Speech delivered on Thursday 14 May 2026 in Gundagai NSW

On this splendid and a glorious autumn day here in Gundagai, I want to acknowledge the Wiradjuri people as the traditional owners of this land, and pay my respect to their elders past and present, and to all Aboriginal people who have served in our defence forces over time. I also want to acknowledge all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people here today.

Thank you, Mayor McAllister, for your very warm welcome, and having spent some time with you already this morning, I know how important this moment is for everybody here. Now, as you've heard, there are many distinguished guests joining us on this very historic day, and we make a bit more history today in a rare moment: the 26th, the 27th and the 28th Governors-General are all present.

So I would like to acknowledge my predecessors, General the Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove, the 26th Governor-General of Australia, and Lady Cosgrove; and General the Honourable David Hurley, the 27th Governor-General of Australia, and Mrs Linda Hurley, both dear and their families no stranger to here and to service and understanding the importance of what we are doing here today.

To the Honourable Michael McCormack, MP, Federal Minister, Member for Riverina, Shadow Minister for Veterans, and your wife, Catherine. Michael, I just want to say that from the very beginning, it has been wonderful to see just how hard you have worked with so many others, together with the Gundagai RSL sub-branch, represented here so well today by President Jim Sharman and members of the sub-branch, and the Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council. He brought such extraordinary local energy to ensuring that this memorial was built and will remain here in Gundagai as an enduring place of commemoration.

I'd also like to acknowledge Steph Cooke, MP, the Member for Cootamundra; also Major General Chris Smith, the Acting Chief of Army. And I wanted to say to Chris, I've already spoken to Chris this week, but I think it is important, given what we are doing here today, to also pause and reflect on the very recent death — the tragic death of Warrant Officer Lachlan Muddle in a training accident at the ADF Parachute School in Jervis Bay. As I have done with the Army and members of Defence more generally, I extend my condolences to his family, his Australian Army family, and the defence community, who I know are feeling this loss very deeply.

Major General Khalil Fegan (retired), all serving representatives of defence and policing; Commissioner Chris Barrett APM, the Commissioner of the AFP; and many representatives of the Australian Federal Police. Of course, Mr Keith Payne VC AM, Victoria Cross recipient — it is so good to see Keith again. I've seen Keith in many places, but most particularly when we invested the insignia of the Victoria Cross for Australia for Richard Norden posthumously last year.

Robin, Lance, Shane and Scott, and all of the very many members of the Norden, Freeman, Kelly and Nisbett families. There are many other dignitaries here today, including the Director of the Australian War Memorial, Matt Anderson.

Of course, most importantly, the veterans of the Battle of Coral–Balmoral, veterans, all serving members of the Defence Force, members of the community here who come together. And I'm particularly pleased to see young people here — so the students who join us from, I think, local schools.

It's wonderful for me to be here for this very important ceremony. I'm very honoured to be here with you this morning. You've travelled, many of you from across the country, to join the community of Gundagai and this region. Everyone here today is a distinguished guest, and your presence represents our national tradition of commemoration.

It's a tradition that brings Australians together on days of significance and in places of reflection to remember Australia's chronicle of courage and sacrifice. As Federation brought Australia into being as a nation in 1901, the founding pillars of our national defence emerged in the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army, joined later by the Royal Australian Air Force.

In this 125th anniversary year, as Governor-General, as Commander-in-Chief, and the daughter of a veteran who also served in Vietnam, I am honoured to commemorate the Battle of Coral–Balmoral and, in particular, honour Private Richard Norden VC.

In this act of remembrance, we also pay tribute to the men and women of the Australian Defence Force and to the veterans whose lives have been shaped by their service. We, back at home, have always wanted to make an unwritten promise to help — pick you up, pick everyone up, pick up the pieces — if they brought the consequences of service home, whether physical or psychological. We also pay our deep thanks for families whose love, support and encouragement has always made service possible.

And today, as you know, we commemorate twin stories. The first from the landscape of the war in Vietnam is a protracted and intense battle, the Battle of Coral–Balmoral: 26 Australian lives lost and more than 100 wounded.

Captain Tom Etheridge, my Army aide-de-camp, who has a deep interest in Army history, and I'm proud to have beside me supporting me today, describes this battle as chilling — a battle fought, in his words, “with open sights and flash at grounds at point-blank range, chaotic and desperate.”

The second story is a deeply personal chapter of Private Richard Norden VC, born here in Gundagai and serving overseas in Vietnam before dying far too young and still serving his community — his adopted community in Canberra in his role as a member of the ACT Police — at such a tender age. A story of extraordinary courage and gallantry has etched Private Norden’s name forever in our nation's history.

In July last year, we were honoured to travel to Wagga Wagga to present the posthumous Victoria Cross for Australia to Private Norton’s widow, Robin, and his sons, Shane and Scott. I'm so pleased to be able to again join the Norden family and the wider family members on this historic day, which we promised back then.

There's also a third story I believe we celebrate today. It is the resolve and determination of so many of you here today to ensure that Private Norden was appropriately recognised and to ensure that the extent and importance of the Battle of Coral–Balmoral would never be forgotten — supporters, donors and champions from community, private sector and government.

It is your dedication to this task, this vital task, that brings us here today — from the choice of memorial location right here, its design, and the extraordinary artistry of Liam Hardy in rendering the actions of Private Norden in saving the life of his mate, Lance Corporal Joe Kelly, so vividly. This is truly a gift to our nation.

I'm so pleased that we have here John, Liam, and the builder of this memorial, Dustin Skews. It's wonderful that they are both here today to see us welcome this new gift to Australia.

This gift invites all Australians to come here, to pause, to learn, to reflect and to remember. New generations of Australians can now know the courage of those who fought in the Battle of Coral and find inspiration in the gallant example of Private Richard Norden VC.

On behalf of all Australians, thank you for your care and respect and your determination to create such a fitting tribute with deep meaning across all generations.

Lest we forget.