Australian Governor-General visiting Bangkok and Chiang Rai
12 February 2024
The Governor-General of Australia, His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd), and Her Excellency Mrs Hurley will make an official visit to Thailand from 13-17 February 2024.
The Governor-General and Mrs Hurley will meet His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Her Majesty Queen Suthida at Chakri Throne Hall, the Grand Palace, on 14 February. It has been 49 years since Governor-General Hurley and His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn studied together at the Royal Military College, Duntroon in Canberra.
At Government House, the Governor-General will meet with Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin to discuss key elements of the bilateral relationship, including defence, education and trade. People-to-people links are central to our longstanding ties, and on the evening of 15 February the Governor-General will host a reception for around 200 guests to celebrate Australian defence and civilian alumni.
While in Bangkok, the Governor-General and Mrs Hurley will meet with His Holiness Somdet Phra Ariyavongsagatayana, the Supreme Patriarch of Thailand, who spent time in Australia in the 1970s including at Wat Dhammadharo in Canberra.
On 16 February, Their Excellencies will travel to Chiang Rai. They will visit Doi Tung Royal Villa, the royal residence of HRH the late Princess Mother; Mae Fah Luang Garden; and the Doi Tung Development Project under the Mae Fah Luang Foundation where macadamias, coffee and vanilla are grown. Macadamia trees from Australia arrived in Doi Tung in the late 1980s and the first tree was planted by HRH Princess Srinagarindra.
In Chiang Rai, the Governor-General will also visit a project under the Mekong-Australia Partnership at Ban Pa Kha village, on the Ing River. The project, implemented in partnership with Oxfam and Mae Fah Luang University, helps communities to respond and adapt to climate change, including supporting native Mekong fish breeding.
“Australia is proud of our close relationship with Thailand. It is a friendship that spans many areas of cooperation and is based on mutual respect, trust and understanding. I am looking forward to celebrating and strengthening that relationship,” the Governor-General said.
“This visit highlights the strong relationship between Thailand and Australia, built on 72 years of diplomatic relations and reaffirms our commitment to the Australia-Thailand Strategic Partnership. I look forward to welcoming Their Excellencies back to Thailand.” Ambassador Macdonald said.
His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd)
Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia
His Excellency General the Honourable David John Hurley AC DSC (Retd) was sworn in as the Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia on 1 July 2019.
David Hurley joined the Australian Army in January 1972, graduating from the Royal Military College, Duntroon into the Royal Australian Infantry Corps. In a long and distinguished 42-year military career, his service culminated with his appointment as Chief of the Defence Force.
Prior to being sworn in as Governor-General, David Hurley served as the 38th Governor of New South Wales from October 2014 – May 2019.
David Hurley was born in Wollongong, New South Wales on 26 August 1953, the son of Norma and James Hurley. His father was an Illawarra steelworker and his mother worked in a grocery store.
e grew up in Port Kembla and attended Port Kembla High School where he completed his Higher School Certificate in 1971. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the Royal Military College, Duntroon in 1975 and with a Graduate Diploma in Defence Studies from Deakin University in 1991.
He is married to Linda with whom he has three children: Caitlin, Marcus and Amelia. The Governor-General and Mrs Hurley have three grandchildren.
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