Official visit to Pimpama State School

Deputy Mayor, Councillor Donna Gates; Principal Mr Marx; students, staff and supporters of Pimpama State School.

I at once acknowledge the Yugambeh People as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we meet. I pay my respects to their Elders past, present and emerging, and recognise their connection to culture and the lands and waters of the Gold Coast. And I extend that respect to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples here today.

I am proud to see the Governor’s Standard flying at your school, an historic school with a strong Indigenous heritage and a connection to the land.

Congratulations to your school captains for fulfilling the role as MCs so expertly, to all of you for the wonderful rendition of our National Anthem, and to the girls and boys from class 3B for today’s Focus Forty presentation.

Thank you also for the warm welcome you have extended to Kaye and me, and to the visiting students from Tama Meguro Junior High School, I say a special good morning!

I hope you had a rewarding and productive time here, and you take back long-lasting memories when you leave tomorrow.

Your new friends will miss you, and they, too, will have made memories that will last a lifetime.

I wish you all a safe trip back to Japan.

I also wish the Year 6 students a safe trip to Avoca Vale tomorrow, and trust you will have a most enjoyable time at Camp Duckadang.

You will learn new skills and make new friends, and although at times it will be challenging, you will learn a lot, including about yourself, which you cannot always learn in a classroom.

Tomorrow will certainly be a busy day for you all, because it is also the opening of the Book Fair.

The Book Fair Competition poses a thought-provoking question: ‘What do you love most about reading?’

I am passionate about reading, as is Kaye, and about the places reading takes you.

It was Dr Seuss who said: “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”

You are very fortunate to have a special reading time set aside every morning, and I congratulate your school on creating that opportunity.

Reading comprehension is one of the most important skills you will learn at school, and it is one that will prove valuable throughout your lives.

I look forward to touring your library following today’s assembly, along with your music and coding facilities.

Thank you once again for your Gold Coast hospitality, I wish you all every success for the rest of 2019.