Order of Australia Investiture Ceremonies

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.

It is my great pleasure to welcome you all to Government House for this investiture ceremony.

Just over the Yarra stands a monument paying tribute to the legacy of one of Victoria’s greatest athletes.

You may have passed it along Olympic Boulevard on the way here.

It depicts John Landy – a boy from Castlemaine who became one of the world’s best middle-distance runners.

And yet this statue does not honour Landy’s athletic achievements.

Rather, it immortalises an important moment that took place seventy years ago.

At the time, Landy was at the top of his game.

He held the world record for the mile and, with the Melbourne 1956 Olympic Games only a few months away, expectations for him could hardly have been higher.

But it was during the Australian mile championship race at Olympic Park that a fellow runner named Ron Clarke tripped and fell directly in front of Landy.

Landy tried his best to leap over him, but in doing so he caught Clarke’s shoulder with the spikes of his shoe.

He could have simply kept running.

Instead, he stopped and doubled back.

He apologised, made sure Clarke wasn’t badly hurt and then helped him to his feet.

The two men then began running again together.

By then, the rest of the field had opened a considerable lead.

But astoundingly over the final two laps, Landy caught up with them all and won.

It was an extraordinary performance that would later be voted the finest Australian sporting moment of the twentieth century.

Yet, the reason we remember it today isn’t just because Landy won.

It was because when Clarke fell, Landy didn’t stop to calculate what helping him might cost.

His response was instinctive:

Another person needed a hand, so he lent one.

Landy would later be appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia, recognised not only for his contribution to sport, but for his work in rural research, environmental awareness and the wider community.

As the twenty-sixth Governor of Victoria, he too stood here and presented honours to Australians whose service and achievement had earned national recognition.

Today, it is your service, your achievements and the contributions you have made over many years that we recognise.

As we have heard in your citations, that instinct to lend a hand can be expressed in so many different ways.

It can be seen in the person who draws on their many years of knowledge and experience to improve their field, solve difficult problems and help others succeed.

It can be seen in the volunteer who returns week after week because a club, charity or community organisation depends upon good people being willing to help.

And it can be seen in those who accept responsibility in a moment of crisis or great danger.

If you were to visit Landy’s statue on Olympic Boulevard, you will find a letter inscribed on the plaque underneath it.

It was penned to Landy by a sports journalist in the days after that famous race.

In it, the journalist wrote:

“A lot of people are wondering why you pulled up. The truth is, of course, that you didn’t think about it. It was the instinctive action of [someone] whose mate is in trouble.”

For the recipients here today, I am sure you were not thinking about this kind of acknowledgement as you went about your work.

You were not calculating the chance of personal benefit.

And you may not have even seen firsthand the full impact of your service – although your referees did.

But you did it anyway.

And so, today, we give a public recognition that is often not sought, but always richly deserved.

The value of what you do will continue to be felt for years to come.

It will live on in the people you have taught, the institutions you have strengthened, the knowledge you have shared and the opportunities you have created for others.

More than any statue or medal, that is your monument – your legacy.

Just like John Landy that fateful day, you have all demonstrated the impulse to lend a hand.

And we are all lifted as a result.

Thank you.