Investiture Ceremony of Mrs Marvelle Kerslake

Mayor, Cr Golder; Mrs Kerslake and her proud family and friends, including those watching from as far abroad as New York. It is a great honour to be here for today’s very special occasion.

Presenting Australian honours and awards to worthy Queenslanders is one of the most rewarding aspects of my role as Governor.

My pride in our State and its people swells with every honour I present – today is the 1,627^th I have awarded since becoming Governor in July 2014.

All ceremonies are memorably significant, but today’s especially so.

On a personal level, today marks the resumption of my regional visitation programme following COVID restrictions – how pleased I am to be back in Mitchell, having opened the Show in 2016!

Today is also a very important day in the life of this community, as we gather to acknowledge the remarkable contributions to Mitchell and to our State of Mrs Marvelle Kerslake.

I may be the representative of Her Majesty The Queen in Queensland, but Mrs Kerslake has a good claim to be the ‘Queen of Mitchell’.  

What an impressive list of achievements we have just heard – Meals on Wheels, the Mitchell Show Society, service to the Hospital, extraordinary, really!

There was, however, one noticeable omission from that list of Mrs Kerslake’s contributions read by the Official Secretary: her baking!

Yes, her reputation for delicious pies, pasties and rocky road made it all the way to Government House! I have even been asked by some members of the Mitchell community if you would please reveal the secret ingredient in your sponge cakes?

Thank you all for the warm hospitality on offer today. I am so grateful we could persist with today’s ceremony despite the restrictions of the time. 

Enjoy this most special day, as we gather to acknowledge a most special Queenslander. Thank you.