ribbons of the Order of Australia awards, as is the gold of the wattle in bloom, our national flower.

And there is the Crown of St Edward, the symbol of the highest authority in the land.

As is the case with all of the awards presented today, such symbolism tells a story.

From shore to shore, from one side of our vast country to the other, from the Crown to individual citizens, we recognise that the contribution each of you have made reflects the very best Australian values.

We recognise that each and every one of you have made our country a better and finer place in which to live.

The medals and the postnominals to which you are now entitled are the symbols of that recognition, and I hope you will use them with pride.

On behalf of your fellow Queenslanders, on whose behalf I am privileged to speak, I extend to you our heartfelt thanks, admiration and pride on your achievements. Thank you, enjoy your special day to the full!