ADMIRABLE SPIRIT

Waikato Times, Volume 131, Issue 21758, 18 June 1942, Page 4

ADMIRABLE SPIRIT

DOMINION R.S.A. CONFERENCE < NOTABLE SPEECHES HEARD j (By Telegraph.—Press Association) WELLINGTON, Wednesday Impressive speeches having as j their keynote sober confidence in vie- ] tory for the Allied cause were made s at the opening of the 26th annual, meeting of the Dominion Council of ] the New Zealand Returned Services’ i Association today. The speakers : were the Governor-General, Sir Cyril Newall, the Rt. Hon. P. Fraser, ; and General J. P. Hurley, United , States Minister. The meeting was opened by Sir : Cyril Newall, who said the annual ; report showed clearly the amount of j. work the association had achieved; and the very wide field covered. He j thought the change of name to the Returned Services’ Association was a ' wise move since it brought in some ] elements which for one reason or another were perhaps reluctant or J diffident about joining the associa- ! tion. Unity was strength, and any- , thing which would help to that end i was to be encouraged. The associa- : tion was also to be congratulated on ■ the opening of the membership to j * ex-service women. Mr Fraser expressed appreciation 1 of the vigorous and enthusiastic sup- ji port the R.S.A. had given the war effort since the outbreak. “I have 1 , had particular responsibility during i ail that time, and never have the re- ; turned soldiers failed,” said Mr ] Fraser. He was confident that the support would continue. Situation Still Grim One glance at Kharkov, Sebastopol, Tobruk and Libya would show that the Allied Nations were still facing a very grim situation and the , tide of war might oscilliate forward in their favour or backwards in the ] enemy's favour. Times like the . present and times perhaps even more : : severe that they might be called . upon to face tried men's minds and ! souls, and he knew that as in the i past the R.S.A. would lead a strong 1 and victorious sentiment among the i people of New Zealand. In the Pacific the Allied cause had j made considerable progress but they': must not be caught in the snare of 1 ; over-optimism, and no effort must!, be relaxed. Any person who ; imagined there was immunity from ' attack on New Zealand was living 1 , in a fool’s paradise, but whether i there was an attack or not, whether bombs rained from the skies or not. j whether the enemy set foot in the . country to be hurled back, if the ! spirit of the R.S.A. animated the whole people of New Zealand there ! could be nothing but victory for ■ them in the long run. Inspiring Spirit General Hurley said it had been an inspiration to him to find how 1 whole-heartedly New Zealand was in this fight. “ I find every citizen in this Dominion is anxious to do his part if he finds what is his part to do, and gradually they are all finding it,” he said. There was a wave of over-enthusiasm at the moment, when people talked aboutj the results of the Coral Sea and Midway actions and the wonderful attacks being made on Germany by the Royal Air Force, but it should 1 be remembered that the aggressive, offensive spirit was not in boasting about what had been accomplished. The aggressive and offensive spirit was just as essential as war material and manpower in the will to win through to victory. “We can make up our minds that we will fight and that we will win, but let us not claim it until we have done it,” General Hurley said.