Address by Australia Day Ambassador, Gabrielle Clark, to the people of Cowra

Honoured guests, citizens of Cowra.

G’dayto you all.

It is a great honour to be here celebrating Australia Day with all of you.

I would like to begin my address today by acknowledging the traditional land owners of this great country we owe them our respect.

I would also like to thank Woolworths for their ongoing support of the Australia Day ambassadors’ program.

As Australians we have so many reasons to celebrate our national day with pride.

When we talk about what it means to be Australian we should always remember the brave men and women who fought so hard to keep Australia the free and proud country it is today.

What’s great about being Australian?

Well . . . Australians believe in giving everyone a fair go.

Being an Australian is all about having a go, helping a friend being tolerant and accepting people for who they are.

For me, Gabrielle Clark, its three things – opportunity, independence and freedom.

In Australia there are so many opportunities for every citizen to reach out and follow their dreams.

I am here today to tell you, if you believe in yourself, dreams do come true.

I was born with Down Syndrome. I don’t suffer from it. I just have it. I was born 34 years ago. Back then the doctors told my Mum and Dad all these things that I would never be able to do. Like . . . she won’t walk and she won’t talk. Well . . . look at me now!

I spent the first six years of my life in and out of hospital with pneumonia. I still don’t completely understand what Down Syndrome means, except that I have an extra chromosome in every cell of my body and that I look a bit different.

I think I look like me Dad and that’s cool. He is a great guy. Oh yeah . . . and I am supposed to be slow!

My Mum says, I have never been slow in my life.

But she is my Mum and she loves me.

I learnt a lot about life in hospital. I learnt that being in bed all day was boring, I learnt that everyone must face challenges, healthy or sick.

I know that Australia is the lucky country because I have been given every opportunity to be the best that I can be and achieve my goals in life.

The first thing I would like you to know about people with an intellectual disability is that we have feelings, just like everyone else. We laugh, we cry, we dream and, with support, we can achieve many things in our life.

My parents have always given me the support I needed to follow my dreams.

They taught me to be proud of who I am, to believe in myself and my ability and to do what I could do, practice hard and do it well.

That’s the way to win in life. Turn practice into skill.

In Australia everyone has the right to choose their own destiny and be part of a community that accepts people as individuals without being labelled. I say “label me able”.

I know from my own experiences in life that you can’t succeed at anything just by being good. You have to work hard.

In life, we all have problems as well as achievements. Sadness as well as joy, and it doesn’t matter if you have a disability or not. If life has given you a problem you need to know how to take control of it so that you can make the most of what you have. Every day and every way, Australians make the most of what they have.

All Australians love to have a go and so do I.

Most of the lessons I learnt in life came from trying everything and doing things for me, it’s called independence.

That’s what all Australians work hard for to be independent.

For me, Gabrielle Clark, sport has been my window to the world. Playing sports has helped me to achieve so many things in my life.

It has given me courage, strength and confidence to face the everyday challenges in my life.

The more I train the

more I gain.

It’s true . . . I have won a few medals here and there and I have represented my state and country. I will never forget the thrill. I was so proud to be an Australian.

I joined the Special Olympics program when I was 13. And life just kept getting better and better.

The program is all about friendship and the need to belong. Athletes not only learn to play sports, we learn to care, share and communicate with each other. Friends and family play a big part in our development too.

My family and the Special Olympics program have given me encouragement, understanding, time, love and support, to reach the goals I set myself.

My goals became their goals.

There is no way I would be standing here today without that support and the support of the community.

The family unit is the strength behind most Australians.

I am proud of my family; they are the wind in my sails.

I love them and I thank them for teaching me that by supporting one another and working hard you can achieve anything in life you set your mind too.

Everyone can have success in their life. It’s simple!

Just keep moving forward, step out of the shadows and make the most of your place in this world.

What I am trying to say is that everyone can do something worthwhile no matter how little. It may seem to others if it helps you and it makes you happy then it’s worthwhile.

Mum always told me that life is all about living

And not to worry about the things I had no control over. To make the most of every day, begin it with a smile and end it with a smile, learn from my mistakes and move on to new challenges.

I have a great life. I live at the best surfing beach in the world, North Narrabeen. That’s where I learnt to swim.

Everyday I travel over the Harbour Bridge to go to work.

I never get sick of the view; it’s breathtaking. I love the waters of our harbour and the beaches in Australia are the best in the world.

I love the excitement of the city but I also love the freedom of the great outdoors and meeting friendly country people like the citizens of Cowra

Country folks are the backbone of this great country

I have travelled all over the world and I can tell you: There is no place better than Australia. We are . . . the lucky country.

On Australia Day I like to tell people about the time I spoke to a team of doctors at a medical conference in the Philippines.

It is a very poor country. Many babies are born there every day with Down Syndrome and other disabilities. They have very little support. The people at the conference could not believe all the things I could do for myself. They asked my Mum: “What sort of medicine do they have in Australia?” Mum told them it was a very special medicine called love and acceptance. The most important thing in life for all of us is to be loved and accepted. I can tell you this: when you are loved and accepted, you can climb any mountain.

Many of my friends in the Special Olympics program help one another to make friends in the community. By participating in sport, we are a team, a family, and mates.

The foundation of Australia was built on mateship.

Mates help each other.

I believe that the future of this great country will depend on our ability to support and care for each other. We can do it! We are a team, we are one, we are Australians.

So citizens of Cowra, be proud of yourself and be proud of your country.

My vision for Australia is that the human spirit in us all shows us the way to open our hearts and our minds to embrace our differences and to work together to make our country a united and strong nation.

So I ask you citizens of Cowra to hold out your hand in friendship and turn and say G’day to your neighbours.

Thank you for letting me be part of your celebrations.

Have a great Australia Day!