Queensland Day is officially celebrated on 6 June as the birthday of the
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
n
stateThe Commonwealth of Australia is made up of six states and two major mainland territories. There are also lesser territories that are under the administration of the federal government.- States and Territories:+ Formerly part of ACT...
of Queensland.
Towards statehood began with a public meeting in 1851 to consider separation from
New South WalesNew South Wales is Australia's most populous state, located in the south-east of the country, north of Victoria, south of Queensland and east of South Australia...
. As the push for separation gained momentum, Queen Victoria was approached to consider establishing a separate colony based at
Moreton BayMoreton Bay is a large bay on the eastern coast of Australia 19 km from Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources...
. The Queen gave her approval and signed the
Letters PatentLetters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of an open letter issued by a monarch or government, granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or to some entity such as a corporation. The opposite of letters patent are letters close , which are personal in nature...
on 6 June 1859. On the same day an Order-in-Council gave
QueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia that occupies the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory to the west, South Australia to the south-west and New South Wales to the south. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
its own Constitution.
Queensland Day is officially celebrated on 6 June as the birthday of the
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
n
stateThe Commonwealth of Australia is made up of six states and two major mainland territories. There are also lesser territories that are under the administration of the federal government.- States and Territories:+ Formerly part of ACT...
of Queensland.
History
Towards statehood began with a public meeting in 1851 to consider separation from
New South WalesNew South Wales is Australia's most populous state, located in the south-east of the country, north of Victoria, south of Queensland and east of South Australia...
. As the push for separation gained momentum, Queen Victoria was approached to consider establishing a separate colony based at
Moreton BayMoreton Bay is a large bay on the eastern coast of Australia 19 km from Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources...
. The Queen gave her approval and signed the
Letters PatentLetters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of an open letter issued by a monarch or government, granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or to some entity such as a corporation. The opposite of letters patent are letters close , which are personal in nature...
on 6 June 1859. On the same day an Order-in-Council gave
QueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia that occupies the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory to the west, South Australia to the south-west and New South Wales to the south. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
its own Constitution. Queensland became a self-governing colony with its own Governor, a nominated Legislative Council and an elected Legislative Assembly.
Now 6 June is celebrated by Queenslanders as the day when the new colony of Queensland was established.
With the word ‘Separation’ painted on its hull, the ship
Clarence sailed into
BrisbaneBrisbane is the state capital of the Australian state of Queensland and is the largest city in that state. With an estimated population of approximately 2 million, it is also the third most populous city in Australia....
on 10 July to be greeted by a jubilant crowd eagerly awaiting the news of separation.
Clarence was welcomed with a 14-gun salute, a 'blue light' display and
fireworksA firework is a low explosive pyrotechnic device used primarily for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event is a display of the effects produced by firework devices...
.
On July 20, Queensland was informed that
Sir George Ferguson BowenSir George Ferguson Bowen GCMG was a British colonial administrator whose appointments included postings to the Ionian Islands, Queensland , New Zealand, Victoria , Mauritius and Hong Kong....
would be the State's first Governor. Celebrations resumed with fireworks, cannon fires, flag raisings and the sound of gun shots.
On 10 December 1859, Governor Bowen arrived in Brisbane to a civic reception in the Botanic Gardens. He officially marked the historic occasion of Statehood by reading a proclamation from the verandah of the Deanery of
St. John's CathedralSt John's Cathedral is the Anglican cathedral of Brisbane, situated on the outskirts of the city centre, and the metropolitan cathedral of the ecclesiastical province of Queensland, Australia...
.
Queenslander of the Year
Since 1981 Queensland Day has been celebrated as the official birthday. Celebrations provide an opportunity to acknowledge the outstanding achievements of Queenslanders with "Queenslander of the Year" and "Young Queenslander of the Year" awards...
| Year |
Queenslander of the Year |
Young Queenslander of the Year |
Community Spirit Award |
| 2008 |
Graeme Wood |
Homa Forotan |
Karen Bartlett |
| 2007 |
Professor Matthew Sanders |
Lars Olsen |
Jess Wellard, Alexandra Gasteen, Greg Nelson |
| 2006 |
Professor Ian Frazer Professor Ian Frazer is the Director of the , a research institute of the University of Queensland at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane. He was trained as a renal physician and clinical immunologist in Edinburgh, Scotland before emigrating to Melbourne, Australia in 1981. There he...
