Saturday, 7 March 2026
Government House
Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC

Thank you, Toby.^[1]

We have a tradition at Government House, when welcoming guests to important occasions such as this, of using words of greeting in the language of the Gadigal, Traditional Owners of these lands and waterways—Gadigal Ngura, Gadigal Country.

Bujari Gamarruwa

Diyn Babana, Gamarada

In doing so, I pay my respects to Gadigal Elders past, present, and emerging, as well as to the Elders of all parts of our State from which you travel.

Chief Commissioner,^[2] Chief Commissioner-Designate,^[3] Deputy Chief Commissioner,^[4] Assistant Chief Commissioners,^[5] Scouts NSW Board members, staff, and volunteers; family, friends, distinguished guests all,

It is a privilege and honour, as Chief Scout of NSW, to celebrate with you all the achievements of the 19^[6] extraordinary young people being honoured here today with their Scouting awards.

It is important to note, on the eve of International Women’s Day, that, of our 19 recipients, 9 are young women…

In the same vein, I was delighted, but not surprised, to see that of the 8 current or former Scouts NSW members recognised in this year’s Australia Day Honours List, half were women.^[7]

Of course, when Scouting began in Australia in 1908,^[8] the same year Lord Baden-Powell’s Scouting for Boys was first published, anything approaching such gender parity in Scouting would have been unimaginable.^[9]

It wasn’t until 1973 that Scouts Australia began admitting young women to the Venturer and Rover Scout sections, expanded to all other sections by 1990.^[10]

By 2023, and the celebrations of 50 years of women in Australian Scouting, 34% of Scouts Australia’s youth membership was female, with close to 40% of adult leaders being women.^[11]

Here, in NSW, the following year, Anthea Cudworth was appointed as the first female Chair of the NSW Scouts Board, with Kaylene Hubbard as her Deputy Chair and Niamh Hamilton, who is with us today, as Deputy Chief Commissioner.^[12]

The current CEO, Carolyn Campbell, also with us today, was our second female CEO when appointed in 2022.

I take this moment to congratulate these women—and the many others in Scouts NSW—on their contributions to Scouting in this State, and, in particular, to Carolyn, who is finishing up next month.

To you, Carolyn, the warmest of thanks for all you have done for Scouts NSW, and the very best wishes as you take up the reigns at Hockey NSW.^[13]

And while I am thanking people, it would be remiss of me not to mention the incredible Lloyd Nurthen. His term as Chief Commissioner is also finishing in April… many thanks Lloyd for all the energy and commitment you have brought to the role.

You will leave big shoes to fill, but I am sure that Belinda Howell, as Interim Chief Commissioner, has all the qualities—in spades—to do so.

With this appointment this means that, as of this weekend, we will have a female Governor General (Chief Scout of Australia), Governor of NSW (Chief Scout of NSW), Chair of the Scouts NSW Board, CEO, Chief Commissioner Designate, and Deputy Chief Commissioner!^[14]

For all the history in this, though, today is, of course, about our awardees… all of them.

To you, I say: ‘stand proud’ for all the effort, commitment, and resolve you have employed to get to this point.

You have set goals, undertaken tasks, planned and adapted. You have overcome setbacks unexpected and challenging, learned from them, and then moved on.

You have organized, mentored, and led; supported and encouraged each other; and given back to community through action and example.

You have squeezed every drop from your experiences, forged lifetime friendships, and added your own flourish to the long and growing story of Scouting in this State.

In doing so, by embodying core Scouting values of diversity, inclusion, and teamwork, you have enriched yourselves and, in doing so, enriched our community.

In my time as Governor, I have presided over a lot of these presentation ceremonies… each one is different, each awardee I meet coming with their own story, their own unique experiences and perspectives. But there is always a constant—a special something—about every one of them.

Now, with my background in law, evidence—as data—is always important.

Last year, Resilient Youth Australia conducted a survey in which a national sample of Australian Scouts aged 8-18 were compared with 110,000 of their peers.^[15]

Its results back up my feelings on what is special about Scouting and the empowering opportunities it delivers.

Overall, according to the survey responses, in comparison with their peers, Scouts are 10% more likely to feel good about themselves, 23% more likely to talk with others if they are upset, and 20% more likely to deal with problems.^[16]

They feel 10% better at coping with life, are 9% more positive, 11% more likely to get along with different people, and 13% more likely to help others.^[17]

Also, Scouts are 6% more likely to enjoy doing things, 10% more likely not to use devices overnight, and 36% more likely to read for fun.^[18]

That’s pretty emphatic!

Resilient, connected, and committed to community. With youth like you—with your talents, curiosity, and resolve—our future is in good hands.

Congratulations on achieving completion of your peak awards. I look forward to hearing about your experiences and aspirations.