Speeches
Wednesday, 16 April 2025
University of South Australia Graduation Ceremony
Rod and I are pleased to join you for this ceremony. I trust it is one graduands will always remember with pride.
I begin by congratulating the Hon Cathy Branson on receiving her Honorary Doctorate today.
It’s lovely to share this occasion with you.
Cathy is someone from whom we can all learn a great deal.
Congratulations to all 159 graduands of the Bachelor of Nursing!
It would be difficult to find a single South Australian who has not been cared for by a nurse.
You support us from birth to death, from the most joyful to the most difficult times in our lives.
I firmly believe that nursing is not just an occupation, it’s a vocation, and I thank you all for choosing this path.
My late aunt Margaret was a nurse and spent time working in country hospitals.
I recently travelled to Crystal Brook in the southern Flinders Ranges to join celebrations for the centenary of the Crystal Brook and District Hospital.
Spending time at country hospitals reminds me of the critical importance of nurses – they are often the backbone of the hospital.
In the last 50 years, Crystal Brook has had only four Directors of Nursing, demonstrating the longevity of nurses at the hospital, and their commitment to the local community.
I am proud to have had a second nurse in my family - a cousin twice removed, Sister Patricia Cashmore, who served in the East African Nursing Service during the Second World War.
Tragically, she was killed in 1944 while travelling on a troopship which was sunk by a Japanese submarine.
Sister Patricia is remembered by ‘Cashmore Street’ in Loxton, one of many streets in the town named after Australian World War II nurses who died in service.
I am also extremely grateful to the midwives who supported me during the births of our four children, now adults, at four different hospitals – three in Canberra and one in London.
As you doubtless know, obstetricians will try to get there in time, but midwives are always there when it counts!
As Governor, I also recently visited the Hospital School at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital.
I imagine that working with children in these circumstances could be very challenging emotionally, and the devotion of nurses to their patients and their families was truly inspiring to see.
We know that healthcare can be a challenging profession, but it can also be an incredibly rewarding one, with many opportunities for advancement and to make a real difference in people’s lives.
There are increasing opportunities for specialisation in nursing, so you can follow you individual interests within the field.
Nursing is also a great qualification if you want to travel.
I trust you will all make important contributions to South Australia’s healthcare system, and to those of other states and countries.
I thank UniSA staff for providing you with a firm foundation from which to launch your career, and for organising today’s ceremony.
Congratulations once again, and I wish you all the very best for this next phase of your life as you embark on your careers and see where your abilities and interests lead you.
May there be many exciting adventures ahead!