Investiture of Dr Anthony (Tony) Bernard Cull AM
Remarks by the Australian High Commissioner,
Her Excellency Harinder Sidhu
Wellington, Tuesday 17 October 2023
(Aide) Introduce HOM to the stage: Ladies and Gentlemen, I present the Australian High Commissioner to New Zealand, Her Excellency Ms Harinder Sidhu
High Commissioner:
Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa.
A very warm welcome to you all today to this event.
This is truly a significant occasion.
Awards in the Order of Australia are Australia's highest civilian honour. They are the highest recognition for outstanding achievement and service.
Recipients come from all walks of life and, while some are well-known, most are unsung heroes.
These are people who have dedicated themselves to a vocation or cause and who, in many cases, have invested years their skill, effort and talent to make a difference to local communities and to make Australia a better place.
Such awards may be rare. But in my experience, by the time we present an award, the recipient has already long been acknowledged to be highly deserving by their colleagues and communities.
So it is today with Dr Cull.
Today, we are here to acknowledge and celebrate the outstanding contribution Dr Cull has made throughout his medical career, but especially the years he spent as Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of The Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne.
Dr Cull is being honoured first and foremost for his work as an outstanding paediatrician, who has made a real difference to the lives and welfare of countless newborns, children and their families.
Along the way, and in senior roles, his principled commitment to a high-quality public health care system has been unwavering. Because it displays a deep understanding that good medicine and health care can only work if the systems in which they operate can function effectively. Your contribution to exemplary medical administration and community health care is truly inspiring.
So, to Tony, Mary, your children Richard and Lara and all your family here today - congratulations on this award.
As a representative of the Australian Government and people, I wish to express our thanks to you for your tremendous contribution to Australia.
So, on behalf of the Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, and at his request, it is now my privilege and pleasure to conduct the investiture of Dr Anthony Bernard Cull admitted as a Member within the Order of Australia.