Investiture Ceremony
Australia Day and Queen's Birthday Honours 2009
8th September, 2009
Member for Redlands, Mr Peter Dowling MP, representing the Leader of the Opposition, Mr John-Paul Langbroek,
Commissioner, Queensland Police Service, Commissioner Bob Atkinson APM,
Representing the Commissioner of the Queensland Ambulance Service, Assistant Commissioner Leo McNamara ASM,
Chairman of the Queensland Branch of The Order of Australia Aassociation, Mr Mick Davis AM,
Distinguished Recipients,
Family, Friends and Colleagues of the Recipients,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In the spirit of the reconciliation that we wish to promote in our State and to see achieved fully throughout Australia, I acknowledge our indigenous peoples and in particular, the traditional owners of the lands and waters where Brisbane was settled, the Jagera and Turrbal peoples.
It is with great pleasure that I welcome you all to Government House on this beautiful Spring morning: our award recipients; the family members, friends and colleagues who are here to support and applaud our awardees, and our official visitors, whose presence adds considerably to the significance of the occasion. I thank you all for making the effort to be here, to witness this formal ceremony and to help us celebrate the achievements of those we honour today.
I am conscious that the language of achievement, of individual recognition, does not always come easily to Australian tongues: we seem, as a people, somewhat uncomfortable with acknowledging achievement and a little awkward about recognising excellence; finding it easier, somehow, to play down what we have achieved, to attribute it to good luck rather than hard work or commitment, or sometimes, merely to having been in the right place at the right time. There is a tendency to self-deprecation in our community, to play down success - other, perhaps, than in relation to sport - where Australians glory in our champions and embrace their successes with enthusiasm. That enthusiasm is always wonderful to see - that too, is part of our national persona and I share and welcome the pride and the pleasure it brings to so many people, especially today, having conferred richly deserved honours on two of our young Olympic champions. But I do think it is interesting to ask why, as a people, we are - or have been - less disposed to acclaim achievement - or to seek it - in all fields. Maybe it has something to do with our strong sense of egalitarianism, our very practical and pragmatic spirit; and in areas such as the military, police and ambulance services - the people among those we have honoured today - the sense that they are ‘just doing their duty'. Some might be conscious of the Australian disposition to ‘cut down tall poppies'; others perhaps influenced by more spiritual considerations. I am thinking here of the book of Mathew, Chapter 6, which says "Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them ... and when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets ... to be honoured by men ... your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."
But I believe firmly that there are times in life when trumpets are good - where praise and fanfare is appropriate and justified. And so for today, on this special occasion, I ask that any among our recipients who may be feeling a touch of that awkwardness or discomfort to set it aside completely and enjoy fully this moment, as we celebrate and acknowledge your achievements and record of service to your community - and through the organisations which you serve, to which you belong or support - to our country.
The Australian Honours that I have had the privilege of presenting today are our country's highest form of honours, reserved for those citizens whose excellence, achievement or meritorious service is seen as especially admirable and noteworthy: they represent the gratitude of the community for your work, which by its exceptional character, has enriched us all.
As it should be in an open and democratic society like Australia, nomination is open to anyone. However, the nomination and selection process itself proceeds in secret. Many of you may not have known of your nomination, may never know who nominated you for the award you have received today or who took the trouble to go through the rigorous process of documenting your achievements and service. For some, the arrival of the official letter advising that you had been nominated and asking whether you would accept an award, if conferred by the national selection committee, would have been a complete surprise. It was for me - and I still savour the moment and recall it with pleasure. As I hope you will recall and savour this day and take pride in having achieved the pinnacle of recognition, of honour, that Australia can bestow. Today, however, in whatever field you stand out among your peers and colleagues, with this official conferral of your award in the Order of Australia, you join a different elite, an "elite of achievement", becoming role models; exemplars for what is possible when effort and aspiration are united in service, and it is my sincere hope that you will truly enjoy today's celebration and when you return home, you will wear your lapel pin always, as a small point of personal pleasure each day and a signal to others you meet that you are a person of achievement, whose worth and contribution has been formally recognised. I hope you will wear your full medals proudly when the occasion merits and use the postnominals to which you are now entitled. In doing these things you will be rendering another service to the community - promoting the Australian Honours system to others.
Although our country is strong, it faces many challenges at this time, and as we deal with these, we will need more people of your calibre - others who will follow your example. As members of the Order of Australia, you represent and are now uniquely qualified to promote the values that underpin the Order of Australia - the values of decency, of integrity, of fairness and justice, of respect and regard for others, of loyalty to country, commitment to work and service to community - the values that have built this country and created the quality of life that we all can enjoy today and which it will be necessary to continue to promote and uphold if we are to achieve everything we want for our country and its people in the future.
Your example, I hope also, will encourage and inspire others in the community to strive for excellence and the rewards and satisfaction that go with its attainment.
I know that none of you consciously set out to achieve the sort of reward and acknowledgement you are being given today. Most of you, I expect, would identify and agree with the view expressed by one of yesterday's military awardees, Corporal Robinson. In an article a few days ago in Mt Isa's North West Star, he was modest about his achievements and described a different satisfaction: "It's like any job - if you do a good job and put 100% in, you get rewarded. And, I love the job".
Loving what you do - enjoying it, feeling fulfilled and happy in what you are doing, whether in your profession or in retirement, in active service or serving in a different way, as a volunteer - is obviously one of the great assets of life.
American President John F. Kennedy, once commented, however, that: "The ancient Greek definition of happiness was the full use of your powers along lines of excellence."
As someone who constantly champions excellence, it is a phrase, a definition I like very much. Whether through your dedication to your chosen sport - swimming, rugby or surf lifesaving; your church; your profession or vocation - policing, nursing, ambulance paramedic or veterans' services; whether through a lifetime of commitment to associations, causes or charities or to your community - Kirra, Caloundra or Toowoomba - all the awardees being honoured today have used and developed their talents and their abilities "along lines of excellence".
As Governor and Head of the State, on behalf of the people of Queensland, I am proud and privileged to be able to extend my congratulations to everyone who has been recognised today and I thank you, most sincerely, for your splendid contribution and service to our country.