THESE ISLANDS OF OURS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 21 March 1940, Page 5

THESE ISLANDS OF OURS

Mr Jordan read apologies for absence from the chairman of the Masterton County Council, Mr. R. E. Gordon Lee and Mrs. Lee. who were out of town; Mr. H. H. Mawley (chairman of the Wairarapa Hospital Board) who was ill; Mr. W. G. Groves rCastlepoint County Council) and Mr. H. M. Boddington <a member of the committee) who was away from town but who sent his best wishes. “We have just been celebrating the first hundred years of our settlement in this country,” said Mr. Jordan, “and many of us have doubtless had reason in the past week to ponder for a while on the manifold blessings we have enjoyed. I have often described these islands of ours as the Fortunate Isles —the islands of the Blessed.” A Englishman, Shakespeare, had written, observed Mr. Jordan:— This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England .... England bound in with the triumphant sea. "I can well believe,” Mr. Jordan continued, "that a New Zealand Shakespeare could write that of this young England of the South Seas. "Broadly speaking,” said Mr. Jordan, ‘‘we have been brought up to do very much as we please. The only limitation on this has been that we must concede a similar right to our neighbours and the function of the law has been merely to control and check any conflict between these rights and to limit any of our intrusions. The great pride of our race —the heritage of us all —is this orderly freedom of our lives, a wonderful blending of authority and'liberty that has not its counter!i part in any other part of the civilised world. All this is now challenged, as . it has never before been challenged, by a party of gangsters who arrogate to themselves the right to say not merely how men shall live but whether indeed they shall continue to live at all. At the outset, to the glory of our country she elected immediately and spontaneously to stand beside the Mother Country. Though the Commonwealth of British Nations may be scattered over the seven seas, living in different climes, governing our own affairs, conducting our own international discussions and handling our own trade, we are still one people. What touches one, touches all; what is vital to one is the supreme business of all. The sacrifices of one will be shared by all until the task is done and a real peace comes upon the world. We did not enter into this war lightly, but being in. will not depart till this goal is reached.

SERVICE & SACRIFICE

“We desire to express our admiration and appreciation of your example of service and sacrifice,” said Mr. Jordan. "It is superfluous to say that these men are heirs to a great tradition, founded by their very fathers, almost by their elder brothers, men of the great First New Zealand Division. A very fine example has been set by the present generation of young seadogs of the Achilles, some of whom are with us. The page of history that will be written by the Second New Zealand Division, I am sure, will be not less brilliant than that written by the First. The hearts of the people of New Zealand are with you and we shall follow you with our gratitude, our sympathy and our prayers. You go, each one of you. of your own free will, through the prompting of your own heart, at the dictation of your own conscience, so that New Zealand may take her place at the side of Britain and France. The land you love, the joy of home, the freedom of mind, heart and soul are part of the great heritage you seek to protect and preserve. This is a great cruside and we wish you God speed, success in your mission and a safe return.

NEW DIGGERS

Mr. Whyborn, on behalf of the ex- • Service men of the Wairarapa, said he wished to offer their thanks for the opportunity to take part in this function to honour the members of the Navy and Second Echelon. “The New Diggers.” He had never doubted the martial spirit and ability of the New Diggers. He had implicit faith that when their turn came they would do equally well as those before them. They had just concluded in Masterton the celebration of the Centennial, the keynote of which was to honour the . pioneer settlers and their- qualities of leadership, sturdy independence, cooperation and service. Those men whom they honoured that night were some of the pioneers in another great adventure. He considered that everyone could well follow the pioneer settlers and soldiers in their example of co-operation and service in the common cause. Many amongst the people had not done a great deal to assist in ' this common effort and there were some who were loud in their criticism of those who were doing something to get on with the job. That outlook was altogether wrong. If they desired to retain their democratic freedom, the community must realise that personal responsbility and effort must go hand in hand with that freedom and if that freedom degenerated then their democratic institutions would surely go by the tyoard.