Endeavour Foundation's 75th anniversary  Parliamentary Reception

Representing the Premier, Minister for Families, Seniors and Disability Services and Minister for Child Safety and the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence, the Honourable Amanda Camm MP; Ministers; Mr Speaker, the Honourable Pat Weir MP; Leader of the Opposition, the Honourable Stephen Miles MP; Members of Parliament; Endeavour Foundation, Chair, Ms Elizabeth Jameson AM and CEO, Mr Andrew Chesterman, staff and supporters; distinguished guests; ladies and gentlemen.

It is a pleasure to join you here at Parliament House to mark 75 years of Endeavour Foundation. This is a fitting place in which to do so, given the Foundation began as an act of advocacy — and advocacy is what brings all of us to this building today.

In 1951, a small group of Queensland parents refused to accept that their children would be shut out of a classroom. Rather than wait for others to act on their behalf, they gathered on the verandah of a suburban Brisbane home and started a school of their own, with no funding, no policy framework and no precedent to follow.

They were asking for something that now seems fundamental: the opportunity for their children to learn, work, and live with dignity and independence — and to have a say in their own lives.

But 75 years ago, those opportunities could not be taken for granted. What followed was not simply the growth of an organisation, but the growth of an idea — that people with intellectual disability should have the same opportunities to contribute, and to belong.

The Endeavour Foundation has helped turn that idea into reality for generations of Queenslanders. Today it supports more than 6,500 people across Australia, helping people with intellectual disability to learn, work and participate in community life.

And it has been a pioneer in creating meaningful employment, becoming Australia’s largest employer of people with intellectual disability, providing opportunities to develop skills, earn an income, build confidence and experience the belonging that comes from being part of a workplace.

Those numbers and achievements are significant. But the real impact of Endeavour Foundation is found in the story of each individual this incredible organisation has supported. Several of them are here with us today, and this anniversary belongs to you as much as to anyone else.

What is to many simply an expectation of adulthood — a first pay packet, moving into a home of one’s own, an independent lifestyle — is, for them, never guaranteed. However, with each new skill learned, each friend met, each team joined — and with Endeavour’s help — people with a disability can also accomplish this rite of passage.

Perhaps even more importantly, and in keeping with the principle that has remained at the heart of Endeavour since those parents first gathered in 1951, they can have the opportunity to speak up for themselves, make informed choices and exercise choice and control in their own lives. That is the power of inclusion.

As Patron, I have been able to see this founding principle in action many times and I thank everyone who has played a part in carrying this organisation forward over the decades.

I acknowledge the leadership of the Foundation and the many staff, volunteers and supporters whose work ensures that its founding spirit remains alive.  

My term as Governor will soon conclude, but the work that Endeavour Foundation represents — challenging assumptions and creating genuine opportunities for people with disability — continues.  

Hopefully, the change those brave parents fought for will be fully realised before too long.  

Until then, thank you for all that you have done — and continue to do — to make Queensland a more inclusive place for everyone.