A soldier, a father and a karaoke enthusiast - the new governor of NSW is a man of many parts.
Former Defence Force chief General David Hurley was sworn in as the state's 38th governor as Premier Mike Baird and Chief Justice Tom Bathurst watched on in a ceremony with no shortage of pomp.
He takes over from Dame Marie Bashir, who departed in a similarly grand service a day earlier.
The swearing-in ceremony was undertaken privately inside Government House on Thursday with an honour guard from the Federation Guard & Navy Band.
In his first official speech, His Excellency promised to uphold and support NSW's culture and values.
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Then it was out to the forecourt for his first official duty as Governor, the inspection of the guard.
Even though General Hurley comes to the job with an unblemished 40-year record in the military, Premier Baird said he would find Dame Marie's performance in the role a hard act to follow.
"Ensuring all his troops were safe is indicative to the man he is, and what he'll bring to this role," Mr Baird said.
"I think all of us can take confidence in his record of service, the man he is, the family around him and I think we are very lucky to have someone like him as Governor."
But the Queen's latest representative in the state has a talent none of his predecessors share.
"Apparently he is a karaoke master," Mr Baird told reporters.
Mr Baird said the Governor has indicated he plans to continue Dame Marie's work in indigenous affairs and mental health while having a hands-on approach in the NSW parliament.
"He is interested in talking to individual ministers, understanding their priorities across their portfolios so he can understand the issues in detail," he said.
General Hurley has an initial five-year term which may be extended.
