Winston Churchill Fellows Medallion Ceremony

The Honourable Justice Melanie Hindman of the Supreme Court of Queensland; Chair; Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, Dr Richard Roylance CF; Chair of the Queensland Selection Committee, Adjunct Professor Dr Fiona Hawthorne CF, and Committee members; President of the Churchill Fellows Association of Queensland and Churchill Fellow, Ms Maura Solley CF; other attending Churchill Fellows; Medallion recipients; sponsors and supporters; 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.

Graeme and I are delighted to welcome you all here for this morning’s presentation ceremony and, at the outset, I extend our warmest congratulations to each Medallion recipient on reaching this final milestone in your journey as Churchill Fellows.

I also acknowledge the Churchill Fellows here today, especially the national chairman, Dr Richard Roylance. Richard’s 1992 project to examine child protection and abuse has informed his vital work as a specialist paediatrician even since and is a fine example of the enduring contribution that a fellowship can make to the community.

I also welcome the members of the Fellowship selection committee, the sponsors, the staff of the Trust, the members of the Churchill Fellows Association, and the family members, colleagues and mentors of the recipients who have been able to join us, and thank them all for their commitment, care and support.

It has become almost a cliché to describe the Churchill Fellowship experience as ‘life-changing’, but part of the power of this unique program is that, through the reports submitted and the skills and experience brought back to Australia, each fellow has the potential to change many lives, even all of our lives.

I was struck by this when reading the titles of the projects that this morning’s Medallion recipients have undertaken.

In health and medicine, they have sought innovative approaches and better models of care for those suffering from dementia, for the homeless and poor, and for children and young people suffering from cancer, poor mental health, and genetic eye disease.

The environmental questions they’ve wrestled with include how we can improve wastewater treatment, and how we can produce textiles with zero waste, up-cycle more food, and reduce on-farm food waste.

They’ve investigated the challenging areas of cybercrime and resilience training and the uncomfortable subject of abortion advocacy.

But the Fellows receiving their Medallions today also haven’t overlooked our need, as humans and social beings, to find inspiration, beauty and joy…whether it’s through listening to a piano recital, admiring the skilled craftsmanship of handmade footwear, or finding an unexpected work of informal art in an urban space.

As the past Churchill Fellows here today will tell you, the experience and personal benefits of your fellowship will be life-long, but the Medallions, with your name and the year of your award engraved on the rim, are the permanent, tangible reminder of your achievement.

One of the special features of the Medallion is that it was designed by an artist who himself was a Churchill Fellow. Wojciech Peitranik was a very successful Polish sculptor before he migrated to Australia and became a designer and engraver at the Royal Australian Mint. His Fellowship in 1992 took him to the renowned School of Medallic Art in Rome, and led to his selection as the artist to design the medals for the 2000 Sydney Olympics –– an excellent example of the unexpected things that can come from a Churchill Fellowship.

But your medallions are more than just a memento, they’re a symbol of our gratitude, as a society, for the contribution you have made and will continue to make as a result of the skills, knowledge and experience you have gained as a Churchill Fellow.

I hope you will display them with pride and treasure them as you continue to contribute to a better future for all Australians and inspire others to follow in your footsteps.

Thank you all.