Magnetic Island State School Visit

Good morning to you all.

I begin by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the lands upon which we are gathered, the Wulgurukaba people, and pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and to all First Nations people with us this afternoon.

Graeme and I would like to thank you for having us here today. We have been eagerly looking forward to coming to visit you in this very special and unique place you call home.

Since I became Governor of Queensland in 2021, I have travelled with Graeme to many places in this amazing State of ours, and also visited many schools, but yours is certainly amongst the beautiful and unique settings we have encountered. 

Many children your age might count themselves fortunate if they ever see a koala in its natural habitat, let alone a rock wallaby, possum, echidna, or one of the many other native animals you might see on any given day.

Here at your school, you look out the window knowing that just out there is one of the natural wonders of the world — the World Heritage-Listed Great Barrier Reef.

And I know that your school acts as a protector for this living treasure, as one of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s Reef Guardian Schools.

What a big responsibility, but also what a truly wonderful way to learn about the world around you!

Meeting you here today and hearing about your school’s environmental practices, I’m confident our reef is in good hands!

Government House in Brisbane, where we live, is surrounded by bushland. It’s called the Fernberg Estate, and it is also home to all sorts of wildlife — even though it’s in the middle of a big city, with all the noise and bright lights, and people and cars going past!

We will introduce them to some of you when we read from the Government House children’s book, ‘A Place for All Queenslanders’.

For those going back to class, we will leave a copy with your Principal for the school library so you can borrow it anytime.

And please don’t forget to visit us if you ever visit Brisbane… I do wonder why you would ever want to leave this beautiful island, though!

Thank you.