Australian of the Year Local Hero David Elliott, founder of the Australian Age of Dinosaurs

'You can make a difference, it just takes time.'

Transcript

00:00 Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, it's an honour to be here and I simply represent the

00:05 hard work and passion of a lot of people and I'm just proud to be one of them.

00:09 Dinosaurs are the star attractions in natural history museums all over the world.

00:14 People love them and the fact that Australian Lager Dinosaurs Museum has so many of them is

00:19 significant and exciting. But as fascinating as they are, dinosaurs are just one part of

00:25 Australia's journey through deep time. Our continent has some of the oldest rocks and

00:29 earliest landforms on the planet. Fossils from these time periods are every bit as important

00:37 as dinosaurs and just as exciting. Our museum's fossil collection extends far beyond dinosaur

00:43 bones. Australian Age of Dinosaurs has collected fossils from all prehistoric time periods from

00:49 all over Australia. Through them, we can tell the real story of Australia to people from all

00:55 over the world and particularly our children. When you look at countries around the world,

01:00 Europe, Asia, USA, Canada, South America, they all have amazing natural history museums

01:06 that represent the prehistory of their continent. Australia doesn't. But I'm determined to build a

01:13 museum of natural history that fills that role. Building a world-class natural history museum

01:21 is a multi-million dollar investment. But my question to everyone here is,

01:25 what is our continent worth? What is the education of our children worth?

01:29 Australia's future is inextricably linked to its past and our children are its future custodians.

01:37 The more they understand it, the better they will care for it. To me, nothing is more important.

01:43 But there's more to it at stake here than national pride and public education. The Australian outback

01:49 has been in decline for decades. Towns are dying as people move away looking for a better life in

01:54 the cities. Keeping the small communities of outback Australia alive is imperative.

01:59 Our nation depends on them just as much as it depends on the inter-transcontinental highways

02:05 that they service. It's heartening to see the Federal Government has committed to sealing

02:10 the outback way, connecting Perth in Western Australia to major highways,

02:14 running through Alice Springs in the Northern Territory and Witton in Western Queensland.

02:17 Interconnecting our capital cities with sealed roads through inland Australia is a significant

02:23 step, but it is equally important that we encourage people to use them.

02:27 By building an international tourist destination in the heart of outback dinosaur country,

02:33 the decline in many regional communities can be turned around. The Australian Age of Dinosaurs

02:38 Museum of Natural History will be that destination. Building the museum has been my abiding passion

02:45 for over 20 years, but it hasn't always been an easy path to follow. There's been some bumpy

02:50 sections, sometimes there's been no path at all. But I've learned one thing. When you are overwhelmed,

02:56 you have to believe in yourself and you have to look back on your achievements and be inspired.

03:01 You can make a difference, it just takes time. A great museum is like a journey that has no

03:07 final destination. An evolving thing, moulded and shaped by traditions, integrity and the

03:13 dedication of countless people over countless generations. And therein lies my love for the

03:18 Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History. We can build it, we will build it,

03:24 it's just a part of the journey, a fascinating journey, and I invite all Australians to join me.

03:29 Thank you.

03:35 [BLANK_AUDIO]