Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Queensland
Morning Tea
Remarks by His Excellency the Honourable Chief Justice Paul de Jersey AC, Acting Governor of Queensland
13th September, 2010
Chief Inspector, RSPCA, Mr Michael Pecic,
Board Members Councillor Andrew Antoniolli, Ms Lisa Bundesen, Ms Corrie Verbeeten
Supporters, Bequeathers and Staff of the RSPCA;
Ladies and Gentlemen.
As has become customary in our State, I acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which are gathered this morning, the Jagera and Turrbal peoples.
I am very pleased to extend a warm welcome to Government House this morning to this event in honour of the loyal friends and supporters of the RSPCA, an organisation whose mission garners very deep respect and support within the Queensland community.
While this gathering is tagged, appropriately for the time of day, as a ‘Morning Tea', it might be more appropriate for us all to indulge in a cup of coffee, in deference to the founding of the very first Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in 1824 by a group of twenty-two reformers led by Richard Marten MP, William Wilberforce MP and the Reverend Arthur Broome in a London coffee shop. The founding of that first Society, to which Queen Victoria granted Royal status in 1840, was part of the great flowering of volunteer effort which characterised this period of English social history, and which was so effectively transplanted in Australia, leading to the founding of many of the institutions which have helped to form the fabric of our social capital, including the establishment of the RSPCA here in Queensland.
That Victorian ethic, that individuals can - and should - seek to make their views known and their voices heard in service of the greater good; an ethic which empowers individuals to take practical action toward a desired change, has powered the RSPCA Queensland throughout its history to create a very special culture of dedication and commitment among the 190 staff and 1,200 volunteers who work for the organisation throughout the State to protect and enhance the welfare of animals. This special culture, which has helped to build the RSPCA into the State's leading animal welfare authority, has been enabled by a strong and committed core of donors, bequeathers, sponsors and partners; individuals who have embraced the guiding principles of the RSPCA - "the five freedoms" - and who made a personal commitment to seeing them into action. The operating requirements of the organisation are daunting - $22.5 million is needed annually to support the RSPCA's shelters, programs and services - the day-to-day business of the Society - and excludes the "big ticket" items like the establishment of the new Animal Care Campus at Wacol. But the scale of the operation - and the need - is what makes it so especially important that we express our appreciation for the donors who make the work possible, and whose continued support will be vital if the Society is to continue operating the shelters, the Inspectorate, the Animal Ambulance, the veterinary services, the Lost and Found service, the education program and campaigns, the Animal Training Centres and all the other important services the RSPCA provides for and on behalf of the animals of Queensland.
To all the donors, to those who've made bequests, sponsors, partners and supporters present here this morning, as well as to those unable to join us, I express the most sincere gratitude for your continued generosity on behalf of the RSPCA Queensland, which itself in turn speaks on behalf of all our State's creatures, great and small.
Thank you.