Brisbane Legacy 2009 President's Luncheon
28 March 2009
President of Brisbane Legacy, Mr Brian Avery,
Senior Vice President, Mr Tony Ralph,
Junior Vice-President, Mr Brian McIntyre,
Chairman, Legacy Coordinating Council, Mr David Kelly,
Deputy Commissioner, Department of Veterans' Affairs, Queensland, Ms Alison Stanley,
Commander 7th Brigade, Brigadier Stephen Day,
Commander Combat Support Group, Air Commodore Chris Sawade CSC,
Commanding Officer Navy Headquarters (Queensland), Commander Geoff Fiedler,
Commanding Officer, 1st Signal Regiment, Lt Col David Hay,
Chief Executive Officer of Brisbane Legacy, Mr Steven Blinkhorn,
President, War Widows Guild, Mrs Barbara Murphy,
President, Brisbane Legacy Laurel Club, Mrs Jean Hine, representing the widows supported by Legacy,
Brisbane Legacy members and Legatees.
That's a very long and very distinguished list, but I know from the guest list that I studied carefully yesterday, that there are yet more persons here at this Annual Luncheon who hold significant positions, including Presidents of other Legacy groups from within Queensland and interstate, so at this point, rather than working through an even longer list, I will simply add "OTHER distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen."
In the spirit of reconciliation that we wish to see respected and promoted throughout Queensland, I acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we are gathered, the Jagera and Turrbal peoples and their descendants.
It is a great pleasure for me and my husband, Stuart McCosker, to join you at this annual President's Luncheon of Brisbane Legacy. This is the first event I have attended as Patron of the Legacy Club of Brisbane and although I have met a number of the persons here today, in other capacities and on other occasions, it is a special pleasure to see you here today and to be part of this gathering, which gives us all the opportunity to recognise - and to celebrate - the important role that Legacy plays in our community - and has played now for over eighty years, as the key organisation supporting the widows and families of our service men and women, working in close association with the War Widows Guild, the RSL and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Legacy has always been part of my life - or perhaps to put it more accurately, I have been aware of Legacy and the good work it does from a very young age. My father - an engineer who served in the Army during the Second World War as an officer in the 9th Division in Borneo - joined Legacy after the War, in Melbourne, where we had moved from Queensland for his work as a munitions expert with the Federal Government, and remained very actively involved with Legacy throughout his life, in Melbourne, in St Mary's, in NSW and in Canberra. I have memories, as a little girl, of his visiting and providing advice to the widows and families of servicemen. I remember frequent family references to ‘Dad's widows' - and initially feeling quite puzzled about this, and also wondering who were these other children that he was involved with and helping through school. The Legacy badge, with its stylized torch, was very familiar to me, as a prickly pin on Dad's lapel - although it was to be years before I came fully to understand the symbolism of the torch as the undying flame of service and sacrifice or the poignant loveliness of the laurel as the guerdon of honour.
Actually, the Badge is something, I think, that is familiar to almost everyone. When I spoke this morning to my aunt - who is a very spry and lively 89 year old - and told her that I was attending a Legacy luncheon, the first thing she said was "I still have a box full of Legacy pins!" Her second comment was that although it was the Department of Veterans Affairs that has been her principal support since her husband died, many years ago: "Legacy has always been there", "we've always been connected with Legacy" - "they were always at hand"; and she noted that this is still the case, with a Legacy Representative in the Retirement Village where she lives, on hand to assist, to advise, to step in when needed. I share these personal comments because I believe her reactions and her very positive perceptions of Legacy - that it has always been there and that it is always on hand - are shared by many, many people in our community. Those on the front-line, so to speak, of Legacy's assistance - the widows and families of our servicemen - of course, know and appreciate its work and worth in far more detail - in the daily practicalities and difference it makes in their lives - but for the wider public those simple phrases "it has always been there; it is always on hand" sum up wonderfully the role, the ethos and the contribution of Legacy and the way it is valued by many members of the community.
