Speeches
Thursday, 24 September 2026
Morning Tea for past and current recipients of the Pastor Sir Doug Nicholls and Lady Gladys Nicholls Scholarships
Rod and I warmly welcome you all to Government House.
First, congratulations on being a current or previous recipient of a Pastor Sir Doug Nicholls and Lady Gladys Nicholls Scholarship.
This is a significant achievement. The GLF program has the capacity to significantly shape both your career and your contribution to South Australia, which alumni here today understand well.
As Governor, I am pleased to mark this occasion with representatives of both the Leaders Institute of South Australia and the Office of the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment, whose shared relationship makes these scholarships possible.
Pastor Sir Doug Nicholls and Lady Gladys Nicholls were two remarkable Australians whose leadership, service and advocacy created a legacy which has endured.
Sir Doug’s role as the first indigenous State Governor, anywhere in Australia, was an important step forward for the advancement of First Nations people in this country, while Lady Nicholls was an inspiring and effective activist, fundraiser and community leader in her own right.
The couple’s example continues profoundly to influence contemporary leaders, particularly those who, like them, bring a deep sense of purpose and diverse lived experience to public service.
I am heartened that this scholarship keeps their legacy alive within the South Australian public sector, more than half a century after their pioneering contributions.
For 27 years, the Leaders Institute of South Australia has developed leaders with impact across our state, and I note this milestone with pleasure.
More than 950 participants have graduated from the Governor's Leadership Foundation Program, forming a growing network of leaders across government, business and community.
This network is a defining aspect of the Institute's contribution to South Australia, deepening ties between sectors that too often work apart.
Investing in diverse public sector leaders is of vital importance, particularly leaders who can navigate complexity, build trust and bring different perspectives to public service.
Within this challenging context of rapid change and rising public expectation, I believe our public sector is strengthened when it reflects the full diversity of the community it serves.
The Governor's Leadership Foundation program brings leaders together across organisational and sector boundaries, building relationships founded on cooperation and understanding.
Those relationships, I have found, endure well beyond the program's ten months, deepening friendships and helping to forge new opportunities for years afterward.
I have seen, in my visits around the state, how graduates of this program go on to make a notable contribution to their communities and workplaces.
I thank Erma Ranieri, Commissioner for Public Sector Employment, and her colleagues at OCPSE, for their dedication to this partnership with the Leaders Institute since 2019.
That partnership has funded two scholarships each year, supporting sixteen public sector leaders from diverse backgrounds to complete this program.
I am pleased to see that this commitment continues, with two further scholarships funded again this year.
To the recipients gathered here this morning, I encourage you to use your leadership, your networks and the power of your voice in service of South Australia.
Sir Doug and Lady Nicholls showed what leadership grounded in service looks like, and I encourage each of you to carry that example forward.