GOVERNOR-GENERAL

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 22 February 1941, Page 6

GOVERNOR-GENERAL

ARRIVAL AT WELLINGTON WARM WELCOME EXTENDED SIR CYRIL AND LADY NEWALL [United Press Association) Wellington. This Day.! Sir Cyril and Lady Newall and i family arrived this morning in bril- ! liant weather, the train arriving on j the platform promptly on the schedule ] time, 8.55. The Administrator, Sir Michael j Myers, who was accompanied by the I Clerk of the Executive Council, en-! tered the Vice-Regal carriage, and ‘ greeted Sir Cyril Newall. The station platform was decorated | with flags and a red carpet led to the edge of the platform, beyond which j was drawn up a guard of honour from ! the army school at Trentham and the Royal New Zealand Air Force. Just after 9 o’clock the Prime Minister, Mr Fraser, entered the carriage j and shortly afterwards Sir Cyril 1 Newall set foot in Wellington. He, received the royal salute, following which he and the Administrator and chiefs of staffs inspected the guard, j while the Air Force band played in j slow measure the Maori melody “E! Pari Ra.” After the inspection Mr Fraser pre-! sented to Sir and Lady Newall Min- | isters of the Crown and their wives, j the High Commissioners for the United Kingdom and Canada and their wives, members of the Legislative Council and the House of Representatives and their wives, the Chiefs of Staff’s and the Commissioner of Police. The ceremony at the station closed with a royal salute. All these proceedings were watched from outside by an interested public which had gathered, also at the vehicle exits and cheered as the cars left. They went to the citizens’ war memorial where Sir Cyril Newall was presented to representatives of the Wellington and New Zealand R.S.A. and placed a wreath. Sir Cyril was then driven to the Town Hall and! introduced by Mr Fraser to the Mayor and Mayoress. The ceremony there was informal, the Mayor introducing councillors and their wives and the chief officers of the council. A quarter of an hour later Sir Cyril Newall. and Lady Newall. carrying a bouquet of gladioli, drove to Government House accompanied by spontaneous cheers from people gathered outside the hall. PRIME MINISTER’S WELCOME DOMINION’S WAR EFFORT The Prime Minister, Mr Fraser, extending a welcome on behalf of the Government and people, assured Sir! Cyril and Lady Newall of their most j earnest desire that their stay in New! Zealand might be happy and that they | would find the people imbued with I all the characteristics and spirit of the highest tradition of the British race.' men and women inspired with thei fervent wish to share to the full with j their kinsfolk of the United Kingdom | and elsewhere in the task of defend-! ing their lives and liberties and in i preserving the Christian civilisation and the democratic way of life. He took the opportunity of stating that! New Zealanders appreciated morej than words could tell the splendid! inspiring example of Their Majesties, I the King and Queen, who willingly! and courageously were sharing all! the dangers to which the heroic peo-! pie of Britain were exposed. Mr Fraser said that New Zealand had embarked upon its war effort with the firm determination to strain every nerve and sinew and spare no sacrifice to make its contribution the fullest and most effective within its! power. He assured His Excellency that the Dominion faced the future with no other feelings but those of full confidence in ultimate victory. In this grave and critical hour it was a matter of great satisfaction that a Governor-General with so distinguished a record should have come! to live in our midst in New Zealand. It was most appropriate in the present ! circumstances that a representative* of the King should come from the! armed services and from among the! most conspicuous of those who had' given such unstinted services to the Empire during the present conflict.! “We count ourselves singularly for-! tunate on this occasion that New Zealand should have as Governor-General an airman of such exceptional experience. one whose profound knowledge of the problems of modern warfare in all its phases demands the} very highest respect and one whose! achievement of building un the R.A.F.; until it had become the finest in the: world commands the undying grati-i tude of British people.” Mr Fraser said that a welcome wasi extended on behalf of both races,! Maori and Pakeha. stressing how they j were bound together in a common destiny and were freely united in once again offering their bipod ini defence of democratic ideals.