On this day …
In the morning, at South Bank Parklands, South Brisbane, Her Excellency the Honourable Dr Jeannette Young AC PSM attended the Olympic and Paralympic Teams Welcome Home Queensland Celebration, and the Governor addressed guests.
In the evening, at the Royal International Convention Centre, Bowen Hills, Her Excellency and Professor Graeme Nimmo RFD attended the Premier’s Olympic and Paralympic Welcome Home Dinner, and the Governor addressed guests.
Good morning, Premier, Minister, Lord Mayor, and of course our incredible Olympians and Paralympians here this morning, receiving the rapturous welcome you so richly deserve from a grateful state!
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 all First Nations people here this afternoon.
It is such an honour, and a great pleasure, to be here today to celebrate your sporting achievements and welcome you and your coaches, family and supporters who travelled with you home at last.
I was fortunate enough to represent Queensland in Paris for the Olympics, and can easily say it was among the proudest moments of my time as Governor, watching our athletes convert years –in many cases an entire lifetime – of sacrifice into a few moments of pain, effort, and in so many cases medal placements!
Importantly, for me and for the people of Queensland, I also spent time with those who will largely shape the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.
Their sole focus, other than cheering you on, was to gain a deep understanding of what worked, and didn’t work, about this magnificent event from your perspective.
More recently, Graeme and I have been fixed to our TV screen whenever possible, cheering on our Paralympians.
You have barely had time to return, recover and absorb the impact the Games had on you personally, but I feel confident in saying the impact you have had on us is profound and long-lasting.
Enjoy your time here among people who cheered you on from afar, and probably quite a few who hope to one day take your place on the Olympic podium. On behalf of all Queenslanders, congratulations – we are so very proud of you all. Bravo!
Premier and Ministers; Lord Mayor; Chair of the Olympic and Paralympic Team Appeal Queensland Committee, Mr Mark Stockwell; Australian Olympic Committee President, Mr Ian Chesterman AM and Paralympics Australia President, Ms Alison Creagh AM CSC; our Olympic and Paralympic administrators and athletes; distinguished guests; ladies and gentlemen.
I thank Brad Hore for his Acknowledgement of Country, and also pay my respects to the Original Custodians of Brisbane, the Jagera and Turrbal people, and extend my respects to Elders past, present and emerging and all First Nations people here this evening.
May I also acknowledge the wonderful performances of the Qantas Girls Choir and Mr Rupert McCall, who never fails to entertain with his wondrous wit!
It was a great honour for Graeme and I to represent Queensland in Paris in July – the thrill of watching the spectacular Opening Ceremony on the Seine and cheering on our athletes in stadiums dotted around one of the most beautiful cities in the world will stay with us forever.
Those experiences, as well as visiting the Olympic Village and attending some of the events, gave us both a foretaste of the excitement that we can all expect in Brisbane in eight years’ time, but, importantly, they also gave us a foretaste of what is required to create a positive Games experience for our athletes.
The estimated cost of providing the state-of-the-art facilities and services needed to prepare Australian athletes for the Paris Games was 25 million dollars, funds that were raised solely through the Australian Olympic Committee. With no federal government funding, the Committee relies solely on sponsorship and donations made through fundraising events such as tonight’s dinner.
Graeme and I were therefore delighted to receive the invitation from the Queensland Team Appeal Committee to join you for this celebration because it gives me the opportunity, on behalf of all Queenslanders, to thank the generous sponsors, institutions and individuals here tonight for the support they have given to the Queensland Team Appeal Committee.
That support helped give our Queensland athletes and Para-athletes the best possible chance of success in Paris, and ongoing support will help ensure victories in Los Angeles in four years’ time and here at home in 2032.
Of course, the other reason we were so pleased to accept the invitation to be with you for this celebration is that it enables me, as Governor, to formally and publicly congratulate each and every one of the Olympic and Paralympic athletes here tonight.
Every Queenslander is in awe of your skill, determination, sportsmanship, and commitment to the Olympic ideals and I thank you for giving us such fine examples of what can be achieved through hard work, dedication and belief.
You have not only earned the lifetime right to the title of Olympian or Paralympian, but can claim a direct connection to the athletes of the very first Olympics, 2,800 years ago, and to the original Olympians, the 12 Gods of ancient Greece who lived on Mt Olympus.
You can all be very proud of that heritage and of your contribution to the latest chapter in the long and noble history of the Olympic Games.
Congratulations and welcome home!
