00:03Good evening, everyone, and welcome to the Canberra Times Centenary Divide.
00:12Well, how good is this? We've both been lucky enough to be part of the Canberra Times journey
00:17for almost 20 years now, but it's so amazing to see a night like this to mark such a special
00:22occasion. It is an absolute pleasure to be with you here tonight. JP actually texted me many months
00:29ago, and I said, yep, I'll be there. Since 1926, when the first edition was published by the
00:37Shakespeare family, the Canberra Times has had eight owners, and yet through all that
00:41times of change, the Canberra Times has always first and foremost belonged to the people of
00:47Canberra. To celebrate a milestone not just in the Australian media landscape, but I see
00:54this event very much as a celebration of this great city.
01:04Independent journalism is an essential thing in a healthy community. It's one of the forces
01:09that stand for the cause that lacks assistance against the wrongs that need resistance.
01:16The paper has been shaped by remarkable people. Every day for that 100 years, the staff and
01:22management of the Canberra Times have turned up not just for work, but they have turned
01:26up to make a difference for their readers, their advertising clients and the Canberra community.
01:31On behalf of the newspaper, I wish to thank everyone here tonight who invests in it.
01:37As you know, I am a proud Canberran, the only Australian Governor-General to have been born
01:42in this city. It's a joy to celebrate a hundred years, a centenary of the Canberra Times with you tonight.
01:51For the future in the distance and the good that we can do.
01:57To the Canberra Times!
02:05I'd like to acknowledge that my mother had put me in the Canberra Times in a baby contest.
02:15We didn't win.
02:17When the first issue of the Canberra Times appeared, the population here was just 5,000.
02:23The paper was part of the rhythm of our family lives and my life as I grew up.
02:28I remember the thump of the paper landing on our driveway, and my father in particular
02:33reading it cover to cover.
02:35Parliament still sat in Melbourne.
02:37Lake Burleigh Griffin was a future dream.
02:39And Summonat was still six decades away.
02:44It was the only paper with local news, but had a core focus on the nation's big issues
02:50and gave international context.
02:51Underpinning all of this is our most precious asset, and that's trust.
02:56The credibility built on over a century of speaking up and standing up for Canberrans.
03:01The credibility built over a century of Canberra storytelling.
03:04So to everyone who has made this paper part of our lives, I want to thank you for your magnificent
03:09contribution to our nation's capital city.
03:12Happy 100th birthday.
03:17Congratulations.
03:18Happy centenary.
03:20Here's to a bright future.
03:21Happy 100th birthday.
03:23Happy 100th birthday.
03:26Happy 100th birthday.
03:28Happy 100th birthday.
03:31Happy 100th birthday.
03:31Happy 100th birthday.
03:31Happy 100th birthday.
03:31Happy 100th birthday.
