Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Presentation Ceremony

Representing the Minister for Education, Minister for Industrial Relations and Minister for Racing, Director-General of the Department of Education, Mr Michael De’Ath; representing the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor of Brisbane, Councillor for The Gap, Councillor Steven Toomey; The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Chairman, the Honourable Larry Anthony AO; The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award, Mr Peter Kaye AM ESM; and Chair of the State Award Committee Ms Lynne Foley OAM; award recipients, your family and friends; distinguished guests; ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. 

I thank the Honourable Larry Anthony for the warm welcome extended today, and for his acknowledgement of the Traditional Owners of the lands around Brisbane. 

I also pay my respects to the Elders of the Turrbal and Jagera people, past, present and emerging, and to any First Nations people here today. 

As the Queensland patron of the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award, I was delighted when His Majesty King Charles III awarded the title “Duke of Edinburgh” to his younger brother, Prince Edward, on Edward’s 59th birthday in May. 

But I was even more delighted when King Charles appointed him Patron of the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award. 

It would be difficult to find a more committed and inspiring advocate. He has served as both a Trustee and Chairman of Trustees for the International Award, and now, although he has more than 70 other patronages, he has enthusiastically embraced this new role. 

It is inspiring for every Gold Award winner to know that their Patron himself became a gold award recipient in 1986 after undertaking a four-day, 100-kilometre trek through the wild, mountainous country of north-west Scotland. Certainly an ‘Adventurous Journey’!

This afternoon, I am honoured to be presenting Gold Awards to 90 young Queenslanders. They have met the same exacting standards as Prince Edward and the thousands of other Gold Awardees around the world, and I congratulate them on their achievement. 

I also thank the Department of Education for its committed custodianship of the Award and for the contribution it is making to the future through the Bridge Award program.

In particular today, I thank the many volunteers who make such a vital contribution to the Award and congratulate the four men and women receiving Long Service Medals today. They have made an outstanding contribution over the past decade, and I thank them for that. 

The three levels of this award offer young Queenslanders an exceptional opportunity for personal growth and development, setting them on a secure pathway to good citizenship and helping us to build a more cohesive and resilient society.  

They are our future – and we’re in very good hands. 

Now before we move on to the award presentations, I would like to take this opportunity to present a Certificate of Vice-Regal Patronage to Chair of Queensland’s Award Committee, Ms Lynne Foley OAM.