2026 Victorian Senior of the Year Awards

I begin by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the lands on which this House stands, the Wurundjeri and Bunurong people of the Eastern Kulin Nation, and pay my respects to their Elders, past and present.

Good morning.

More than 140 years ago, a young woman named Nellie Mitchell performed at a reception here at Government House.

She played the piano and sang.

Afterwards, Lady Normanby, the wife of the then Governor, offered Nellie some advice.

“You play brilliantly,” she told her, “but you sing much better.”

She urged Nellie to cultivate her voice, predicting that she would have a great career.

She certainly did.

Taking the name Melba from her hometown, Dame Nellie Melba went on to become one of the most famous singers of her time.

She performed at Covent Garden, across Europe and the United States, sang before royalty, and returned home to enormous crowds.

By 1926, Dame Nellie had been performing internationally for almost 40 years.

And at the age of 65, she gave what was billed as her farewell performance at Covent Garden.

Only it was not quite the end.

The following year, she sang at the opening of Parliament House in Canberra, and then continued making appearances after that.

Her ‘farewell’ performances became so frequent that Australians gave them a name.

“Doing a Melba” came to mean announcing your retirement, and then carrying on regardless.

I imagine that instinct will be familiar to more than a few people here today.

Because these Awards recognise people who have continued to contribute long after others might have expected them to slow down.

Last year, I had the pleasure of speaking with Victorian Senior of the Year Patrick Templeton.

Since turning 60, Patrick volunteered more than 30,000 hours with Operation Stitches, supporting children and families across Melbourne’s public housing communities.

To put that in perspective, 30,000 hours is the equivalent of about 15 years of full-time work.

Patrick’s contribution is extraordinary, but it reflects something we see right across Victoria, including in this room today.

Senior members of our communities continue to lead organisations, mentor younger generations, and give their time to causes they believe in.

And that contribution matters now more than ever.

We live in an era when information has never been easier to find.

But information and wisdom are not the same thing.

Wisdom comes with experience: knowing what truly matters, what can be learned from the past and how that experience can help guide those who come after us.

In times of uncertainty, that wisdom is invaluable.

These Awards recognise those who have chosen to use their experience to help others and make a real difference.

To all those nominated, and to this year’s recipients, thank you for what you have given to Victoria, and for everything you are still giving.

Looking around this room today, I think Dame Nellie Melba would have found herself in very good company.

Because as she herself showed us, no matter how much you have achieved, there is always time for another encore.

I now invite Minister Staikos to address us.