Wednesday, 29 July 2026
Government House Sydney
Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC

Bujari gamarruwa

Diyn Babana Gamarada Gadigal Ngura

In greeting you this evening in the language of the Gadigal, the Traditional Owners of the land on which we gather, I pay my respects to their Elders past, present, and emerging. I extend that respect also to the Elders of the many parts of our State from which you have travelled tonight.

Commodore^[1], Lieutenant Colonel,^[2] Air Commodore;^[3] Commissioners;^[4] Acting, Deputy, and Assistant Commissioners;^[5] Sheriff,^[6] and, most importantly, representative members, officers, and volunteers from our Defence Force; St John Ambulance; NSW Police; Fire and Rescue NSW; Rural Fire Service; NSW Ambulance; the SES, VRA, and Marine Rescue NSW; Corrective Services NSW; the NSW Sheriff’s Office; The Salvation Army^[7], Red Cross, and Surf Life Saving NSW^[8],

(What a rollcall of excellence!) Welcome.

You know… Dennis and I host many events here at Government House… all kinds of important people, occasions, and organisations… perhaps, like a parent, I shouldn’t play favourites… but… there is something special about our annual Services Reception… particularly the people it brings together to celebrate.

Service is an honour… it also, however, often carries cost.

It is a sacrifice of time with families and friends… potentially of physical and mental health… sometimes, even lives.

Earlier this month, Dennis and I travelled to Ballina to attend a memorial service for members of Marine Rescue NSW whose boat capsized in treacherous seas whilst attempting to come to the aid of a yacht in trouble. Two men lost their lives.

The grief at the service was palpable… the pain and loss obvious.

But what was also evident was immense pride… a feeling the entire community felt for these people willing to put their lives on the line for the sake of strangers, for no reward other than the satisfaction of doing their bit.

Of course, the stakes are not always so high… but they are always there.

Across the year in this room, a variety of award ceremonies are held… invariably – you can almost guarantee it – there are members of our services recognised… and, indeed, many are here tonight.

Each has a story that is unique and individual… but each, whether recognised for actions performed in a moment of crisis or across years or decades, have something in common.

They are constancies, I believe, shared by all who choose to serve in the organisations represented tonight.

There is your dedication and determination – none of what you do is easy; the training alone is mountain enough.

There is your bravery and sacrifice, which I have already mentioned and which, by definition, is hallmark of your work as service.

Then… there is this – perhaps the root from which all this flows – your generosity of spirit, of kindness, and of goodness that makes your commitment possible.

It is a contribution – the sum of all the efforts you have made and will continue to make – that is vital to ensuring our communities remain sustained, protected, and supported. And community is everything. It gives us belonging, it gives us identity, it gives us home.

And what better gift – what more honourable endeavour – is there than keeping our community safe? It is a gift each of you provide every day.

Whether at the frontlines, or in the background organising and supporting, you help us prepare for tough times, help us get through them, and help us rebuild afterwards. It is a constancy, a willingness to unflinchingly shoulder responsibility that is reassuring, calm, and always professional.

So often, your focus is others… tonight, I want to turn that around.

Because… tonight is an opportunity to celebrate you, your colleagues, and the people who support you… to acknowledge and congratulate your exemplary and often collaborative effort, your remarkable and countless acts of dedicated service, your bravery and care.

It is also an opportunity to honour those who have borne so heavily the cost of that service.

To you, our heroes all: for your being there, always, for us… know that you carry with you always our deepest and most heartfelt pride, gratitude, and respect.