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27th Governor of Queensland Her Excellency the Honourable Dr Jeannette Young AC PSM

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Official Opening of the Lyceum Club’s New Rooms

Thank you, Dr Prior, and good afternoon to you all.

It is wonderful to join you today to celebrate another important milestone in the history of Brisbane’s Lyceum Club.

I am very honoured to be Patron of this esteemed association. It is a position I hold very dear to my heart.

I admire this Club for many reasons.

There are the friendships it has forged, the conversations it has ignited, the minds it has enriched.

But perhaps most of all, I admire how successfully it has adapted to reflect the concerns and interests of Brisbane’s women throughout the century.

It was 1912 when May Paten first voiced her ambition to establish a branch of the Lyceum Club in our river city.

And it seems to me that today, as much as ever before, the formidable intellectual curiosity of women is cause for celebration. And may we celebrate that today!

Back in 1919, only one factor was stopping the Lyceum Club of Brisbane from becoming a reality.

There was a committee.

There was a Constitution.

But the third, basic requirement was still missing – there was no club house.

It was not until July of that year that TheCourier Mail reported the inaugural meeting of the Brisbane Lyceum Club had occurred in its first home – the 2nd floor of Metropolitan Chambers in Adelaide Street.

According to early reports, the rooms were small and had to be reached by a narrow stairwell that was hard to navigate in a formal evening dress.

Well, aren’t we fortunate that our early members persevered, and such challenges were ultimately overcome!

Since that time this Club has had many homes, each of them positioned in Brisbane’s ever-growing CBD.

These new rooms, positioned within this wonderful heritage building,  are testament to the continued importance of the Club, and its enduring relevance to its members, 100 years since its first official meeting.

I thank everyone involved in the evolution of these premises.

These new rooms offer a warm welcome to those ready to continue the legacy of May Patten and her contemporaries.

It is therefore my great pleasure to now declare these rooms – and the many conversations they will host – officially open. Thank you.