Investiture Ceremony Cairns

Representing the Premier, Member for Cairns, Mr Michael Healy MP; representing the Leader of the Opposition, Ms Yolande Entsch; Mayor of Cairns Regional Council, Councillor Bob Manning OAM; representing the Queensland Police Commissioner, Acting Chief Superintendent Kevin Fitzgibbon; representing the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner Mike Wassing AFSM; representing the Commanding Officer of HMAS Cairns, Acting Lieutenant Commander Jessica O’Brien; representing the Order of Australia Queensland Branch, Mr John Hardy OAM; award recipients, your family and friends, welcome. 

I begin by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the lands on which we gather today, and pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and to the First Nations people1 here today. 

I welcome you all most warmly to today’s special ceremony where eight remarkable North Queenslanders have been recognised for the exceptional contribution they have made to their communities, our State and our nation. 

As Governor of Queensland, I represent our monarch, King Charles the Third, and one of the greatest privileges and pleasures I have in that representative role is to invest Australians with the Honours and Awards under our unique Australian honours system. 

I am very proud to have that honour because the Australian system has earned a reputation throughout the world for its integrity and freedom from political influence or patronage since it was established in 1975 to replace the British Imperial system.  

For almost 50 years, instead of the Order of the British Empire and imperial military decorations for gallantry, we have had the Order of Australia and our own Australian Bravery Decorations, and more than 50 additional honours have since been approved by our Head of State, including the Australian Police Medal, the Australian Fire Services Medal and the Conspicuous Service Medal, all of which have been awarded today. 

All 60 of those honours sit squarely within the great Australian tradition of egalitarianism because it is the community which makes nominations – anyone can nominate an Australian citizen for an honour and recipients also rarely know who nominated them or who has been approached, from a very wide circle, to provide a reference.  

It is these features that make receiving an Australian honour particularly special.  

Unlike awards which mark a particular achievement or personal effort, the honours presented today recognise and thank the men and women who, in the view of the community, have made a difference through their exceptional commitment to service and to the greater good.  

Today, we have honoured women and men for their contribution in fields as varied as local government, education, animal welfare, the Royal Australian Navy, the Queensland Police Force, and Fire and Emergency Services. 

But the citations we have all heard tell us clearly that the contribution that each of them has made extends much further.  

They are leaders and mentors who unselfishly share their knowledge, experience, passion and care with their colleagues and their communities, and, in the process, help to build an Australian society which is stronger, more cohesive, and more resilient. 

The ritual of investiture goes back to the Middle Ages when a youth would prepare to become a knight by keeping a night-long vigil and then dress in white silk robes and a mantle for a great celebratory breakfast with freshly killed game. 

While there will be no white robes or freshly killed game on this warm spring day in Cairns in 2023, I do hope you will join us for morning tea to celebrate this special occasion.  

Investitures are times of great pride, joy and emotion for family and friends who are able to join the recipients in celebrating the honour or award they have received, and I look forward to meeting you all. 

I once again congratulate and thank the eight people honoured today and I encourage them to wear their medals with pride, for we are indeed very proud of their contributions.