Population 500,000

Population 500,000
Cascade Visitors Centre
8 December 2008

Tasmania…is like a handshake that never lets go.

I have had the good fortune to be born a Tasmanian –…and it has ingrained within me a great pride about the island of my birth. I have always felt more Tasmanian than Australian.

That is why I am incredibly pleased…and proud…to be able to address you today as our State is poised to welcome its 500,000th Tasmanian. Poised to celebrate the day when half a million people call this place home.

Yes we are an island state in a greater entity,…but Tasmania is made in no other earthly image –…we are a land and a people and a culture all of our own. Tasmania is a land that has a timeless quality.

Millions of seasons have come and gone in this place. They have carved out the natural beauty that is so much a part of Tasmanian life –…from the sparkling waters of Wineglass Bay…to the 2000 year old Huon pine trees that still stand on the West Coast.

There is a moment…when you stand with the wind in your face on Cape Grim,…that you feel as though you are the only person on earth.

There is a feeling…when you stare out to sea from the southern tip of Bruny Island….that is as indescribable as the sunset disappearing into the Great Southern Ocean.

The culture of the Aboriginal peoples of Australia is the oldest surviving continuous culture on earth…and we are privileged to be in their continuing company.

All of us who call Tasmania home, have shared experiences that have bonded us together through triumph and tragedy. There are people all around this State, who are able to tell you exactly where they were in the moments that have seared themselves into our memories.

The day in 1967 that the bushfires swept into our suburbs. The day in 1975 when the Tasman Bridge collapsed. I remember being utterly amazed as a child to stare up into the gap across the Derwent River that simply appeared from one day to the next.

The incredible day in 1996 when one man’s madness tore a hole in our community through the tragic events at Port Arthur.

The day in 2004 when former Premier Jim Bacon announced that he had inoperable lung cancer.

Tasmanian moments -…that resonate with everyone who has been a part of the life of this island State. Then there are the experiences that are quintessentially Tasmanian.

How many generations of Tasmanian students can remember seeing the TSO perform Peter and the Wolf in their schools?

Or what about the disappearing house on the old Midlands Highway? It is one of the enduring memories of my childhood.

Or what about that day back in the 1980’s when it snowed all the way down to sea-level here in Hobart. All the schools were closed and every oval was covered in kids on toboggans, hurling snowballs at each other.

These are moments that can’t really be quantified, and yet form such an important part of our collective emotional landscape - ingredients in what makes us Tasmanian.

This island, these islands… have marked us…like a tattoo etched into everything that we do.

I want to dedicate today to the Tasmanians who are perhaps not famous, but who are the hidden icons of this island.   People I have had the privilege to meet since I became Premier of this State – and in whose company I have stood in awe. They reflect the spirit of this place,…and remind me every day of why I’m so proud to be its Premier.

People like Eddie Thomas. I know Eddie very much wanted to be here today, but his personal circumstances have not made it possible. Eddie never met his father – and his mother died from the complications of childbirth. He was stolen from the care of his grandmother on Cape Barren Island as a child of only two months old. Ripped from his community,…disconnected from his culture,…and debarred from all the certainties of life –…Eddie has stood tall as an inspirational Tasmanian. He has reclaimed his connection to a culture as old as time itself. He has rebuilt his life through education, belief and friendship. Eddie Thomas…– proud Tasmanian –…today is about you.

People like Amy Redfearn. Amy is 93 years old, and she still shocked me with her energy and her passion when I met her following a Community Forum in Queenstown. She has seen more life than I can imagine. Through the great events of Australian history – two world wars, a great depression, bushfire, droughts and floods – Amy Redfearn has persevered with an energy and a resilience that defies explanation. She has chosen to make her home on Tasmania’s stunning West Coast…and continues to be more active than people half her age,…as she prepares to go to Adelaide for a holiday in the new year. Amy Redfearn – proud Tasmanian – today is about you.

People like Ben Zocco. Ben is a young man with a very bright future, who I met when he did work experience in my office earlier this year. He has just finished year 10 at Taroona High School.  It is such a Tasmanian thing that I have a connection to Ben…because we were educated in the same school,…walked the same halls,…and I dare say,…sat outside the same offices on detention. As each generation of elders shakes its head at the antics of the young, Ben is a good reminder to all of us of the great gifts that youth bring to our society. Their optimism, their passion, their enormous energy and belief in the future is something we cannot do without. Ben Zocco – Proud Tasmanian – today is about you.

Matty Barwick looks like your average Tasmanian fellar. He loves his footy, good food, and good drink. He also happens to be Tasmania’s Apprentice of the Year for 2008…and is Site Foreman Carpenter for award winning design and construction firm cb&m design solutions in northern Tasmania. In his spare time, not only does he support local sports, but he is a key part of the Tasmanian Scuba Diving club, which has been funded to monitor the advance of incoming sea plant pests into Tasmania. Matty Barwick…– proud Tasmanian –…today is about you.

Florence Wren is an amazing young woman. Tasmania in a sense came upon her by accident as she emigrated here with her Dad from England as a teenager. Florence is the reigning Tasmanian Trainee of the Year – having fallen in love not just with Tasmania but with the hospitality industry in this State. Currently working at the Lenna Hotel in Hobart, I have no doubt that Florence will go on to be Tasmania’s hotel baron of the 21st century. Florence Wren – proud Tasmanian – today is about you.

Richard Gardner and Tom Burbury are men of the land. They are sheep farmers in the midlands, where Tasmanians produce some of the best quality wool on the planet. Like all Tasmania’s farmers, Richard and Tom have battled hard through the realities of drought and heat and dust in recent years – and come out the other side with their heads held high, and with their reputation for quality intact. Our farmers produce wealth for our State and keep many of our rural and regional communities alive and prosperous in good times and in bad. And they are inspiring the next generation of farmers to follow in their footsteps. Tom Burbury and Richard Gardner – proud Tasmanians – today is about you.

Tony Andrikonis has never seen himself as some kind of Tasmanian hero. I first met Tony as a constituent who I doorknocked in 2002. n the years since, he has become a great mate, wise adviser and valued friend. ony is one of those blokes who all his life has given to his local community.   Sometimes called the “King of Moonah”, he can be found at any number of local clubs – from the Buckingham Bowls to the Pensioners Union – offering his skills on the Board, volunteering, helping others and helping out. Tony Andrikonis – Proud Tasmanian – today is about you.

These people are the icons of Tasmania in my eyes. Their passion…and energy…and love of life…and resilience…and strength…and belief…and sense of humour…reflect the characteristics that make this State everything that it is. They are the faces of Tasmania and the stories of who we are and why we are here.

In times of global economic uncertainty, where we are surrounded by gloomy stories on the nightly news, it is nice to stop and reflect on some fundamental truths.

We are…– all of us –…fortunate to live in a place of immense natural beauty –…where we can run with our kids on the beach in clean water, breathing in air as fresh as life itself.

We are…– all of us –…fortunate to have as our friends and neighbours people who in times of trouble don’t turn their backs –…but rather stick out a helping hand…with a wry smile and a quiet word of encouragement.

We are…– all of us –…fortunate to be surrounded by people of all cultures and all places that have come to this island to make it their home –…whose presence here enriches us in everything we do.

As today we begin our search for the 500,000th Tasmanian –…let us remember how lucky we are to know the other 499,999… - who everyday make us laugh and make us cry,…whose stories reflect our own,…whose passions reflect our triumphs…and who join with each of us in a bond that is greater here than in any place on earth.

We are Tasmanian.

And today is about us.

Thank you.