Investiture Ceremony A, Tues 29 April 10am

Representing the Commander, 1st Division and Deployable Joint Force Headquarters, Australian Army, Brigadier Shane Gabriel DSC AM; President of the Order of Australia Association Queensland Branch, Mrs Ronda Nix OAM; distinguished guests; ladies and gentlemen.

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 any First Nations people here this morning.

Over the next three days here at Government House, medals and decorations will be presented to acknowledge the achievements and contributions of more than one hundred Queenslanders.

Each of them has been able to receive this recognition because, for the past 50 years, Australia has had a unique national system of honours and awards, and in this special 50^th anniversary year, it is especially pleasing to welcome President of the Order of Australia Association Queensland Branch, Mrs Ronda Nix OAM as our special guest.

For everyone here at Government House, Investiture Ceremonies are among the highlights of the year, and the six events to be conducted this week mark the culmination of many months of careful preparation.

Everyone involved, from the office and security staff to our chefs and stewards, takes great pride in ensuring that medal recipients and their guests have a memorable day – but Investitures this year have been particularly special for our horticultural team.

Because 2025 marks the 50^th anniversary of the Australian system of honours and awards, the team have created fresh designs for the heritage garden beds on the estate, incorporating flowering plants in blue, red and gold – the colours of the ribbons of the first three honours that were announced in 1975 when our system was established.

Those three honours were the National Medal, the bravery decorations, and the Order of Australia – our nation’s unique society of honour.

Societies of honour and orders of chivalry have a celebrated history dating back to mediaeval times when loyal servants of a king were honoured as knights.

The four levels of the Order of Australia continue that tradition, conferring honours for significant achievements in a particular field of endeavour, or for contributions to a community, the State or the nation.

The number of honours awarded at each level is strictly limited and I was privileged today to present the medal of the Companion of the Order of Australia, the highest honour in the Australian system, to the Honourable Justice Edelman in recognition of his eminent service to the law both here in Australia and internationally.

Only 35 honours at this level can be awarded each year and only for achievement and merit of the highest degree in service to Australia or to humanity at large.

I also once again congratulate Laurie Lawrence on his investiture as an Officer of the Order of Australia. This level of award has a quota of up to only 140 to be awarded nationally each year, and it is an honour not just for Lawrie himself but for Queensland and Australia that his long and dedicated service to swimming and water safety has been recognised in this way.

The three individuals with us this morning who have been made Members of the Order of Australia have also made major contributions to their field of activity and consequently to Australian society through their long and dedicated service. Their careers in ophthalmology, education and public administration could not be more different but one of the outstanding features of the Order of Australia is that it enables an exceptionally broad range of contributions to be acknowledged.

That broad range is seen very clearly in today’s awards of the Medal of the Order of Australia – the OAM. The citations for the OAM recipients at this ceremony demonstrate just how well the award serves its intended purpose of recognising everyday Australians.

Contributions to particular Queensland communities are acknowledged, as well as achievements in nursing, visual arts and sport, including a number of our gold medallists at the Paris Olympic Games.

What unites you is the quest to go above and beyond expectations— a commitment shared by Warrant Officer Shane Smith, whose dedication and service to the Australian Defence Force has been recognised with the Conspicuous Service Medal.

Another feature of the Australian system that ensures the ongoing integrity and international respect for our honours and awards is that they can be made posthumously, and we have had three fine examples of that today in the Late Mr James Cobb, the Late Mr Richard Mitchell and the Late Mr Gavin Patterson. We are honoured that members of their families have been able to attend today to receive their honours on their behalf.

Investiture ceremonies are always a reminder that community is the bedrock of Australian society and we must all do everything possible to maintain its strength.

The Australian system of honours and awards plays a vital part in that effort though identifying and honouring individual Australians for their actions and achievements and for their commitment to making a difference.

For this, every recipient here today deserves the gratitude of every Australian, and on behalf of all Queenslanders, I thank you again for all that you have done and continue to do. Please wear your medals with pride.