Prime Minister
Well, thank you very much. It's a great honour and privilege to join with you all here today.
Can I commence by acknowledging, of course, the Dharawal and Gundungurra people. And thank you for the welcome to country today and the just wonderful singing of our national anthem in Dharawal. That is something that young children in my electorate in the Sutherland Shire have done for many, many years. And my children grew up singing in Dharawal as well at their local schools. And I can only think of Harvey and Charlotte growing up and learning the anthem in that language as well. It is absolutely beautiful.
Can I acknowledge the elders past, present and future. Can I acknowledge any veterans serving men and women of the Defence Forces who are here with us today. And say, just simply thank you for your service.
To all those volunteers, particularly the rural fire service who are here with us today, thank you for your service.
To the Premier Gladys Berejiklian, thank you for your leadership in such an incredibly tough year here in New South Wales. You've been a great supporter, a great colleague, and I greatly appreciate the strength that you've shown here in our largest state.
To Angus Taylor, the Member for Hume, he is here in that capacity today, thank you for your leadership here on the ground during the terrible Black Summer of fires that was endured. And to Nat also to you the Member for Wollondilly the same, Councillor Robert Kahn the Mayor of Wollondilly Shire, Commissioner Rob Rogers thank you Rob for your leadership that extends now and into the future. But of course, if you would join me in acknowledging the former Commissioner, Shane Fitzsimmons from Resilience New South Wales. And it's great to see you both here today.
To the O'Dwyer family and the Keaton families, to Melissa and to Charlotte, to Jess and to Harvey, to the parents, to the brothers and sisters, of all the extended family that comes together today and of course, to the members of the Horsley Park brigade and to Darren Nation, a champion of a leader who is an example to so many right across the brigade and of course, the local Buxton brigade here as well, and all the RFS members who fought those fires together.
Thank you for inviting me to mark the formal opening of this Memorial Park in honour of Geoff and Andrew.
There have been many moments of sadness in this past year, and I hope as I have already conveyed, that this is a day that might have a light of joy for you on this long road.
It's another step in the journey, a tough journey I know for the families. I hope this is a day that you can look back on as a day of some joy.
Children have a great capacity to bring love and to create joy, and to generate laughter.
I want to thank the Buxton community and the Wollondilly Shire for their efforts to make this day in this wonderful place a reality.
It was a generous action, one supported at all levels, so the children could come and play, so they could establish a new hope.
Children can heal us in a way that we can never understand or explain.
And so this place will be a place of healing.
It'll be a place of peace, of quiet reflection, but above all, a place to play. A place for children like Charlotte and Harvey, who I know have given their very strong seal of approval, earlier today as I watched them play.
It's great to see them here today. They’re fantastic kids, who I know bring great comfort to their families through all of this.
I'm sure, and I hope, your dads would have loved this place as your mums, I'm sure do.
We all wish that Geoff could have chased Harvey through this fire truck behind me, and that Andrew could have lifted Charlotte up to help grasp the monkey bars. While Jess and Melissa watched over enjoying a cup of coffee and a bit of a catch up.
I hope this is a place where Harvey and Charlotte and their mums and their broader families can feel the presence of Geoff and Andrew.
It is said that one of the meanings of the word Wollondilly means a place where spirits dwell. I'm sure that will be true here in this very special place.
Anniversaries are difficult, particularly anniversaries of the nature that we mark here in coming times.
Australians will never forget all of those who served so valiantly, our volunteer firefighters and what they did for us during our Black Summer.
I'll personally never forget Horsley Park’s decision, under Darren's leadership, to honour their colleagues by getting back out there on the fire trail.
A while back, I had the privilege of speaking and addressing and honouring some veterans of World War II. And I said to them, we pledge to always be a country as good and as courageous as you.
Good and courageous. That's Geoff and Andrew.
Let's make the same pledge to them again this day. And not just to them, but to David Moresi too, and Sam McPaul and Bill Slade and Matt Kavanagh and Ian McBeth, Paul Hudson and Rick DeMorgan Junior. Those who we also lost in the Black Summer.
And good and courageous is how we would also describe our RFS volunteers and particularly those at Horsley Park, and of course here in Buxton.
I’ve mentioned Darren Nation a few times, I want to acknowledge him here today, personally, he has been a constant source of encouragement and strength and an inspiration to me over this past year, and I thank you, Darren for leading locally and encouraging nationally.
All of you keep us safe and it's everyone who supports them beside- behind the scenes as well gathered here today, spouses, kids who are all too familiar with the interrupted dinners, the hasty departures of birthday parties and the sounds of pagers or phones going off, you are all good and courageous.
So today, again, I feel sad for the loss, certainly. But also I'm reaching out to that joy that is there for all of us to take, in this wonderful playground.
A place of pride, pride in the selflessness of Geoff and Andrew, pride in the brigade and the community who have rallied here together, pride in the good and courageous people who protect us every day.
I'm sure the Premier feels the same way. And the other Ministers, representatives of the community here.
I have never felt more proud of Australia as we draw to the end of this terrible year, as I do now.
I've never felt more proud of our country and of my home state of New South Wales.
So, for many here. You did not get a Christmas last year. And again, Christmas this year I'm sure will be difficult.
There will be grief, but also, hopefully, the joy of the wonderful message of Christmas for all of you.
I hope and pray that the buds and sprigs of laughter and joy will be found again in your lives this Christmas and beyond. That’s my Christmas wish and prayer for you all.
It's a great honour to be with you all here today.
God bless.
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