Official opening of the Indooroopilly Scout Den

Member for Maiwar, Mr Michael Berkman MP, Federal Member for Ryan, Ms Elizabeth Watson-Brown MP; Walter Taylor Ward Councillor Penny Wolff; Scouts Queensland Chief Commissioner, Mr Geoff Doo and Branch President, the Honourable Jane Prentice; Leaders and Scouts; distinguished guests; family and friends.

I too, begin by acknowledging the Original Custodians of the lands around Brisbane, the Turrbal and Jagera people, and pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and to any First Nations people here today.

As Governor, and Chief Scout of Scouts Queensland, I take great delight in being here this morning to officially open the Indooroopilly Scout Den.

Scouting has been a fixture of local communities around the world for a very long time, and the scouting movement now boasts around 50 million members globally!

Scouting is all about supporting young people to engage with and show care for others in their communities and develop lifelong friendships in the process.

It serves as a cornerstone for individual personal development and for teamwork skills, fostering the ability to both lead and follow – essential qualities of effective teams and communities.

The Indooroopilly Scout Group enjoys a very long history as you well know, and this is testament to the valuable work that you do.

To claim relevance in the lives of young people today is, indeed, a mighty task, and an influence that we hope you continue to exert for many years to come.

Whilst there have been changes to the Indooroopilly Den’s location over the years for a number of reasons, one thing that has never changed is the dedication and commitment of those who give their time to the ‘One Program One Journey’ design that underpins the scouting movement – growing our young people into healthy and contributing adult members of society.

Helping young people achieve their full ‘physical, intellectual, emotional, social and spiritual potential as individuals’ is exactly what is required in these fast-moving times. We thank you for playing your part in the moulding of responsible, active and community minded citizens.

Nothing quite gets the spirits up like a housewarming, and today will serve as a lovely celebration of your new Den.

Congratulations on this milestone. I’m delighted to declare the Indooroopilly Scout Den officially open, and I look forward to shortly unveiling a plaque to commemorate this occasion.