Royal Humane Society of New Zealand Silver Awards presentation

May I begin by greeting everyone in the languages of the realm of New Zealand - English, Maori, Cook Island Maori, Niuean, Tokelauan and New Zealand Sign Language.

Greetings, Kia Ora, Kia Orana, Fakalofa Lahi Atu, Taloha Ni and as it is the afternoon (Sign)

May I specifically greet you: Society President Judge Neil Hattaway; Award recipients Erik Bradshaw and Christine Ryan, and your families and friends; Senior Constable Christie Blackford, and a particularly warm welcome to Francis and Monica Deery.

On behalf of my wife Susan and myself, I welcome you to Government House in Wellington for this presentation of two Royal Humane Society of New Zealand Silver Medals.

Before I present these medals as Patron of the Society, I would like to speak briefly of the significance of the awards being made today.

In October this year, the Royal Humane Society of New Zealand will mark 110 years since its establishment, having antecedents in the Royal Humane Society, established in 1774 and the Royal Humane Society of Australasia established a century later in 1874.

The role of the Society today, as then, is to recognise those who have saved, or attempted to save, the lives of others at the risk, or often the cost, of their own lives.  While significant awards existed to recognise those in the military who had committed acts of bravery and valour, until the establishment of the Society, there was little to recognise civilians who had risked their lives in peacetime.  As the English poet John Milton once said:

Peace hath her victories,

No less renowned than war.

While the New Zealand Government later established awards for civilian bravery, the Royal Humane Society of New Zealand's awards continue to be officially recognised.  Along with honours made by the Order of St John, they are the only non-government honours that can be worn with royal honours. Throughout its history the Society has made about 2000 awards, but only 205 silver medals, which are its second highest award.

Ceremonies such as this are often bitter-sweet affairs.  One only has to glance through the Society's centenary publication, Zealandia's Brave, to see many instances where either the person being rescued died despite the best efforts of those attempting to save them, or equally sadly, where the rescuer paid the ultimate sacrifice.

And so it is with these awards today, in which we honour Erik Bradshaw and Christine Ryan, who on 12 January 2005, came to the aid of two Irish climbers who had fallen a great distance in the Mt Aspiring National Park. 

I will not recount what occurred that day as the formal citation will soon be read out by Judge Hattaway, but sadly, despite their brave and heroic efforts, one of the climbers died at the scene.  And at this point, I wish to acknowledge and recognise Mr and Mrs Deery who have travelled from Belfast in Northern Ireland to be at today's presentation ceremony.

Even so, the bravery that Erik and Christine displayed was of an extremely high calibre.  You placed your own lives at risk to come to the aid of others.  The assistance you provided was not only physical, but also emotional.  I'm sure that for Mr and Mrs Deery, it will be some small comfort to know that not only did someone come to the aid of their injured son, but also that he was not alone when he died.

Courage, in all its forms, is not a common virtue.  No doubt you will humbly say that you did what anyone would have done.  But no-one knows exactly what they would have done in the same circumstances.

Last year, I had the honour to present New Zealand's highest honour, the Victoria Cross for New Zealand, on Corporal Willy Apiata, of the New Zealand SAS.  He likewise said that he was simply "doing his job" but daily experience tells us that such courage is not common.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown last year published a book containing eight essays about people who had shown courage—people such as Martin Luther King Jnr and Nelson Mandela.  In saying that courage is the greatest of all virtues, he noted that:

"All of us value duty, honesty, kindness, humility, responsibility, integrity but none of these can exist without courage." As Winston Churchill said: 'Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees all others.'"

Erik and Christine, you have both displayed that greatest of human qualities and it is a great honour that as Patron of the Royal Humane Society of New Zealand that I confer these medals on you today.

On that note I will close in Maori, offering greetings and wishing you good health and fortitude in your endeavours. No reira, tena koutou, tena koutou, kia ora, kia kaha, tena koutou katoa.