86th National Council Meeting of the Royal New Zealand Returned Services Association, Wellington

Nga hau e wha, nga iwi e tau nei, tena koutou katoa.
E nga mana, e nga reo, rau rangatira ma, tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa.

My greetings to you all, people who have gathered from near and far. To all honoured guests, to the speakers, my respects and, again, my greetings.

Prime Minister, Mr Burton (Minister of Defence and Veterans' Affairs), Mayor Prendergast, Mr Fortune (Secretary of Defence), Rear Admiral McHaffie (Chief of naval staff), Commissioner Robinson (Police Commissioner), Mr Cox, ladies and gentlemen.

It is a pleasure for Peter and me to be present today and to welcome you all to Wellington. A particularly warm welcome to our visitors from Australia and Fiji who have come a long way to be here today.

This is the 86th National Council Meeting of the Royal New Zealand Returned Services Association. My presence continues the long-standing tradition of a Governor-General representing your patron, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, at this important event. It is an honour for me to represent the Queen here in her Golden Jubilee year.

Every year, RNZ RSA delegates from throughout New Zealand, and invited guests, meet to discuss RNZ RSA business, their issues of the day or the year and, of course to remember fallen comrades. Every year, we remember the conflicts in which our soldiers participated, and the wars that have so tragically cost us valuable lives.

Many of you, on Anzac Day, will have thought about the Battle of Crete. Nearly 700 New Zealanders died in that battle. The Greek President, Constantinos Stephanopoulos, is currently in Wellington as our guest at Government House. This morning, President Stephanopoulos visited the National War Memorial. His visit highlights the friendship that has developed between New Zealand and Greece, and he has in particular mentioned the great sacrifice that many New Zealanders made and the affection in which our country is held as a result.

This year, we remember also a tragedy of a different kind. Six months ago, three valued RSA members, Mt Wellington-Panmure RSA president Bill Absolum, Wayne Johnson and Mary Hobson, were killed in an armed raid on the RSA premises. The killings shocked not just the Royal New Zealand RSA, but the whole of New Zealand.

Sue Couch, who was severely injured in the attack, is in rehabilitation and is improving slowly but steadily. Sue, our thoughts are with you and your family and we hope you will be better soon.

As for Bill, Wayne and Mary, they are sorely missed by their families, friends and RSA colleagues. We will remember them.

We also learnt of another sad passing, this time across the Tasman where the last living Anzac Gallipoli veteran, Alec Campbell, died in Hobart, aged 103. Alec was the last living link to the terrible campaign on Turkish ground in which 50,000 Australian and New Zealand volunteers formed the backbone of a British-led army in the doomed nine-month battle of attrition.

For many New Zealanders, Alec's death brought back the memory of our own Doug Dibley, the last New Zealand survivor of that campaign who passed away some years ago. We honour Doug, Alec and all Gallipoli survivors and victims.

One Australian commentator said of Alec Campbell's death:

"Farewell Alec and thank you. Your story and the story of all your mates is in safekeeping and in good hands."

This sentiment is one we share. And after witnessing our own Anzac Day commemorations this year, we know the stories of courage and sacrifice by our armed forces will always be remembered.

Anzac Day this year saw some of the largest crowds for many years. Wellington was perhaps the biggest in twenty years. Other big crowds turned out in Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin and throughout the country.

We saw a continuation of the growing trend of more young people turning out to acknowledge the sacrifice of those who fought for our country. The Royal New Zealand RSA is receiving more and more enquiries from young people, wanting to find out about their ancestors and from schools wanting more information about the various campaigns.

Pat Herbert, your chief executive, says this increasing interest by the young in Anzac Day indicates that Anzac Day is now part of the fabric of New Zealand society.

I think Pat is right. I am pleased I am that Anzac Day today has achieved a place in our calendar it has always deserved if not commanded.

On April 25, Peter and I were on the way back from England after attending the Queen's Golden Jubilee celebrations and a memorial service for Princess Margaret who passed away earlier this year. We attended the Dawn Service in Thailand at the Hellfire Pass on the Burma railroad, and the formal Anzac Day ceremony at Kanchanaburi War Cemetery where I represented New Zealand in commemorations organised by the New Zealand and Australian Ambassadors based in Bangkok.

Anzac Day commemorations took place there just as they did in many places all over the world. Wherever there are expatriate New Zealanders or Australians they get together on this very special day. For me, standing there in the sweltering heat in Thailand, it was a very moving moment, knowing that the feelings we hold for Anzac Day are shared in different places in different parts of the world.

I am very conscious, however, that while most of our thoughts on Anzac Day relate to the past, we must not forget today's servicemen and women and their work. It is with particular satisfaction, then, that I look at our last major mission, the deployment in East Timor, which will conclude successfully this year.

East Timor's new life, under President Guzmao, and an elected parliament is now beginning. It is important to acknowledge the very significant contribution our troops made there. But let us also remember Private Manning who lost his life in East Timor. May his family draw comfort from the fact that the New Zealand mission there has had a positive outcome.

I now want to mention a special person who I know many in the RSA hold in the highest possible regard: Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. It is surprising how many New Zealand servicemen and women met the Queen Mother during the course of World War Two, and I know there was genuine, deep affection for her among many of you. Queen Elizabeth, was a particularly caring person who gave us much joy over so many years. And I want to pay tribute to her leadership and her example, particularly during the second world war.

Finally, I am delighted to be able to deliver the following message from your Patron, the Queen. Her Majesty says:

"The Duke of Edinburgh and I were pleased to receive your kind message of loyal greetings and best wishes for my Golden Jubilee sent on behalf of delegates of the Royal New Zealand Returned Services' Association on the occasion of their eighty-sixth National Council Meeting which is being held today at the Michael Fowler Centre. As Patron of the Association, Prince Philip and I send our best wishes to all those present for a pleasurable and successful occasion. Elizabeth R."

On this note, I wish you well for the coming two days. I declare the 86th National Council of the Royal New Zealand RSA officially open.

Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa.