The Royal Historical Society of Queensland Queensland’s Separation Day Celebrations

Royal Historical Society of Queensland President, Mr Matthew Rowe;  Councillors; members and volunteers; distinguished guests; ladies and gentlemen.

I begin by acknowledging the Traditional Owners 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 this evening.

Graeme and I are delighted to join you for this annual celebration of Queensland’s founding, and I’m particularly pleased to be the 17^th
Vice-Regal patron of the Society since Sir William MacGregor,
110 years ago.

Although Queensland’s confidence as a State was growing at the time of MacGregor’s appointment as Governor in 1909, there were still echoes of the attitude that had prevailed 50 years earlier when the wild, untamed northern reaches of New South Wales were first designated a separate colony.

In the lead-up to separation, Queensland had been criticised, even taunted, about its limited revenue, its scant population, and its inability to govern itself, but, on 10 December 1859, the Letters Patent creating this new legal entity were published in the very first issue of the Queensland Government Gazette, and The Moreton Bay Courier proudly proclaimed: “Although young, we are vigorous; although wealthy, we are careful; and, although few in comparison with other colonies, we may yet become many”.

That defensive, independent stance persisted – some would say that it has never quite disappeared – so it was not surprising that moves soon began to establish a historical society here that was equivalent in scope and prestige to similar entities in other States.

The Brisbane Courier called for an organisation that would publish, and I quote, “evidences and facts of the doings of the early explorers and of the discoveries that have led to the mineral, industrial and social development of this part of the British Empire”.

The establishment of the Royal Historical Society of Queensland was the result, but in the past century, the Society has done much more than the Brisbane Courier envisaged.

It has fully embraced its responsibilities as a peak body; it promotes interest in our State’s history by encouraging research and publishing books, the journal and the Bulletin; it preserves and displays documents and artefacts in the museum and the Welsby Library; it presents medals and awards and runs an excellent program of public activities and events; and, as if that were not enough, it acts as custodian of both this building and the historic Dig Tree at Cooper Creek.

It is an outstanding contribution and I like to think Sir William MacGregor would be pleased to see that the Society has remained active and relevant and has become such a respected, trusted institution. I also like to think he would take quiet pride in the fact that the Society has created the MacGregor medal in his honour and that every one of his successors as Vice-Regal representative has accepted Patronage of the Society.

As your Patron, I congratulate and thank the Councillors, the members and volunteers for their dedication and determination to make Queensland history matter and wish the Society, and all Queenslanders, happy Separation Day.