LOYALTY TO EMPIRE

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 863, 6 January 1930, Page 8

LOYALTY TO EMPIRE

GOVERNOR-GENERAL’S INSPIRING MESSAGE IDEALS FOR NEW ZEALAND The function of a Governor. General and his wife, who inapir** him, Sir Charles Fergujson believes, is to strengthen the bond* between the Dominion, Great Britain, and the Empire. It -was an inspiring patriotic farewell message that New Zealand’s Governor-General for the past Bve years, delivered to the people of Auckland, who crowded the Town Hall to bid him "au revoir” on Saturday evening. Sir Charles spoke of the ideals toward which he and Lady Alice Fergusson had striven for the benefit of the Dominion's future. He placed first among the ties between New Zealand and the Mother Country, the sense of pride of race, of common interest in a common heritage, the history and traditions of our country, and the mutual love, understanding and sympathy that must surely exist among people springing from the same stock. Most important these days, however. he said, amid applause, was the tie of loyalty, love and devotion, which united the Crown and the people. The Governor-General described the visions and dreams he and Lady Fergusson had experienced in considering how best Empire bonds could be strengthened. He first visualised a country where children were trained and grew up to realise the characteristics of grit, endurance, courage, determination and self-sacrifice, and the virtues by which their forefathers built up this country for them. He saw a country where children would grow up to realise that only by duty, service and love for fellow-men could true happiness for themselves or prosperity and contentment for the people be attained. Children must be made to understand firm religious faith was the only true foundation on which life could be lived, or by which a nation could achieve greatness. HOME TRAINING A second picture was of a country where parents realised that nothing la the world could be substituted for early home training and home influence, which moulded the children’* character, and the recollection of which kept children straight in later years. The destiny of the children, and of the nation, was vested in tb* parents, who must recognise the responsibility and the manner in which It was met. Again he visualised a country whose statesmen were more concerned with the quality of their loyalty to the Empire as a whole than with questions of equality of status with the Mother Country and Sister Dominions. Then his version was of New Zealand of the future. “A country where the people are determined to be true to the traditions of their forefathers, to accept and be proud of the glory of the heritage handed down to them; but, at the same time, realise the responsibility such a heritage entails. A people who will spare no sacrifice in carrying out the duty laid upon them of transmitting that wonderful heritage to their children and their children’s children, embellished and undefiled. A New Zealand which shall be at peace, men recognising that only by co-operation and love and sympathy can they be a happy and contented people. A New Zealand which shall pride itself •on keeping alive the traditions of love, loyalty and devotion to what has been handed down to them —that wonderful Empire typified by his Majesty the King as its head.” Sir Charles added that he and Lady Alice Fergusson had directed their efforts toward these ideals. Unpractised they might be, but If they had contributed toward the attainment of those ideals, he considered their time had not been wasted.