Prince of Wales Award Scheme Reception
Deputy Head, Joint Support Services Division, Air Commodore Grant Pinder; Commanding Officer, HMAS Moreton, Commander Fiona Southwood RAN; Commander 11 Brigade, Gallipoli Barracks, Brigadier Mark Armstrong; Senior Australian Defence Force Officer, RAAF Base Amberley, Group Captain Dennis Tan; Major General Jake Ellwood; Prince of Wales Award Recipients, your family and friends; distinguished guests.
I 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.
Graeme and I are delighted to welcome you to Government House this afternoon for the presentation of the 2023 Prince of Wales Awards. It is particularly pleasing for Graeme who began his 34 years’ service as a Reservist in the No. 2 Field Hospital followed by a posting to the Queensland University Regiment.
It is an honour for me, as Governor, to have this opportunity to publicly congratulate this year’s awardees and acknowledge the outstanding contribution of both the Reservists and their civilian employers.
Australia currently has more than 31,000 Reservists. Collectively, they preserve a tradition that has been part of our nation’s history since Federation in 1901, and they now make a significant contribution to the capability of our standing defence force and are integral to Australia’s security supporting peacekeeping, humanitarian and disaster-relief operations locally, nationally and globally.
For those thousands of Reservists and their employers, the Prince of Wales Award Scheme offers exceptional rewards and, as a Queenslander, I was very pleased to note that, of the 16 awardees selected across Australia this year, no fewer than five have been awarded in this State.
This is an indication of just how valued and respected the program is in Queensland. It also demonstrates how flexible it is, supporting an exceptionally wide range of activities.
This year, Flight Lieutenant Cook will complete a certificate course in Cosmetic Tattoo and Microblading; Major Gluhak will expand his knowledge of space operations; Flight Lieutenant Hoyer will attend a workshop at Harvard Law School; Lieutenant Stanton will participate in a Change Management program; and Sergeant Warples will undertake a course focussed on hostage-taking incidents.
The civilian employers supporting the professional development of today’s awardees also deserve special recognition.
They see that defence training and experience enables their employees to make a significant contribution to the workplace, and they know that such an investment in professional development returns dividends many times over. On behalf of all Queenslanders, I commend them for this ongoing commitment – they deserve our gratitude and thanks.
I once again warmly congratulate today’s recipients and acknowledge your proud families for the support they have provided you along the way. Graeme and I wish the awardees every success in their chosen programs and trust they will all return to the workplace with new knowledge, enhanced skills, and fresh inspiration.
Thank you, and I look forward to shortly presenting you with your Awards.