Celebrating the meaning of Fatherhood

The Governor attended an event at North Beach Baptist Church to discuss and celebrate what it means to be a father. The topic of the evening was ‘navigating life with integrity’ and discussions sought to challenge and inspire the men present to be men of faith and focus, and to rise to the opportunity to engage deeply and positively with family, the workplace and the community.

Held at the North Beach Baptist Church – an active church that has serviced the community for 60 years – the Governor was asked to deliver a few words on the topic.

“We are all called to serve in different ways in our lives. How we answer that call is up to us.

I invite each of you to reflect on how you are called to service in your own lives, and how you will answer that call.

There can be no more selfless response than to be a good Father.

What does it mean then, to be a father with integrity? For me, it means a total alignment of word with deed. I would never pretend to you that I am a perfect father, but the standard I set for myself is that I model the behaviour from my children that I expect from them. If I say one thing, and do another, I have failed my own integrity test.

The second standard for me as a father, and this again reflects on integrity, is to live in truth. And this can sometimes be hard.  As a father, as a police officer, and even as a Governor, I am constantly confronted with difficult truths.  Often, I have had to deliver very difficult news. As fathers, we regularly need to give advice and offer truths that are hard for those we love to hear.

In my role in leading the State of Western Australia through the pandemic, I was empowered to make decisions that I knew would impact people’s lives, often in difficult ways. The only thing that makes this palatable, or even possible, is knowing that your decisions are guided by insight, knowledge and doing what you know is right.”

A Q&A opportunity followed, where the gathered crowd were given the opportunity to ask questions, voice their opinions and engage in the discussion topic.

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