COURAGE NEEDED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 27 February 1942, Page 3

COURAGE NEEDED

IN FACING WAR DANGERS J NEW ZEALAND NOW CLOSE ? BEHIND FRONT LINE. i GOVERNOR-GENERAL’S CALL 3 FOR ACTION. t (By Telegraph—Press Association.) > NEW PLYMOUTH, February 26. The need for endurance, courage, ’ and unity in New Zealand, which was now close up behind the front line, and for positive thought and action in ' the task of winning the Avar was stressed by the Governor-General, Sir ' Cyril Newall, in 'speaking at a civic reception in his honour in Stratford yesterday. The war must be uppermost 'in the minds of us all, he said, and he felt that he must speak about it. It would be stupid to pretend that the news was not bad. He would be failing in his duty if he attempted to minimise the gravity of the present situation. In the last few weeks we had suffered many grievous blows and lost bastions in which we had very great faith. These islands were now close up behind the front line. The whole Empire was in danger, but it was from our peril that we could draw strength and determination to do our duty to the full. That it would turn out all right he was confident, but only if we cast aside vague illusions and faced facts. For the first time in history New Zealand might experience the hardships of warfare, his Excellency continued, and to face them we needed to arm ourselves physically and spiritually. Physically, we must be ready to extinguish the fires lit by incendiary bombs ,to succour the wounded and homeless, and to force the enemy back into the sea should they set foot on our soil. Spiritually, our determination to let nothing stand in the way of our national effort must be unswerving. We must sacrifice personal ambitions and pride, uniting as never before against the common foe, and must do all in our power to see that all our thoughts, words, and actions were directed with one aim. If every : man and woman did this we should in- - dubitably succeed. Referring to the fact that Russia, 1 the U.S.A.. China, the Dutch, and free Is men of all the enslaved nations were now in the fight on our side, his Excellency said he thought we could say < that the first ray of light of dawn was now breaking through. It was i only a question of time before we could mobilise all the resources which 1 would crush the enemy for all time. ]