Representing the Premier of Queensland and Minister for Veterans, Minister for Health and Ambulance Services, the Honourable Tim Nicholls MP; Assistant Minister to the Premier, Leader of the House, State Member for Moggill, Dr Christian Rowan MP; Representing the Leader of the Opposition, Member for Inala, Mrs Margie Nightingale MP;  Representing The Lord Mayor of Brisbane, Councillor for Hamilton Ward, Councillor Julia Dixon; Acting Chief Nurse Officer in Queensland, Ms Karen Slater; Chief Midwife Officer, Queensland, Ms Liz Wilkes; Representing the Director of Defence Force Nursing, Squadron Leader Koryn Roberts; President of the Centaur Memorial Fund for Nurses, Colonel Julie Finucane OAM RFD Rtd and Centaur members; senior representatives of veteran and war widows’ support organisations; current serving Defence and civilian nurses and nursing students; relatives of those who served; distinguished guests; ladies and gentlemen.

I begin by also 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 tonight.

I am deeply honoured to once again join you for this solemn Candlelight Vigil. Tonight we gather on the eve of Anzac Day to commemorate what has been described as one of our country’s most devastating wartime tragedies since Gallipoli. 

Most of us know the story of the Centaur, the Australian hospital ship sunk off the coast of Queensland’s Moreton Island in the early hours of the 14th of May in 1943, after being torpedoed by a Japanese submarine.

The sinking of this clearly-marked and illuminated hospital ship sent deep shock waves across Australia, made headlines around the world, and was later deemed a war crime under the 1907 Hague Convention. 

Tonight we pause to honour the memory of the Centaur, its 64 survivors, along with the 268 souls who perished, making this tragic incident the highest casualty list of any merchant ship sunk in the Pacific during the Second World War.

In doing so we also honour the 11 Australian Army nurses who gave their lives that day and – in particular – remember Sister Ellen Savage, the one nurse who did survive.

Described by many as the heroine of the Centaur, Sister Ellen Savage tended to the wounded on makeshift life rafts while concealing her own injuries. For her devotion to duty, she was awarded the George Medal for bravery. 

The story of the Centaur reminds us that nursing has always been more than a profession. It is a calling deeply connected to service, compassion, resilience, and an unwavering belief in the welfare of others and in the value of every life.

As we pay tribute to Sister Savage and remember her colleagues who died that day, let us also pause to acknowledge all Australian nurses who have served and continue to serve our country at home and overseas. We thank them for their professionalism, commitment, compassion and ongoing devotion to duty.

In 1948, the Centaur Memorial Fund for Nurses was established to raise funds to invest in activities in memory of the nurses who perished. The 14th of May was declared as Centaur Day, a day to commemorate the 268 lives lost in the incident. 

One of the Fund’s early fundraising campaigns was called ‘Red Roses for Remembrance Day’, which saw nurses across Queensland selling thousands of paper roses made from red and green crepe paper.

In 1949, Centaur Day Commemorations moved to this Shrine where Centaur survivors Sister Ellen Savage and Vince McCosker placed a basket of red paper roses in remembrance of their colleagues.

Shortly, Graeme and I will respectfully place a wreath of red roses in honour of their memory as well.

As Patron of the Centaur Memorial Fund for Nurses, I am proud that this organisation not only ensures we honour the memory of those who perished but contributes so beneficially to advancing nursing and midwifery in Queensland.

As Governor, I thank the Defence Service Nurses RSL Sub Branch for supporting this annual vigil dedicated to the memory of the nurses of the Centaur.

And I acknowledge the enduring pain and suffering of families who have carried the grief of these losses for decades.

I greatly appreciate everyone’s joint efforts to honour this legacy to ensure this national tragedy is not forgotten by later generations, and that their story continues to be told with the respect it deserves. 

So, let us remember the Centaur, her crew, her medical staff, and especially her nurses. Let us continue to honour the legacy of their service and sacrifice, so that we will remember them

Lest we forget.