There was a lot to celebrate and commemorate at Government House in Canberra on the first day of spring, as the magnolia blooms were out and pollen drifted in the air.
The Australian Bravery Decorations for only the second time were announced on Wattle Day, the 25th anniversary of the Bravery Garden in the grounds of Government House was celebrated and the Australians missing and dead in the flash floods in Nepal were remembered.
During the ceremony on Tuesday, Governor-General Sam Mostyn evoked the memory of then governor-general Sir William Deane when in 1999 he dropped sprigs of wattle into the Saxeton River in Switzerland to remember the 14 Australian victims of the Interlaken canyoning disaster.
Ms Mostyn said she could envisage doing something similar in Nepal, at the appropriate time.
"I like to think today that when we look at our wattle we think of the fact that there has been a loss of life in another part [of the world], far-flung from here where Australians have been hurt," she said.
"We will hear many stories of courage and valour and bravery from what is going on with the recovery at the moment, but just as Sir William did in travelling Interlaken, I imagine at some point we will have permission to place wattle in Nepal."
It was the second year that the Australian Bravery Decorations were revealed on Wattle Day, September 1. The awards, announced by Ms Mostyn, were made on the recommendation of the independent Council for the Australian Bravery Decoration.
The bravery awards are often for events that happened decades ago and sometimes made posthumously. This year's recipients included people who were first on the scene to help commuters injured in the 1977 Granville train disaster, members of the Australian Defence Force serving in East Timor during the 1999 independence vote and three men who rescued children from a vehicle submerged in a dam in Queensland in 2020.
The bravery award recipients were not at Government House but will receive their insignia at investiture ceremonies in the coming months.
Ms Mostyn was joined by former governors-general David Hurley and Sir Peter Cosgrove for the Wattle Day ceremony in Yarralumla, continuing a deliberate move to link "one of Australia's important national days with our recognition and celebration of acts of extraordinary bravery".
"I'm always looking for ways to amplify wattle as our national symbol of unity," she said.
Allan Sparkes in 1998 received the Cross of Valour, Australia's highest civilian honour for bravery, for his role in rescuing a child from a flooded stormwater drain in Coffs Harbour in 1996. Mr Sparkes told the ceremony the concept of bravery was a simple one.
"Bravery, for me, is a willingness to care for another human being," Mr Sparkes said.
"When do we have a chance to be brave? Well, we have a chance to be brave every single day if we just care about somebody else."
Wattle Day was also used to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Bravery Garden in the grounds of Government House.
Established by former governor-general Sir William Deane in 2001, after he visited Gallipoli in 1999, the garden is a site of "quiet contemplation and commemoration" to honour the bravery of Australians.
"I want to thank everybody who has laboured over this garden and ensured it remains beautiful and spectacular and a place of great respect," Ms Mostyn said.
Sir William, now 95 and still living in Canberra, was unable to make the ceremony.
"I think today he will be quietly reflecting on the garden," Ms Mostyn said.
The central feature of the garden are five plinths arranged in the shape of the Southern Cross.
The garden designer John Easthope, of Jamison, and former Government House head gardener Pat Garratt, of Higgins, returned for its 25th anniversary.
"The gardeners have looked after it so well," Mr Easthope said.
Wattle Day Association president Dr Suzette Searle was thrilled that Wattle Day was becoming more prominent, even down to people more often wearing yellow and sprigs of wattle on the day.
"This is just so wonderful," Dr Searle said.
"Wattle Day has now taken on an even bigger meaning for many Australians now that the national bravery decorations are announced on Wattle Day.
"This has just been such an exciting day for members of the Wattle Day Association who have been working so long and hard, since 1998, to raise awareness of national Wattle Day. To have it now linked to these wonderful national bravery decorations is just so meaningful."
