Mount Isa Community Morning Tea

I would like to begin by acknowledging special guests in attendance here this morning both State and Local representatives, including State Member for Traeger Mr Robbie Katter MP and Mayor Mount Isa City Council, Councillor Danielle Slade; Representatives from various community organisations including education, arts, mining, health, community support groups and agriculture, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls.

I also wish to acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we gather, the Kalkadoon people and pay my respects to Elders, past, present and emerging.

Good morning and thank you for warmly welcoming me to Mount Isa today. This is my first visit since being sworn-in as Governor of Queensland in November, and I am very pleased to be here.

Although this trip to Mount Isa may be brief, we have managed to fit a lot into the schedule! Having already participated in a Council Briefing with your councillors this morning and a Private Investiture Ceremony for Mrs Patricia Fennell OAM at the Laura Johnson Aged Care facility.  Immediately after this, I will visit Happy Valley Primary School where I will participate with one of my patronage organisations, The Lead Alliance, whose focus is in teaching children about lead awareness. I am most looking forward to participating in the Lead Alliance program activities today, given the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle and decreasing the risk of living in a cwith lead.

Following this, I will visit Goodstart Early Learning to celebrate their achievement in winning the Regional and National Award for lead awareness initiatives last year and inspecting the new playground which also promotes lead awareness.

Following this visit I am off to St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, where I will speak at a student assembly, tour the school and have a book reading with the year two students. Visiting schools is one of my favourite aspects of these regional trips, meeting the future leaders of our State.

I will then lay a wreath at your local memorial cenotaph to pay my respects to your local service men and women, especially those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for protecting our country, is a particularly important aspect of my role as Governor. Then, to Mount Isa Hospital, where as part of my pledge to visit every public hospital during my term as Governor to thank the team for the tremendous efforts they provided their communities over the last couple of years.

Regional visits are an important, and indeed one of my favourite, duties as Governor. I believe it is important to meet with as many Queenslanders as possible in order to better fulfil my duties as Her Majesty The Queen’s representative in Queensland.

Thank you for welcoming me to your city today. I look forward to meeting many of you over the course of this morning tea.