"Our Women, Our State"
International Women's Day 2009 Reception at Government House, Brisbane
9 March 2009
Women of Queensland,
Distinguished guests all.
In the spirit of reconciliation that we wish to see fully expressed in our State, so that we may enjoy true harmony in our communities, I acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we are gathered, the Jagera and Turrbal peoples and their descendants and I welcome in particular this evening the presence of several of our most respected women members of the Brisbane and Inala Councils of Elders.
Welcome - everyone - to Government House to this reception to celebrate International Women's Day (IWD). I am glad that - despite the alarming banner headline on the front page of today's Courier Mail "RUN FOR IT"- so many of you have been able to join us tonight, notwithstanding the risks and worries associated with Cyclone Hamish.
With the images of the floods in north, central and western Queensland and the terrible fires in Victoria still so vivid in all our minds, I know that we can never, ever take lightly the threats posed to our community by natural disasters - and Queenslanders know too well the destructive force of a major cyclone ... nevertheless, selfishly, I am glad that so far, here in Brisbane, at Government House, the only impact has been the need to move our reception from its planned location on the lawns, (where the purple Tibouchinas in full bloom create a most wonderful backdrop for an IWD event), into this more conventional - albeit beautiful - location.
Our numbers are large this evening and I expect it will become a little hot and crowded, in this non (or should I say, naturally?) air-conditioned main salon - so please feel free to spill out onto the balcony, into the small study off this room, as well as into the foyer and entrance area, where you will find it a little cooler.
It is not my intention to deliver a major speech this evening - like me, I expect many of you here this evening have attended quite a number of IWD events in recent days and have had enough of speeches and messages. Don't misunderstand me - those messages are important - and I certainly put a lot of thought and effort into the ones I gave, each to very different audiences, as I am sure did other featured or keynote speakers at the different events.
However, inevitably, many of the subjects were strong and the messages quite tough to receive. Designed to stir our conscience and our compassion, they focused on violence against women, on rape as a weapon of war, on the risks to women's health, on poverty and homelessness. Entirely admirable and entirely appropriate - especially for women such as ourselves, living in relative affluence and comfort, with considerable capacity to help others less fortunate. But tonight I wanted to do something more simple and straightforward - to gather a group of Queensland women together with no purpose other than to enjoy each other's company and to celebrate together the unique experience of being women.
Each of us, of course, is a distinct individual - and our stories very different - and yet together, we/you are a marvelous reflection of the women of our State - representing an extraordinary range of professional and personal achievement and interests, across every sector of the economy and society, in private and public life.
Although not everyone I invited could be with us this evening - obliged for family, community or professional reasons to be elsewhere (and in the case of our ministers and women politicians, the higher imperative of election campaigning to ensure that we get more of us into places that count!) - tonight's group is a rich expression of the phrase chosen as the theme for this year's celebration of International Women's Day in Queensland - "Our Women, Our State".
It is an honour for me to receive you all at this first IWD reception I have had the pleasure of hosting at Government House as Governor. In the seven months I have been Governor, I have already come to know many of you well and it is daily a source of satisfaction and encouragement to me to meet you, to see you in action and to know that Queensland has such a remarkable number of achieving and successful women. It gives me great confidence in the future of our State - as I hope it will give confidence to the young women and generations to follow.
Thinking about the younger generation, I'd like to acknowledge and thank the young women, Year 11 students, from the Stuartholme String Quartet, whose chamber music is adding to our pleasure tonight.
Thank you - Cara, Erin, Monique and Alexandria - it is a delight to have you with us (and perhaps its appropriate to add - as I'm talking about generations - that Erin is the daughter of Jennine Williams, the talented florist who has created these beautiful arrangements tonight and ask you to join me also in expressing appreciation to Jennine for her lovely contribution to tonight's pleasures).
Thank you to everyone present for choosing to attend and share this special occasion. I wish you a wonderful evening, in celebration of International Women's Day 2009 and of "Our Women, Our State".