The Governor toured the shire ending her two-day visit with a morning tea at The Sebel and a chance to meet and mingle with some of the shire’s most distinguished volunteers.
Guests included 2025 Order of Australia Medal recipients Debbie Van Corler OAM and Les Harrison OAM.
Professor Gardner said her visit reflected early Governor’s regional tours.
“It’s about being there and talking to the people, seeing the organisations, the communities, the particular differences among parts of the state,” she said.
“I’m getting a deeper understanding of the whole nature of society, the different ways it experiences current circumstances, and what its aspirations are.
“That’s the purpose.”
The Governor said Debbie Van Corler OAM had summarised the spirit of those who were recognised for their volunteering work.
“It’s not the awards; it's the people in your life who think you're worthy of them.”
“One of the reasons that I love those ceremonies, and that it's important I come out and get a chance to talk to you, is what I'm doing on behalf of the state,” Professor Gardner said.
“I’m saying thank you … you know it's really important that you do what you do.
“I'm conscious that there are many stories in this room, and there are many decades of stories behind the people here … of making the community a real community.”
It was Her Excellency’s first-ever visit to Yarrawonga.
Her immediate impression was of a very beautiful town, a beautiful natural environment, and being struck by how much the town had clearly grown.
“That’s a good thing; it shows that it’s vibrant and that people want to be here,” she said.
“What I have seen is this very vibrant, growing shire … a shire with great new opportunities and growing industry.
“(This visit) gave me a much better sense of the sort of circumstances that need to be maintained or enhanced or protected in order for other things to grow and flourish.”
She says by assembling that kind of knowledge, and by having the opportunity to talk to decision-makers in government, she’s able to bring forward the issues that are foremost in people’s minds, and what their big aspirations are.
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