Praise for the region’s power
A LITTLE bit of royalty came to Charters Towers this week, with the arrival of the Queensland Governor for the Regional Government House.
Governor Paul de Jersey flew into town on Monday to start a week of ceremonial and community duties in Charters Towers, Julia Creek and Croydon.
Mr de Jersey, whose time as Governor finishes in November, said regional travel had been one of the great highlights of his time as Governor.
“It has enabled me to meet Queenslanders in many places and from many backgrounds, and to draw inspiration from their openness and humour, strength and powerful sense of community,” he said.
Mr de Jersey said Charters Towers may have reinvented itself after gold production tailed off to be an education, pastoral, gold mining, arts and tourist hub, but it was also a people hub for the wider community and smaller townships.
During his visit to Charters Towers the Governor stopped to see the Women of the Outback Shed, met with community representatives, spent time with the Scouts, visited Dillinga Dream, Towers Arts, All Souls St Gabriels School, the Venus Battery and the QCWA.
His stop at All Souls included a reading of his book Gavel the Vice-regal Dog and a tree planting, in his capacity as the patron of Open Minds, which began as the Queensland Wattle Day League in 1912.
A wattle tree was planted at the school, with Mr de Jersey telling students he hoped they would measure their growth against that of the tree in the future.
On Tuesday he visited Julia Creek, meeting with Mckinlay Shire Council representatives before visiting the school, the bakery and the Visitor Information Centre.
On Thursday he will travel to Croydon as part of the trip before returning to Charters Towers for official engagements on Friday.
Mr de Jersey said as his tenure as Governor drew to a close he wished Charters Towers and the region every success in the future.
“This is a remarkable town, so steeped in Queensland history, and its people are rightly proud of it,” he said.