Australian Red Cross 2021 Florence Nightingale Medal Presentation Ceremony, Government House

[E&OE]

I begin by acknowledging that Government House sits on the land of the Ngunnawal People here in the ACT. If you’re a Canberran, you’ll know what a beautiful part of the country this is. We thank them for looking after it for us, for generation after generation, and pay our respects to their elders past and present.

Good morning, everyone, and welcome to Government House.

To the Gleeson family particularly, it is a delight for Linda and me to host you and to honour Bernadette ‘Detta’ Gleeson at this Australian Red Cross Florence Nightingale Medal Ceremony.

Detta is a worthy recipient and the only Australian amongst the 25 recipients of the 2021 Florence Nightingale Medal – the highest international distinction a nurse can achieve.

It is a special occasion in the life of Australian Red Cross and for Detta's family.

Welcome, all.

By coincidence, our lives have intersected this week with three remarkable women – Her Majesty the Queen last Sunday, the late Ms Vivian Bullwinkel, a former recipient of the Florence Nightingale Medal, this Sunday, and Detta Gleeson today.

Last Sunday, Linda and I attended a Thanksgiving Service in honour of Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

Towards the end of the Service I was invited to say a few words about Her Majesty and her reign of 70 years.

Following her Coronation on 2 June 1953, Her Majesty made a broadcast in the evening, reflecting on the events of the day, thanking the public for their support and promising to serve the nation:

‘I have in sincerity pledged myself to your service, as so many of you are pledged to mine. Throughout all my life and with all my heart I shall strive to be worthy of your trust.’

For so many Australians, Her Majesty epitomises servant leadership and, particularly in the modern age, sets an example for all.

From Detta’s lifetime of service, it is clear that she too is a model of servant leadership.

As we heard earlier, right up to the time of her diagnosis, she was devoting her time, her heart and her mind to caring for people impacted by armed conflicts around the world – in Afghanistan, Sudan, Somalia, Libya and in other places.

I have been to many of these places. I understand the environment. In many trouble spots where humanitarians work, societal and institutional structures have disappeared. Humanitarianism can often be dangerous work.

We also heard in the citation that Detta inspired people – not just in the health field but more broadly across the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement.

This is significant insofar as she was training and preparing the next generation of nurses and health professionals.

We know that there will be more disasters in the future.

Her legacy and impact will continue through the example she set and the emerging leaders she mentored.

In honouring Detta, I want to recognise the role of her family. Thank you for supporting her. Thank you for her.

This ceremony is also an occasion to acknowledge and thank Australian Red Cross – the facilitators of the ‘power of humanity’. Red Cross has been part of Australian life for 108 years, working to improve the lives of vulnerable people and communities in Australia and abroad.

We thank Australian Red Cross and we acknowledge the outstanding contribution of Bernadette (‘Detta’) Gleeson, posthumous recipient of the 2021 Florence Nightingale Medal.

She leaves an outstanding legacy of ‘service before self’.

In the words of Florence Nightingale, ‘A human being does not cease to exist at death.’

[Ends]