Coen Community Lunch

Mayor, Cook Shire Council, Councillor Robyn Holmes; Chief Executive Officer, Mr Brian Joiner and your staff; ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls.

I begin by acknowledging the Original Custodians of the lands on which we are gathered, and pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and to all First Nations people here today.

Graeme and I thank you for making us feel so welcome here in Coen. Your town is not just unique in its own right but is extra special to me personally — because this is also the final regional community I will be visiting in my role as Governor of Queensland.

You could say I’ve left the best until last, because there is no doubt that Coen is a fascinating and diverse place.

Aside from its beautiful Cape York location, it is a town that is rich with the stories of its people. Here we celebrate the distinct cultural identities of the Indigenous clans who call this country home, and who continue to keep ancient traditions alive through language, art and the sharing of knowledge. 

We reflect on a past that attracted gold miners, and saw cattle grazing develop into an industry that remains one of the primary economic contributors to the region.

And we pay tribute to all those working in businesses, the school, in essential services, in the Coen Regional Aboriginal Corporation, and in local government, who support both residents and the many travellers making their way to the northern tip.

After lunch I will be meeting more of your amazing people, when I stop by the Health Service — which will be the 150^th and very last medical facility that I will tour as Governor. This fulfils a commitment I made five years ago to Queenslanders to support public health and to promote wellbeing—and for that reason, too, Coen will hold particularly significant memories for me.

I am also looking forward to spending time in your primary school and at the yarning circle, with its stunning sculptures. Such creativity is an important way of showing the vital connection between culture and country.

Coen may be small, but it’s certainly dynamic, and it’s also a place that has shown tremendous resilience — as we saw most recently in March, when Cyclone Narelle made landfall.

While Coen itself was thankfully spared extensive damage, the massive area comprising the Cook Shire was severely affected. Such challenges highlight the consideration and care people in this community show for one another.

You should be enormously proud of your part in making this town such a treasured part of Queensland, and I thank you for your contributions to creating its character and vitality.