GOVERNOR-GENERAL'S OVERSEAS VISIT

20 April 1999

The Governor-General, Sir William Deane, and Lady Deane, left Canberra today for a 15-day overseas trip, during which they will attend the Anzac Day ceremonies at Gallipoli and in Britain make the customary mid-term call upon Her Majesty The Queen. Sir William and Lady Deane will also make State Visits to Ireland and Turkey. It is the first occasion on which Sir William has been overseas since he was sworn in as Governor-General on 16 February, 1996. During his absence the Governor of Western Australia, His Excellency Major-General Michael Jeffery, AC, MC will be the Administrator of the Commonwealth.

Sir William and Lady Deane today flew by RAAF Falcon aircraft to Christmas Island, where they will meet members of the community and attend a civic welcome. Tomorrow they will visit the district high school and view a multicultural display. Major-General Jeffery will sign the Proclamation assuming the Administration of the Commonwealth when the Governor-General leaves the Australian territory of Christmas Island on Wednesday afternoon.

In Turkey from 23-25 April, the Governor-General and Lady Deane will attend the Anzac Day commemorative services on the Gallipoli Peninsula. Sir William will deliver the address at the joint Australian-New Zealand Dawn Service at Anzac Cove and at the Australian service at Lone Pine. The Governor-General and Lady Deane will also attend the Turkish International Ceremony, the service for the Turkish 57th Regiment, and the New Zealand commemorative service at Chunuk Bair. At Canakkale, on the Dardanelles, Sir William will present computer equipment as a Direct Aid Project to the Mustafa Demircioglu Girls Training Home as a goodwill gesture to the people of the area who have done so much to preserve the Anzac heritage.

Sir William and Lady Deane will be in Britain from 26-28 April, during which they will make the customary mid-term call upon Her Majesty The Queen at Windsor Castle on Tuesday, 27 April. From 29 April to 2 May, Sir William and Lady Deane will make a State Visit to Ireland, the first occasion on which an Australian Governor-General has made an official visit to that country. They will attend a number of official functions as guests of Her Excellency President Mary McAleese and of the Government of Ireland. Sir William will receive an Honorary Doctorate in Laws from the University of Dublin, and visit an International Fund for Ireland project at Dundalk to which Australia has contributed.

On their return journey to Australia, the Governor-General and Lady Deane will visit Ankara as official guests of His Excellency President Demirel and of the Government of Turkey from 2-3 May. They will attend a State luncheon in their honour, and lay a wreath at the Ataturk Mausoleum.

On Wednesday, 5 May, Sir William and Lady Deane will visit the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, meeting school children and members of the local community. They will return to the Australian mainland on Tuesday, 6 May, where the Governor-General will open the new joint facility at Port Hedland airport for the Royal Flying Doctor Service and the School of the Air. Sir William and Lady Deane will arrive in Canberra that night.