Is there a specific moment or event in our nation's history when you may have turned on the radio to find out what was happening, Governor-General?

I think any time there are things happening that are of great national consequence, sadly, it will often be in very difficult moments.

So it's often to do with things like the Port Arthur disaster in our history or things where there's breaking news.

And I know that one of your great skills has been that you're live and local.

And I think to be able to turn on the radio and hear things live from great journalists and journalists and commentators has always been important but also celebrating the big things you know whether it's been olympic games or commonwealth games where australians are doing great things around the country and you get them on you get them onto your shows and we get to hear from them so i think it's both the highs and the lows which reminds me of my job which is always reflecting the light and shade of the country and trying to interpret the country back to itself i think you and your fellow broadcasters at 2gb have been doing that for 100 years the light and shade, listening to your audiences, but sharing everything about what's great and often a bit difficult in a way that people can take comfort from.

As the King's representative, what would you like to say to those Australians listening in right now, feeling helpless, those who might be struggling, those who just need some encouragement at the moment to get through these tough times?

Yes, thank you, Mark.

I think about those doing it tough all the time.

It sounds to me like a failure of civics education.

Well, civics education i- is a big topic for me and my office and for many Australians who are involved in trying to repair that and to meet the challenge of the decline in civics understanding across the country.

We know that, um, probably the most educated on our civics, there are two groups who are most educated.

They're probably in grade five and six at the moment.

Um, I see many of those young students who come to Canberra on the civics education tour.

They come to Government House as well as the parliaments and, uh, the High Court, a number of institutions.

They learn something in primary school that is about foundational understanding.

How does your approach differ from your predecessors in these fundamental jobs that many are laid out by the Constitution?

How does your approach differ from your predecessors in these fundamental jobs that many are laid out by the Constitution?

So thank you for defining my role.

I say to everyone who's coming to this for the first time, I represent four Cs: constitutional, ceremonial, Commander-in-Chief, and community.

And, um, within those four, uh, you've just described many of my constitutional and ceremonial requirements, and, and community is a big part of, of what I do, increasingly so.

What I'd say about what I'm doing compared to others is I think every person who has served as Governor-General has faced into a time unique to them.

And often we are chosen for these roles by prime ministers who make the, the recommendation to the Crown about appointing us to represent something about where we're at as a nation.

And all of the former living Governors-General that I met with, and I continue to meet with many of them, um, to seek their guidance and counsel and advice from their times, is that you meet the moment.

Could a crisis like that ever happen again in Australia in your view?

100,000

here at the MCG.

I was thinking as I came on the ground of Neil and his family wandering around the ground this time last year.

They were with us, and so I'm thinking a lot about Neil and his family.

And, of course, this morning we're also thinking about Richard Scoglia...

Yes, really sad news.

Very sad news.

Can we get a little clue?

What

did you most admire of Richard Scalia? I guess he summed it up in those words about himself, an extraordinary human being.

You heard reflections on his early life earlier from another honours winner this morning.

I think it was beautiful about the fact that his character was quite set early, tenacious and I think was the word that was used, which you can only be if you're going to achieve the things that Richard has done.

But I think those words of compassion and grace and care right up until the very end and his tenacity in the face of this terrible situation battle he was having and the whole time thinking about others and solutions and medical interventions for others.

Truly astonishing.

And I know he described himself as an ordinary Australian, but I think he was an extraordinary Australian throughout his life.

What's it like to hear about the lives of the people who are doing so much, often very, very quietly? They don't get much recognition.

[laughs]

... into the ice bath.

Um, some might say that lacks dignity, but my response is simply that Neale Daniher, when he was Australian of the Year, asked me to do this, and, um, I've spoken with his family and, and, as Neale would say, "Play on." So I'm playing on.

Mm

... over 13 years, one of the most terrifying and, and horrific ways to, to, to, to end your life.

And yet he made it all about dignity and showing up-

What's it like to hear about the lives of the people who are doing so much, often very, very quietly? They don't get much recognition.

Well, you know, one of your former colleagues, James Valentine, who sadly passed recently, who was celebrated recently, when he interviewed me a few years ago about Australia Day, he ended the interview saying, do I get it that every day is Australia Day for you? And I've never forgotten him saying that because that is, even though I deal with some really tough things and are there for both the light and shade of our community and our country, most days I am meeting those people who I think are doing the work in community.

Many of them do receive OAMs, as you said, I'm disappointed always there are more people nominated.

This is a great day to both celebrate everybody on the honours list, but also to think about who's missing.

And I think there are hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people across the country who probably think that the awards are made by a council somewhere anonymously.

But every award under our honour system is made from a nomination from someone in the community.

And I think we need to see more of these sorts of nominations, the ones you've described, the unsung heroes, those who go above and beyond.

Paying tribute to another wonderful Australian who we've lost in the past couple of weeks, Neil Danaher and his fight against motor neurone disease.

Is there a bigger event to raise funds than the big freeze?

I don't think so.

And I think that's one of the many reasons why I am sliding and I'll be there.

I was there last year.

I don't think it was a bigger moment then than when Neil and his family walked around the perimeter of the G in front of 100,000 people.

That moment... with spine tingling.

The only other big one, I guess, is Anzac Day at the G.

Can

... uh, have you been a footy supporter, Governor, from when you were young?

Yeah, all my life.

All my sort of life as far as I remember back.

My dad was a St Kilda supporter.

I grew up in Melbourne watching the footy on telly, listening to Lou Richards, um, the eternal, um, hope and disappointment with the Saints and, um, but it was... footy was always part of my, uh, the landscape I guess of growing up.

I never played it.

I played a lot of sport as a, as a girl and a young woman, but because there was no pathways for women, I, I played sports where women could keep going.

Is there a bigger event to raise funds than the Big Freeze?

So Sam, before we get into you being the Governor-General, talk me through life before, like growing up, and how did you get to be in such a, a place of, and where does your commitment to service come from?

[lip smack] That's a very...

It's a good question, 'cause there was life, a very long and, and different life for me before I became Australia's Governor-General.

Um, I think service, you, you pointed to service as your main part of that question.

I am the daughter of a veteran, a daughter of a man who served in the Australian Army for, um, almost 40 years, and I'm the oldest of four girls.

Um, so as a family, we were a service family.

My mum was, um, more than just an army wife.

Who do you look to as, as inspirations?

Can you tell us about your father's aunt?

Yes, I'm happy to.

He doesn't like me doing this because, like most people who serve, he's very, very humble and thinks of it just as the path he took.

And he served, as he described it, queen and country as he joined at the Royal Military College in the 1950s.

And he always raised us with the very strong ethic of service, however that service takes place, for country, for community.

And so we saw that up close.

My dad, before he married my mom, he served in what was then Malaya.

Do you agree?