Afternoon Tea on Commonwealth Day in Support of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation (GOLDOC)

Kaye and I are delighted to welcome you all to Government House for today’s highly significant occasion.

Significant, because today, as you all know, is Commonwealth Day. As the representative of Queensland’s Head of State, Her Majesty The Queen, here in Queensland, I will have the honour of shortly reading Her Majesty’s Commonwealth Day message.

I will first make a few brief comments.

It is a genuine honour to be your Governor during this exciting Commonwealth Games period.

Only one other Queensland Governor has had the honour of being in this high office in similar circumstances. That was Sir James Ramsay, Queensland’s 20^th Governor, when the 1982 Commonwealth Games were held here in Brisbane.

May I say I am delighted as Governor of Queensland that the twenty-eighteen Games are to be held on our wonderful Gold Coast – and welcome, Mayor Tom Tate!

Going back 32 years, I recall Governor Ramsay had a distinguished naval career. I knew him briefly as an eminent and inspiring Governor. Indeed, he appointed me to the Supreme Court in 1985.

I am unaware of his sporting credentials. I am acutely conscious of the need to attend to mine, and a sometime source of inspiration over the last few months has been witnessing from our balcony the determination of cyclists riding up Fernberg Road. And also, there is the challenge of Darren Lockyer, who impressively flattens the terrain of the neighbourhood on a regular basis.

But that said I should I suppose better stick to fulfilling my community vice-regal duties – which are primarily to support high achievement, and to promote goodwill and cooperation, amongst our citizenry – all wonderful aims of the Commonwealth, and the Commonwealth Games; and easy to do in this company.

And to those of you who were in Glasgow, or followed Glasgow, I should make it clear that while an ardent vice-regal follower of social media, I remain unconvinced about photobombing!

Congratulations to our aspiring athletes, and their families and support crews, upon their high achievements. I wish you all well as you prepare for upcoming events, including, hopefully, the Gold Coast Games.

To the Minister, Mayor, organising committee Chair, CEO and staff – there is a busy road ahead! I look forward to supporting you as best I can, to ensure Queenslanders derive maximum benefit from this exciting event.

Now, as we continue to enjoy this memorable occasion, I proceed to read Her Majesty’s Commonwealth Day message which I do with the utmost loyalty and resolute respect:

One simple lesson from history is that when people come together to talk, to exchange ideas and to develop common goals, wonderful things can happen. So many of the world's greatest technological and industrial achievements have begun as partnerships between families, countries, and even continents.

But, as we are often reminded, the opposite can also be true. When common goals fall apart, so does the exchange of ideas. And if people no longer trust or understand each other, the talking will soon stop too.

In the Commonwealth we are a group of 53 nations of dramatically different sizes and climates. But over the years, drawing on our shared history, we have seen and acted upon the huge advantages of mutual cooperation and understanding, for the benefit of our countries and the people who live in them.

Not only are there tremendous rewards for this cooperation, but through dialogue we protect ourselves against the dangers that can so easily arise from a failure to talk or to see the other person's point of view.

Indeed, it seems to me that now, in the second decade of the twenty first century, what we share through being members of the Commonwealth is more important and worthy of protection than perhaps at any other time in the Commonwealth's existence. We are guardians of a precious flame, and it is our duty not only to keep it burning brightly but to keep it replenished for the decades ahead.

With this in mind, I think it apt that on this day we celebrate ‘A Young Commonwealth’ and all that it has to offer. As a concept that is unique in human history, the Commonwealth can only flourish if its ideas and ideals continue to be young and fresh and relevant to all generations.

The youthfulness and vitality that motivate our collective endeavours were seen in abundance last year in Glasgow. They will be seen again in a few months’ time when Young Leaders from islands and continents gather to make new friendships and to work on exciting initiatives that can help to build a safer world for future generations. And last November in India, talented young scientists from universities and research institutes conferred with eminent professors and pioneers of discovery at the Commonwealth Science Conference where together they shared thoughts on insights and inventions that promise a more sustainable future.

These are stirring examples of what is meant by ‘A Young Commonwealth’. It is a globally diverse and inclusive community that opens up new possibilities for development through trust and encouragement. Commonwealth Day provides each of us, as members of this worldwide family, with a chance to recommit ourselves to upholding the values of the Commonwealth Charter. It has the power to enrich us all, but, just as importantly in an uncertain world, it gives us a good reason to keep talking.