When drafting my speech for today, I wrote initially in that last sentence - "throughout the community" - but this morning I changed my words to "many members", because of something I read in today's paper. Some of you may have seen the relevant article in today's Courier Mail. Buried a fair way in, on page 35, under the bold headline "A helping hand in time of need" - it is about Legacy and the launch of the "Raise a Glass" appeal. It's a good article - timely, informative and helpful - but I was struck by the comment made by the woman whose story is at its centre ... the young widow of an Australian who had served as a medical officer in East Timor. She said that she had "never heard of Legacy" - and the writer of the article observed that this was the case for many Australians.
Frankly, I was a bit surprised, but it underlines to me the importance of continuing effort to raise awareness of Legacy. Even for such long-established organisations - the seeming pillars of our society one assumes to be very well known - there is a need to inform and educate the wider community about its work - and of its relevance to today. This awareness-raising is something that I, as Patron, can certainly contribute to and, indeed, am resolved to do.
As Governor, I have a unique platform for advocacy, addressing many audiences - local, regional, national and international. I also have a unique network of connections with key decision-makers and with an astonishingly diverse range of organisations within our community (I am Patron at present of 162 organisations, with more requests in the pipeline), which provides exceptional opportunities for me to facilitate links and connections - to spread messages, to champion causes.
In accepting the role of Patron of Brisbane Legacy, I maintained a long tradition, dating back to 1930, to Governor Sir John Goodwin.
When this gubernatorial association with Legacy first began, the task before Legacy was an enormous one, not only because of the thousands of families requiring support in the aftermath of the First World War but also because of the financial hardship at the time, due to the Great Depression.
Over the years, there have been obvious surges in the demands made of Legacy - most obviously after the Second World War, the Korean War and the Vietnam conflict. We might all have hoped the need would lessen over time - yet with Australian servicemen and women still actively involved in operations - and conflicts around the world - East Timor, the Solomons, the Middle East, Afghanistan .... the need remain strong. If any reminder of this was needed, it came to me this week, as I drafted a personal letter to the wife of Corporal Mathew Hopkins, a young Australian soldier killed in action in Afghanistan on 16th March. Mathew was proudly a Queenslander and, I'm told, a passionate supporter of all things Queensland, but he was most of all a devoted and caring husband and father.
Mathew epitomized the sacrifice and service that Legacy exists to honour and his family - and the families of others like him - still need the care that Legacy was founded to provide -and will continue to do so for many years to come.
Legacy is as relevant and important today as it has always been and that is why Legacy itself needs to stay strong.
I know that the Legacy Club of Brisbane is a strong and active Club - the book "Eighty Years of Service" certainly testifies to that, but it is a matter of real concern to me that many of the organisations of which I am Patron are confronting increasing problems generating support to sustain their activities and to recruit new members. Many have ageing memberships and are looking to - but having difficulty in attracting - a new generation to continue their tradition of service.
If Legacy is no exception, then the Legacy ‘torch' needs new torch-bearers - and the current economic downturn is putting additional pressures on community organisations across the board.
Amidst such challenges, how do we keep such organisations strong?
I have three suggestions to offer:
Firstly, as I indicated earlier, there is a need to work even more actively to raise public awareness about the work of Legacy and its relevance today; and to use the media to broadcast messages, in exactly the way we saw today in the Courier Mail;
Secondly, it is important, when informing or lobbying business, politicians and decision-makers about your work, to emphasise the practical value of what you deliver to the community. In this regard, the work that you do in advocating for the entitlements of these families, providing financial and educational support, assisting with home safety and security measures, and organising fellowship and social activities contributes in no small way to the estimated $16.2 billion dollars that volunteer organisations contribute to the Queensland economy each year; and
Thirdly, it is important to value your members - as I know you do - and to let them - and others - know they are valued.
I know that many people who volunteer their services seek no recognition. They are the ‘quiet achievers' who give generously and selflessly to assist others. Their reward lies in the satisfaction of giving - something that is, in itself, admirable. Nevertheless, there are times and occasions when it is appropriate to acknowledge what they do and to say ‘thank you'.
I see that, also, as an important part of my roles as Patron and as Governor, when I am able to speak on behalf of the people of Queensland - and so, today, at this annual President's luncheon, in both these roles, I say "thank you" to the Legacy Club of Brisbane and to all who have contributed to its remarkable record of service over 81 years. Thank you for your commitment, for the care and support you provide and for all that you do to make our State, our society, stronger and more compassionate, to the benefit not just of the widows and families of our service men, but to the community overall.