NEW ZEALAND'S PIONEERS

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 3715, 19 October 1926, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND'S PIONEERS

GOVERNOR-GENERAL'S TRIBUTE

"A TREMENDOUS INSPIRATION ” “ 1 suppose,” said the GoveruorGeueral. Sir Charles Fergusson, in an address at the annual reunion of members of the Wellington Early Settlers Association last Avcek, “ that there is no country in the Avorld Avhich could produce such a Avomlerlul gathering as this—a gathering Avhich has the pride of being able to call itself a gathering of Empire-builders. TV bat Avonderlnl talcs ot early days all of you could bring forward. What Avoiiderful stories ot dangers braved, of difficulties overoune, and of hard hips braA’ely borne. I say 1 am sure tb . 3 is no country in the Avorld which could produce tliis number of men and Avomen avlio luia'c come out here and have built up this little bit of the Empire, of Avhich not only aav, bat the Avhole of the rest of the' Empire, arc very proud, and for good reason. “It is very interesting to look back and consider bow tliis dominion and ibis Empire have been built up—built u]) by those. avlio Avere moved by the spirit" ol adventure, or by force of circumstances, to strike aAvay Irom the Old Country, and come out here and make ucav homes for themselves; and not only a new home for themselyes, but animated by the determination to make their ucav borne Avorthy ot the Old Country,” proceeded His Excellency. “They brought will) them all the history and the traditions of the pride of the race from Avhich they sprang. And it is just that pride of race. I think, which gave them the energy and strength and courage to face Avhat they bad to face. They were determined, to make the neAV land Avorthy of the race from which they had sprung, and I believe tliat to have been the mainspring of all they tK SPIRIT OF THE PIONEERS.^ “They brought Avit i them from England or "Scotland, Ireland or Whiles, all tliat has made the Old Country great—the lo\-e of truth and the love of justice, ard a broad spirit of humanity ; and they made their homes out here; and they never lost bold of the golden

thread which united them to the Old Country. They brought with them love of home, which has such a wot tierful effect in welding together the Empire. Because you know there have been many empires in the world. “There have been empires built up by force or arms, by constitutions, by subject races being ruled over by a dominant race; but this Empire of ours has been something so very different. It has been built up by men and by women—by their spirit—totally differ* ent from any other empire; and, although these great daughters of the Empire are only attached to their Mother Country* by a golden thread—a thread which, ns has been said, is light as air, vet as strong as bands of steel—that thread which attached them to home and the Old Country has never failed. And it is through that thread, which they kept hold of through all those years, that this dominion lias grown up what she is, and that this Empire lias grown up with that wonderful sense of justice. THE INSPIRATION OF EXAMPLE. “ When the visitor to New Zealand goes through tin's wonderful country and looks round he sees what you who are here to-day have brought about iu the short spacj of a little more than eighty years. We see a country which then was a comparative waste brought to the condition we sec it to-day by your industry and by your courage; and believe me, ladies and gentlemen, wo all honor and respect you tor it. “Now, what do wc learn from what we call to-day tho early settlers? Wo have gained a great deal Irom them, wc young people. Wo have gained this wonderful heritage which we enjoy in this beautiful country; but wc have gained from them something much more than that. Wc have gained from them the tremendous inspiration of their example—their example of industry, ot courage, of grit and pluck. Wo have gained from them that wonderful sense of patriotism which has been built up on pride of race —the finest thing, the

soundest ground on which you can build patriotism—and wo have gained from them that intense attachment to the Throne and Empire which has made New Zealand the envy and the admiration of the whole of the Empire. “THOSE WONDERFUL LESSONS.” “ This result is entirely due to those who are here to-day, and to those who came out with them in those early days. The older people have taught those who come after them, and the children who come after us, those wonderful lessons of character of which I have been speaking. And the whole of the success which New Zealand enjoys to-day, and the whole of this great promise for tho future, is due, and is directly due, to the early settlers who came out hero, and who have set us that example. “Wc are proud of them, -,and wo honor them for what they have done; and surely from them we get inspiration to try .'Uyl follow in their footsteps. And as they got over their difficulties during their lives of work, so we now get the inspiration to pledge ourselves to do our best to hand on this heritage which we got from them down to our children and our children’s children, uudefiled and undishonored.”