Beaudesert Community Reception

Member for Scenic Rim, Mr Jon Krause MP; Mayor of the Scenic Rim Regional Council, Councillor Greg Christensen and Councillors; ladies and gentlemen, welcome!

Thank you, Uncle Colin Currie, for welcoming us to Country today. I too, would like to begin by acknowledging the original custodians of the many lands within the Scenic Rim, and pay my respects to their Elders past, present and emerging, and to all First Nations people here today.

I am delighted that so many of you have been able to join me for this special community afternoon tea.

Such opportunities to meet Queenslanders where they live and work is one of the priorities I set myself when I was sworn in as Governor, and I am very pleased that the itinerary for this particular visit to the Scenic Rim includes not only this reception but also:

• a briefing from the Scenic Rim Regional Council
• visits to Boonah and Beaudesert Hospitals
• inducting student leaders at Boonah State School
• calling on some of our exceptional Queensland producers, and
• experiencing, first hand, the wonderful community effort of the Friends of Binna Burra to restore the precious UNESCO World Heritage forest following the fires of 2019.

These activities are much more than official visits; they serve a very real purpose: they allow me, as Governor, to hear directly from Queenslanders about the things that matter to them.

This visit to the Scenic Rim also gives me the opportunity, as the King’s representative in this State, to acknowledge and congratulate the winners of the Scenic Rim Regional Council’s 2023 Australia Day Awards.

The outstanding contribution of the region’s quiet achievers deserves to be celebrated and I offer my special congratulations to the award recipients here with us today and commend the Council on their continued support of these annual awards.

Finally, being here with you today enables me to thank, personally, the frontline and emergency service personnel of this region as well as the many women and men who sustain the very bedrock of their communities through their efforts as volunteers for clubs, societies and community organisations – and it is wonderful to see so many of my Vice-Regal patronage organisations represented here today. On behalf of all Queenslanders, thank you.

I look forward to meeting and hearing from you all.