Saturday 29 March 2025

Minister for Health and Ambulance Services, the Honourable Tim Nicholls MP; Assistant Minister for Community Safety, Defence Industry, Veterans and North Queensland, Ms Janelle Poole MP; Assistant Minister to the Premier on Matters of State and New Citizens, Dr Christian Rowan MP; Chief of Australian Army, Lieutenant General Simon Stuart, AO, DSC; Defence leaders, past and present; senior members of the Queensland Police Service, emergency services, surf lifesaving and disaster relief organisations, past and present; President, Run Army, Major General Jake Ellwood DSC AM CSC (Retd); Run Army Patron, Mr Rob de Castella AO MBE; and Ambassador, Mr Daniel Keighran VC; representatives of my patronage organisations, the Legacy Club of Brisbane and RSL Queensland; Run Army benefactors and supporters; distinguished guests; ladies and gentlemen.

I begin by acknowledging the Original Custodians of the lands around Brisbane, the Turrbal and Jagera people, and pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and to any First Nations people here this evening.

I would also like to extend a special welcome to the families of servicemen who have made profound sacrifices in service to our nation.

Among us are Beckie MacKinney-Clohesy, with Annabell, Noah, and Nate, in remembrance of Lance Corporal Jared MacKinney; Kelly Walton, with daughters Kate and Sarah, honouring Lance Corporal Stjepan Milosevic; and Rebecca Rigoni, with Alyssa, Zachary, and their loved ones, remembering Warrant Officer Class Two Danny Rigoni, a proud Brisbane-based soldier and dedicated member of the Run Army community.

Their presence is a powerful reminder of the courage, dedication, and legacy of those who have served, and we stand with them in gratitude, remembrance, and steadfast support.

Graeme and I are delighted to welcome you all to Government House on the eve of Brisbane’s fifth annual Run Army event. We are both looking forward to lining up with the other runners and walkers at the start in Grey Street tomorrow.

This will be my fourth five-kilometre walk with Run Army since my swearing-in as Governor in late 2021. At that time, I made a public pledge to encourage a healthy and active Queensland because my long career in health administration had brought home to me, on a daily basis, the vital importance of community well-being, and I was determined to carry that commitment forward and do all I could as Governor to improve the health of Queenslanders.

One of my first actions as Governor was to actively seek out organisations with a similar focus that might benefit from Vice-Regal patronage.

Governors of Queensland have served as patrons of RSL Queensland for over a century and Graeme and I were proud to continue that tradition as Joint Patrons. But it has been particularly pleasing for us to see the League acknowledging the value of Run Army for both serving members and veterans by supporting it as the presenting sponsor from the very first run in 2021. On behalf of all Queenslanders, I thank the League for that.

Equally, I take this opportunity to thank the other sponsors as well as the partner organisations whose support has been vital to the ongoing success and expansion of this event – the Australian Army, the Queensland police, fire, and ambulance services, our State Emergency Services, the Indigenous Marathon Foundation, and Surf Life Saving Queensland – another organisation I am proud to support as Patron.

Since its first event at Gallipoli Barracks five years ago, Run Army has expanded to today involve thousands of runners and walkers in Brisbane and Townsville as well as many more who participate virtually all over the world.

Most of them also take up the opportunity to prepare for the run by participating in Run Army’s excellent Maffetone training programs, but most importantly, each of them helps to raise funds for Legacy and the charities that support the other partner organisations.

As Joint Patrons of the Legacy Club of Brisbane, Graeme and I were thrilled to see Run Army raise over $150,000 last year.

Those funds made an enormous difference to Legacy nationally and to the Legacy schemes of the Queensland Police and the Queensland Ambulance Service, as well as the Firefighters Cancer Foundation Australia.

This year for the first time, the SES Gift Fund and Surf Life Saving Queensland will also be beneficiaries.

The route of tomorrow’s run passes several significant landmarks for our service personnel – Anzac Square, Macarthur Chambers, the Kemp Place Fire Station and Queensland Police headquarters, each of them a reminder of the dedication and the physical and mental strength and resilience of those who work on the front line.

Wear your Run Army uniforms with pride tomorrow, treasure your Rising Sun participants’ medals, and, if you’re passing Fernberg tonight, salute us as we light up the House in red and white.

We also have a special medallion of our own for you to collect on your way out this evening, and that is a coin struck in honour of this year’s 50^th Anniversary of Australian Honours and Awards.

As our nation’s pre-eminent system to honour and acknowledge the oustanding service and contributions of our fellow citizens, I would encourage you all to please think about nominating an extraordinary individual worthy of recognition. Undoubedtly, there are many deserving recipients in this room tonight.

Thank you for your service.