VICE-ROYALTY

Southland Times, Issue 20010, 26 October 1926, Page 8

VICE-ROYALTY

VISIT TO GORE WELCOME IN TOWN HALL ADDRESSES PRESENTED His Excellency Sir Charles Fergusson, accompanied by Lady Alice Fergusson and Captain A. W. Wentworth, A.D.C., arrived at Gore by train from Queenstown yesterday and were met at the station by the Hon. G. J. Anderson, the Mayor and Mayoress, Mr and Mrs D. L. Poppelwell, and members of the Borough Council. The Gore High School Cadets formed a Guard of Honour, his Excellency complimenting them upon their smart appearance. Subsequently their Excellencies attended the Gore races. In the evening the Vice-Regal party were accorded an official welcome in the Gore Town Hall when loyal addresses from the j Gore Borough Council and the Mataura Presbytery were presented to their Excellencies. The Mayor, Mr D. L. Poppelwell, presided and associated with him were the Mayoress, the Hon. G. J. Anderson and members of the Borough Council. In the course of a short address the Mayor extended a cordial welcome to their Excellencies, and on behalf of the people of Gore presented Sir Charles Fergusson, with the following address—“To his Excellency General Sir Charles Fergusson, Bart., LL.D., G.C.M.G., K.C.8., D. 5.0., M.V.0., Governor-General and Com-’ mander-in-Chief of the Dominion of New Zealand and its dependencies. “May it please your Excellency. “On this your first visit to Gore, we, the Mayor, Councillors and Burgesses of the Borough tender to yourself and Lady Alice Fergusson a hearty welcome. “We desire to convey to you our sincere love and loyalty for the person of his Majesty, the King, and for yourself as his personal representative. “We can assure you that no part of the Empire is more sincerely attached to our King and Constitution than Southern New Zealand.

“We have heard of your Excellency’s distinguished services to the Empire as a soldier and this knowledge helps to strengthen our regard for you personally. “The fact that both yourself and Lady Alice Fergusson are descended from former Governors of the Dominion gives us further reason for pride and pleasure in meeting your Excellencies and confidence in your interest in the welfare of our young country. “Hoping your Excellencies will enjoy your stay in Gore and wishing you both long life and happiness and success in the carrying out of your important duties. We are, On behalf of the people of Gore, D. L. POPPELWELL, Mayor. D. HARVEY, Town Clerk.” Following on the presentation of the address, the Mayor stated that he desired in a le&i formal and less stilted way to extend, on behalf of the people of Gore and of the district generally, a very hearty welcome to their Excellencies. He did this in the first place because they were the representatives of his Majesty the King, to whom they owed allegiance. He did it with great pleasure, because he felt that as loyal subjects they would like to express to his Excellency, as the King’s representative, their very keen loyalty to him and to the Empire. New Zealanders as a whole were recognised as being strong in then- loyalty to the Empire but none were more loyal than those in the southern part of the Dominion. It also gave him great pleasure to welcome his Excellency because of the yeoman service he had given to the Empire. This made them feel that he had a certain amount of special interest with them in their expressions of loyalty. New Zealand had sent the best of its manhood to the war and they felt that the blood of their sons was comingling with that of those from other {Wirts of the Empire, thus cementing a bond of loyalty which must last forever. A further tie which bound them in affection to their Excellencies was the fact that both their parents were among the pioneers of the Dominion, and had assisted to mould its future and to build the way for succeeding generations.' They felt that this gave their Excellencies an interest in the personal welfare of the Dominion.

In conclusion, the Mayor wished their Excellencies long life and prosperity and expressed the hope that his Excellency would be successful in the important duties of his office.

In his official reply his Excellency said—“Mr Mayor, I thank you warmly for your address and for the kind welcome which on behalf of the people of Gore you extend to her Excellency and myself. We appreciate your reference to our parents and assure you of the great satisfaction which we experience in finding that this connection of ours with the Dominion in earlier days is remembered by so many. Our fathers both travelled through the country in the days gone by, and we find it a great privilege and pleasure to follow in their footsteps. The expression which you give of loyalty to the King and Empire has been fully appreciated, and I can assure you that his Majesty is very cognisant of the warmth and sincerity of this feeling, which is characteristic of all parts of New Zealand.” In the course of a further short address his Excellency said he could not thank the Mayor enough for the very kind words in which he had voiced the welcome to Lgdy Alice Fergusson and to himself. They both regarded it as a very great honour to feel that their fathers were associated with the earlier history of the Dominion and should help to assist in its development. On their present travels they were renewing acquaintance with some who had known their parents and with some who remember Lady Alice Fergusson and himself as children. The Mayor had referred to the intense loyalty of New Zealand and particularly of the southern part of it. This was a subject on which he was delighted to speak, and those coming to this country from overseas could not but be impressed with the atmosphere of loyalty which existed in all parts of the Dominion. During the last two or three weeks he had travelled through Central Otago and parts of Southland, and it would be an unimaginative man indeed who could not be impressed with the debt they owed the early pioneers and the wonderful example which they had set for those who succeeded them. During the trials and difficulties of early settlement they had retained their love and loyalty for the Mother Country. The tie which bound them to her had be6n described as a gold thread which could be snapped, but. while as thin as air it was as strong as bands of steel. That was the thread that still attached them to the Old Country. The sacrifice which New Zealand made for the Empire in the terrible years of war had never been surpassed, and that the sacrifice was a voluntary one was something of which they should feel justly proud. It was the duty of those who were left to inculcate into the children the splendid characteristics which existed among their forebears. His Excellency concluded an interesting address with a quotation of Rudyard Kipling’s “Story of the Garden.” The Rev. J. Lopdell, Moderator of the Mataura Presbytery, presented his ExcelZency with the following address of welcome—“On this, your first visit within tne oounds of the Mataura Presbytery, on behalf of the Presbyterian community, the Moderator and members of the Presbytery extend to you a cordial welcome and trust that yom visit may be most pleasant. We are pleased to welcome you as a brother elder of our Presbyterian Church and desire Co assure you of the intense loyalty to his Majesty the King and the Empire existent throughout the whole community. The women of our church are also desirous of sending greetings to her Excellency, Lady Alice Fergusson.” His Excellency in reply said—“l thank you very heartily for your welcome to her .Excellency and myself on behalf of the

Miss Z. Keith presented Lady Fergusson with a bouquet of spring flowers and the children gave three lusty cheers for their Excellencies, the whole assemblage joining in a renewed ovation as the train set out across the Waimea Plains for Gore,