Speeches
Wednesday, 16 September 2026
Officially open the Prince Alfred College Preparatory School Building
Thank you to Uncle John for generously conducting a smoking ceremony and Wesley for your acknowledgement of country.
I am delighted to join you all for the official opening of the new Preparatory School building at Prince Alfred College, assisted by Government House Protocol officer Navar Tainton, who is a proud Old Red.
I am pleased as the representative of the Sovereign in South Australia, to continue the long-standing record of Royal association with the College.
Shortly I will unveil a foundation stone, just as His Royal Highness, Prince Alfred, the Duke of Edinburgh did in 1867 – almost 160 years ago.
And I also follow His Royal Highness Prince Edward, then Earl of Wessex and now himself Duke of Edinburgh, who in 2018 unveiled a commemorative plaque to mark the college’s 150th anniversary.
Much has changed and developed, including in some of our approaches to education over the ensuing decades, but Prince Alfred College has remained committed to developing learning, leadership, community involvement, and respect.
Friends
It is wonderful to see this modern, vibrant building completed and in use and in what appears to me, as a reasonably regular traveller along Dequetteville Terrace, to have been a commendably short period time.
It is an impressive building in its own right, but what is particularly exciting is that its design reflects what will happen within.
Its natural light, flexible learning spaces, outdoor areas, and facilities will support collaboration, curiosity, and wellbeing.
In my visits to schools across the state, I have seen how architectural design and interior fit outs of schools can have a positive influence on learning, the way students work together and the relationships they form.
This is particularly so when the design reflects a strong process of consultation with users.
Yours is a building that is so much more than the materials used in its construction. It is an investment in the future of young South Australians.
The primary years from Reception to Year 6 are amongst the most important years of a child’s education.
Boys, these are the years when you develop not only literacy and numeracy, but confidence and creativity. You make friendships, form connections, and develop a love of learning and a sense of belonging.
As Governor I have been privileged to see the many ways education can shape and inspire young people and lay the foundations for their contribution to our community.
In our schools visit program my husband Rod and I have been consistently impressed with young people’s ideas and vision for the future – from rapidly evolving technologies and new industries to climate change and the environment.
Primary school students have been particularly forthcoming with their views!
Boys, I encourage you to be curious and willing to explore.
Make full use of your new building. Your parents and grandparents will have been educated in very different classrooms.
I felt this same sense of curiosity as well as generous leadership when I visited PAC last year and engaged with senior school student leaders.
I know the college prides itself on nurturing our future leaders, building character and engendering a strong sense of community spirit.
You have been doing so since your foundation, contributing to the education of generations of South Australian students, and preparing them not only for the next stage of education, but for life, and for their contribution to this State
Today’s building is the latest chapter in the PAC story.
On an occasion such as today’s there are many to thank for their leadership and collective efforts in bringing the vision to reality:
• The building’s architect, Walter Brooke & Associates;
• Builder Marshall & Brougham Constructions;
• The Prince Alfred College Council, and Infrastructure Committee;
• The donors and supporters whose generosity made this possible.
And of course, the school leaders, staff and students who will bring these spaces to life in the first stage of the broader campus master plan.
It gives me immense pleasure officially to open the new building, and I wish the entire Prince Alfred College community many happy and successful years.