Run Army 2022

Leader of the Opposition, Mr David Crisafulli MP; The Right Honourable, the Lord Mayor of Brisbane, Councillor Adrian Schrinner; Member for Aspley, Mr Bart Mellish MP; Chief of Army, Lieutenant General Rick Burr AO DSC MVO; Commander of 1 Division, Major General Scott Winter AM; President of Run Army and Queensland State Recovery Coordinator, Major General Jake Ellwood DSC AM CSC; Queensland Police Commissioner, Katarina Carroll APM; CEO Legacy, Mr Brendan Cox; National Director Run Army, Major Renata Hickson; distinguished guests, boys and girls.

 

I begin by acknowledging the traditional custodians of the lands on which we gather this morning, and extend my greatest respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and to all First Nations people who have served and continue to serve our country in the armed forces.

 

Congratulations to those who participated in this morning’s Run Army event and, of course, to all of our winners.

 

I am delighted to see so many people being active on this special ANZAC Day long weekend, especially for such a worthwhile and important cause—raising funds for Legacy Brisbane.

 

Although Graeme and I are not “runners”, we did manage to complete the 5km walk, and thoroughly enjoyed being part of the fun—particularly with the blast of the Howitzer sending us on our way!

 

Yet, while enjoyment is a key part of the event, it is about so much more.

 

The Australian Army created Run Army as a brand new initiative to help support current serving members who are struggling physically or mentally, and to encourage those who are returning from illness or injury.

 

Holistic wellbeing is vitally important to everyone, but particularly for members of our military services, who regularly experience extremely challenging situations in their working lives.

 

Alongside this important purpose, Run Army also highlights the crucial work Legacy does to provide long-term social, emotional, developmental and financial support to the families of veterans.

 

By bringing people together—civilians and soldiers—on the weekend leading up to ANZAC Day, we are all reminded how much our military personnel do for us, and how lucky we are to live in a peaceful country, with the freedom to be part of events such as this.

 

I commend the Australian Army for supporting its personnel in such an inclusive way, and am very pleased to see an initiative that promotes a healthy and active Queensland—one of the key priorities I made when sworn in as Governor.

 

I am sure that Run Army will continue to form a much-anticipated part of the ANZAC Day tradition in the years to come.

 

Finally, let me just say how pleased I am to see the 10km trophies named in honour of Lance Corporals Rick Milosevic and Jared MacKinney, who sadly lost their lives in Afghanistan.

 

These memorial trophies remind us of how the courageous members of our Defence Forces are prepared to put their lives at risk, as they strive for justice and harmony.  

 

Their sacrifice must never be in vain.

 

Lest We Forget.