Speeches
Friday, 12 June 2026
Funeral for the late Professor Peter Buckskin AM PSM
Peter alya, Jack alya
There are many people here today who would by rights be individually mentioned.
Let me simply acknowledge Peter’s family and loved ones; his friends; and all who come to do him honour and pay their last respects.
I feel sure that encompasses all here present.
I am honoured today to join the Premier, Deputy Premier and others who will be speaking, to pay tribute to Professor Peter Buckskin, a proud Narungga man from the Yorke Peninsula, and an exceptional contributor to education, reconciliation and public life in our state and our nation.
During today's service, we will hear about the full arc of Peter's life.
I will focus on how I knew him, as Governor, and his work as a Commonwealth public servant, for we were senior public servants in Canberra at the same time.
Supporting reconciliation in ways appropriate for a Governor has been a priority throughout my term, and Peter was at the heart of that work during his decade as Co-Chair of Reconciliation SA.
Every year, when Peter arrived at the National Reconciliation Week breakfast held at the Adelaide Convention Centre, the largest such breakfast held anywhere in Australia, people from across the ballroom, young and old, were drawn to him whether as a friend, a colleague, a mentor, or simply a hugely respected and much loved leader.
He was always immaculately dressed, wearing his trademark hat, smiling and with a twinkle in his eye.
Once the crowds around him subsided, we would have a quiet chat about how it was all going.
Peter would acknowledge the difficulties of the work, but he remained determinedly positive. He did not speak of the challenges in his own life, or the discrimination he had faced or of some of the bigger disappointments of recent years. I expect we may hear more about that today.
Peter taught us, through his actions as much as his words, that reconciliation is not an event or a slogan.
It is built through relationships grounded in truth, listening, respect and shared leadership.
I held in deep regard his career that spanned the classroom, senior executive roles at state and Commonwealth levels, and the post of dean at a university faculty.
Peter was awarded the Public Service Medal (or PSM) in 2001, when he was in his early forties, for his outstanding contribution to Aboriginal education, recognition of his dedication to building stronger relationships between Aboriginal communities and educational institutions.
PSMs are relatively rare and are indicative of exceptional public service.
Once holding the Public Service Medal, even rarer is also to be appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia.
The late Professor Peter Buckskin was granted this distinction in the King's Birthday honours list on Monday, becoming an “AM” for significant service to the Indigenous community through education, research and advocacy, further evidence of the profound regard in which he was held across this community and this nation.
It pains me that this did not come in time for me to be able to invest Peter with his award, though we were able to convey the news to his family before his passing.
As a former diplomat, I also hold in high regard Peter's work representing Australia in international forums, including through the Australian National Commission for UNESCO and the Working Group to the United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, contributing to policy frameworks that recognise and protect Indigenous rights worldwide.
I am heartened to know that Peter’s wisdom, accrued throughout his life, will live on through the people whose lives he touched and to whom I offer my deepest condolences today.
Professor Peter Buckskin AM PSM left an indelible mark on this state and on this nation — a man who showed us that lasting change is made not through grand gestures, but through patient, principled and deeply human relationships.
Vale Peter.