National Trust of Queensland
2011 Queensland Heritage Awards
Speech by Her Excellency Ms Penelope Wensley AC, Governor of Queensland
Patron, National Trust of Queensland
Patron, Royal Historical Society of Queensland
Old Government House, Brisbane
25th August, 2011
Gympie Regional Council, Councillors Donna Neilson and Councillor Julie Walker,
Mackay Regional Council, Councillor Wendy Cameron,
Queensland Government Architect, Department of Public Works, Mr Malcolm Middleton OAM,
President, National Trust of Queensland, Mr Stephen Sheaffe, Vice President, Mrs Ann Garms OAM and other Members of the Board,
Chairman, Queensland Heritage Council and Vice Chancellor, Queensland University of Technology, Professor Peter Coaldrake AO, and other Council members,
Mrs Yvonne Herbert CBE,
Ms Libby Gleeson, Queensland State Sales leader, Bendigo Bank,
Representative of Treasury Casino, General Manager, Corporate Affairs SEQ, Ms Michelle Pillonel,
Members and supporters of the National Trust,
Nominees,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
As we gather to celebrate the best examples of heritage protection and preservation across Queensland, to honour the modern-day custodians of our history and heritage, (those working to preserve aspects of our culture and our environment, including our built environment), it seems even more appropriate than usual to recall and recognise the indigenous dimension of our cultural heritage and to acknowledge the first custodians of our natural environment and the traditional owners of these lands and waters, the Jagera and Turrbal peoples.
I am very happy to be here this evening, to participate in this important annual awards ceremony - the third such ceremony I have attended since I became Governor three years ago. Indeed, the 2008 Awards ceremony was one of my earliest official duties and I remember it as an especially enjoyable and happy occasion, which set me on an exploratory trail for months afterwards, seeking to fulfill a commitment I gave at that time to visit as many as possible of the locations and organisations which had won awards, to build my knowledge of their achievements, so I could promote them to others.
The 2009 awards were even more exciting and satisfying because, in that sesquicentenary year, the whole State, it seemed, had found a new interest in our history and heritage and we had a ‘bumper crop' of projects and nominations, assisted not only by that increased public enthusiasm, but by something very simple, but very important - more funds being made available from government, regional councils and the private sector to support heritage activities.
That year had many, many highlights - not least the awarding of the John Herbert Memorial Award to this magnificently restored heritage property of Old Government House, which has become a beacon for Queensland heritage - a shining example of what can be achieved, of what these awards represent and more broadly, of the value of the work of the National Trust to the wider community.
As a champion of history and heritage, as Patron of the Trust (and numerous other community organisations and societies with an interest in these matters) I have taken great pleasure and satisfaction in promoting these awards as a wonderful showcase - a signpost to the best and most innovative heritage practice in the State; and I have also been able to use them, often, as a means of boosting tourism and promoting travel to our regional centres, encouraging locals and tourists alike to visit and experience the structures, monuments and locations that are so important for Queensland and for Queenslanders.
And I never tire of talking about the National Trust and the wonderful work that it does: not just for these awards, of course - but all year round.
The National Trust is, in many ways, both the memory and the conscience of the Queensland polity; its members have become the trusted custodians of the intertwining narratives and stories that make up our history, and highly regarded advocates for the protection and preservation of our heritage estate.
It was not always so.
Heritage protection in Queensland, at various points in our history, was not for the faint of heart - and still isn't, in some respects, when we reflect on what Queensland has endured over recent months, with its succession of natural disasters, and the way these have raised many new challenges in relation to what I might term our heritage assets and responsibilities.
I have been travelling extensively, almost constantly, around the State since January, visiting affected areas and communities, and the damage to historic properties, to museums, libraries and archives, to public and personal collections, to memorabilia and photographs - to the things that are the very essence of our history and heritage - has been heartbreaking to see; years of precious records destroyed, beloved buildings like the Commissariat, home of the Royal Historical Society (of which I am also Patron), compromised and facing huge repair and restoration bills, and in addition, natural heritage, like the World Heritage Listed Daintree Rainforest Region, physically devastated by Cyclone Yasi, facing the prospect of years to recover. (I visited that region immediately after the cyclone and then again, just a few weeks ago, and parts of the countryside still look as if someone has taken a giant blow-torch to them and where once the growth was lush and dense, hillsides still look stripped and the skyline stark and exposed).
It's been a sobering time for anyone involved in this heritage world, committed to this cause of preserving and promoting our heritage. But the hard experiences and the setbacks have created, I also sense, a greater determination than ever to rebuild, to preserve, to protect; and a greater commitment to - and greater sense of enjoyment and pleasure in - celebrating what we have preserved. I felt this recently at the launch of Brisbane Open House 2011; at the celebrations at the Toowong Cemetery to re-enact the first burials there; and it was very evident most recently at the celebration of Newstead House's 165th birthday on the 21st August, where relief at the survival of our oldest house, spared by that roaring river in fierce flood passing below, passing by her by only months ago, was palpable.
The linkages between nature and heritage matters, between our natural and our built environment, between climate and construction have always been there, but have been exposed in a different and obviously more compelling way in recent months. Many ordinary Queenslanders, with little interest previously, perhaps, in history and heritage, have found themselves asking more about these questions - for example, why our forefathers chose to build in the style and locations they did. And gaining an appreciation that the gracious Queenslander-style homes that have for so long distinguished our State capital and other regional cities and centres are not simply beautiful to look at and offer their occupants pleasing access to cooling breezes in the hot summer months, but their stilts had a purpose and timber construction has the practical benefit of drying out quickly - provided, of course, it has not been built in underneath, an admirable economy in drier times, making the most of narrow sloping blocks, but proving less sensible as the waters rise. It's interesting to see just how many houses around Brisbane are being raised - and filled-in areas being opened up and living configurations being changed.
As the recovery and rebuilding is now in full stretch - although much remains to be done - the experienced voice of the National Trust is one I suggest needs to be heard even more, providing considered and authoritative advice, not only on the restoration of historic properties, but in the discussion now underway about ways to construct a more secure, less vulnerable future for Queenslanders. What I am suggesting is that the Trust take its mission "to identify, preserve and promote our heritage" to a further level: helping us, very deliberately and purposefully, to protect and preserve not only the heritage of the past, but the heritage of the future.
Which is why I am delighted to see the introduction this year of a new award category: for Heritage and Sustainability, named after David Eades (former Chairman of the Queensland Heritage Council, who helped deliver the Queensland Heritage Strategy) to recognise and showcase successful examples of combining heritage preservation with environmental sustainability - and to create an incentive for doing more in this area in the future. I congratulate the Trust most warmly on this initiative. I was looking forward to finding out the name of the inaugural winner and disappointed to learn, from President Stephen Sheaffe's announcement a moment ago, that it has not been awarded this year and that I will have to wait till next year to see the prize claimed. However, I am equally keen to learn who - or what - have gained awards this year in all other categories - as I am sure, are all of you, so I will conclude, Ladies and Gentlemen, by congratulating all the nominees present this evening for the effort and commitment that has earned them their nominations, by thanking the judges for the time and discernment they have invested in the difficult task of selecting the "best among the best" and finally, by complimenting and thanking the Trust itself, its members and supporters, (including the all-important sponsors) for their ongoing support for this very important celebration of excellence; and of all that is being done to protect and preserve Queensland's distinctive heritage, for our enjoyment today - and for future Queenslanders and visitors to our State to enjoy and appreciate for generations to come.
Thank you - and have a wonderful evening.