Private Investiture of Mr Charlie Cobb OAM

Mayor, Noosa Shire Council, Councillor Frank Wilkie; President, Cooroora Woodworkers Club, Mr John Esson; award recipient Mr Charlie Cobb OAM, your family and friends; club members; ladies and gentlemen. 

I begin by acknowledging the Original Custodians of the lands around Cooroy, and pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and to any First Nations people here today. 

Good afternoon everyone, and thank you for your warm welcome. I am very pleased to be in the beautiful town of Cooroy, to join you for a memorable occasion — the Investiture Ceremony to confer on Mr Charlie Cobb the Medal of the Order of Australia. 

As Governor, I have the special privilege of hosting ceremonies like this one, to honour outstanding Queenslanders. Most often, I congratulate those honoured at a small number of formal ceremonies held at Government House in Brisbane.  

On occasion, I am able to travel to other parts of our wonderful state, hosting ceremonies in some very different locations, including libraries, art galleries, private homes, and even beautiful Mornington Island in the remote Gulf of Carpentaria.  

Closer to home, I recently conducted my first Investiture Ceremony on a beach, right here on the Sunshine Coast. Today marks another first: this will be the only Investiture of my Governorship held in a woodworking club!

This delightful, heritage building is, of course, a very appropriate setting, as Cooroy was itself a timber logging and milling area prior to its development as a thriving town.

As the reading of the citation revealed, the honour bestowed today recognises your service to the community of the Sunshine Coast.  

This Honour not only reflects what you have achieved but speaks to the countless people whose lives you have touched, improved and enriched along the way. 

Notably, this lifetime of generosity has flowed — and continues to flow —through a remarkable list of organisations and charities, where you have often held leadership positions, and made a positive difference. Your local newspaper called it, “decades of quiet service”.

It has been reported that, at the end of your schooling some years ago,6 the comment of one of your teachers appears to have lit a fire within you and helped to make you more determined — as you have modestly put it, in rather scholastic terms — to be “better than average” throughout your life.  

How fortunate the Sunshine Coast region has been to have within its ranks someone who went on to excel in so many aspects of your work and community life.  

Perhaps more important still has been the deep regard and respect in which you are held by so many others — colleagues, friends and family, fellow creatives, club members — individuals and organisations who see in you something greatly to be admired. It was their respect for all you have achieved that led to your nomination for this high honour.  

The Medal of the Order of Australia recognises everyday Australians who do extraordinary things; who use their skills, their leadership and determination, to make a tangible difference in their communities.  

This medal is awarded to those who go above and beyond expectations, who have dedicated themselves to the support of others and, through that service, have underpinned the strength of the entire community.  

On behalf of the people of Queensland, I congratulate you and offer our deep gratitude for your outstanding service.  

Thank you, and congratulations on all you have achieved.