|
Liesel JonesLeisel Marie Jones OAM is an Australian Olympic gold medalist swimmer. A participant in the 2000 Summer Olympics - at just 15 years old - and 2004 Summer Olympics, she was part of gold medal winning Australian team in the Women's 4 x 100 metre medley relay at the Athens Games in 2004 and a gold...
|
Shenee Lea Geerin |
| 2005 |
Dr Geoff Hill Geoff Hill is a journalist and author based in Johannesburg, South Africa.-Biography:Geoffrey Rex Alexander Middleton Hill was born on 19 September, 1956 and spent his childhood in Malawi, Rhodesia, and South Africa....
|
Alen-Igor O'Hran |
| 2004 |
Dr Chris Sarra Chris Sarra is Director of the Queensland Government's Institute for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Leadership. He was previously Principal of the Cherbourg State School, a primary school in the town of Cherbourg, Queensland. When Sarra first arrived, in August, 1998, the school was well...
|
Leisl Packer |
| 2003 |
Professor Alan Mackay-Sim |
Alice Chang-Douglas |
| 2002 |
John Eales John Eales AM is an Australian former rugby union player and arguably the most successful captain in the history of Australian rugby.-Early life:...
AM |
Danielle Begg |
| 2001 |
Lloyd Hancock |
Mark Farrell-Nikenbah |
| 2000 |
Dr Aila Keto Aila Inkeri Keto AO is founder and President of the Rainforest Conservation Society in Queensland, Australia, now known as the Australia Rainforest Conservation Society....
AO |
James Moody |
| 1999 |
Marjorie (Margot) Appleyard |
Petros Khalesirad |
| 1998 |
Betty Byrne Henderson AM |
Tiffany Dudman |
| 1997 |
Cedric Johnson AM |
Perry Cross |
| 1996 |
Christina Yeomans OAM |
Tarita Botsman and Michael Kasprowicz Michael Scott Kasprowicz is a former Australian Test cricketer. He is a right arm fast bowler, effective outfielder and useful lower order batsman, and has enjoyed a successful career both in Australia and in the English county scene since making his debut for Queensland as a seventeen year old in...
|
| 1995 |
Dr Cherrell Hirst AO |
Nicholas Gerathy |
| 1994 |
Allan BorderAllan Robert Border, AO is a former Australian cricket captain. His playing nickname was "A.B.". He played 156 Test matches in his career, a record until it was passed by fellow Australian Steve Waugh. Border still retains the world record for the number of consecutive Test appearances of 153...
AO |
Lana Higson |
| 1993 |
Mary Lowe AM |
John McColl and Kylie Buchanan |
| 1992 |
Graham Jenkinson AM |
Danae Sweetapple |
| 1991 |
Leneen Forde Mary Marguerite Leneen Forde AC is the Canadian-born chancellor of Griffith University, and was Governor of Queensland from 1992 until 1997. Leneen Forde was only the second woman to be appointed to the position of governor of an Australian state and the first to take on the role in Queensland....
AC DStJ |
Roger Lord |
| 1990 |
Dr Clem Jones Clem Jones AO was the longest serving Lord Mayor of the city of Brisbane, Australia, representing the Australian Labor Party from 1961 to 1975....
AO |
Aaron Maree |
| 1989 |
Sister Angela Mary Doyle AO |
Joanne Hein |
| 1988 |
Sir Llewellyn Edwards Sir Llewellyn Roy Edwards, AC was the twelfth Chancellor of the University of Queensland and a Queensland state politician and state Liberal Party Leader...
AC |
| 1987 |
Rev. Canon John Warby OAM |
| 1986 |
Dr Russell Strong AL |
| 1985 |
Iris Buntine OAM BEM |
| 1984 |
Ron Grant Ron Grant may refer to:*Ronald Grant, President & Chief Operating Officer of AOL LLC*Ron Grant , former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and tuner...
OAM |
| 1983 |
Sir Edward Williams Edward, Ed or Eddie Williams may refer to:*Iolo Morganwg , Welsh antiquarian born Edward Williams*Edward Williams , English painter*Edward Ellerker Williams British Army officer...
KBE KCMG |
| 1982 |
Robin Gibson Robin Gibson was firstly, Assistant Keeper, City Art Gallery, Manchester and for many years Twentieth Century Curator and then Chief Curator at the National Portrait Gallery, London.Gibson has curated major exhibitions and written books and catalogues...
|
| 1981 |
Lady Diane Cilento Diane Cilento, AM is a theatre and film actress.Her parents, Sir Raphael Cilento and Lady Cilento, were both distinguished medical practitioners. At a young age, she decided to follow a career as an actress, and moved to the United Kingdom in the early 1950s...
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