NOTES FOR A SPEECH BY THE PRIME MINISTER OF AUSTRALIA, THEFON, E, G. 1ITLAM,
Q. C. IN REPLY TO A WELCOME BY THE BURGERMEISTER OF HAMPURG, SATURDAY,
18 JANUARY 1975
1. MY VISIT TO HAMBURG COMES AT THE END OF A LONG AND BUSY PROGRAM
IN EUROPE. I CAN THINK OF NO HAPPIER CONCLUSION TO MY VISIT THAN
A DAY SPENT IN YOUR CITY, THE TRADITIONAL ' GATEWAY TO FUROPE'
IS FOR ME A DEPARTURE GATE, NOT AN ENTRY GATE. TT WILL BE THE AST
MEMORY I CARRY WITH ME OF MY PRESENT JOURNEY, I THANK YOU, MR PURGERMEISTER,
AND THE SENATE FOR THE CORDIAL WELCOME YOU HAVE GIVEN TO ME AND MY WIFE,
2. THIS IS MY VISIT TO HAMBURG; MY WIFE'S SECOND, VF ARE DELIGHTED
TO BE AMONG PEOPLE WHO HAVE LEFT THEIR MARK INDELIBLY ON MY COUNTRY'S
HISTORY AND CULTURE, PY THE MIDDLE OF THE .1TH CENTURY, GERMAN
MERCHANTS, ESPECIALLY THOSE FROM HAMBURG, WERE WELL ENGAGED IN TRADE
WITH AUSTRALIA. HAMBURG CONSULATES WERE ESTABLISHED IN AUSTRALIA
IN THE 1.84I AND ONE OF THE FIRST GERMAN SHIPS TO VISIT " ELBOURNE BORE
THE NAME OF THE OLD HAMBURG MERCHANT FAMILY GODEFFROY. SINCE .1ΓΈ 4 MORE
THAN lT., ry GERMAN PEOPLE HAVE MIGRATED. TO AUSTRALIA. NE OF THE
EARLIEST GERMAN IMMIGRANTS WAS THE HAMBURG MATHEMATICIAN CARL LUDWIG RUMKER
THE FIRST GOVERNMENT ASTRONOMER OF NEW SOUTH ! ALES. PF DISCOVERED
IN THE SOUTHERN SKIES FOUR NEW COMETS, AND PREPARED A CATALOGUE OF
17, fln HEAVENLY BODIES BEFORE RETURNING HOME AS DIRECTOR OF THE PAMBURG
OBSERVATORY.
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3, QNE OF AUSTRALIA'S BEST KNOWN LANDSCAPE PAINTERS, FANS IHFYSEN,
WAS BORN IN HAMBURG. HE EMIGRATED TO SOUTH AUSTRALIA AS A CHILD IN
1884. ANOTHER EARLY IMMIGRANT FROM HAMBURG WAS PERNARD HALTERMAN.
HE DISCOVERED THE WORLD'S LARGEST SPECIMEN OF RFEF GOLD, AND MORE
IMPORTANTLY HE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR INTRODUCING GERMAN LAGFR PFER
TO AUSTRALIA. SUCCEEDING GENERATIONS OF AUSTRALIANS HAVE HONOURED
HIM AND HIS HOME CITY FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO OUR NATIONAL LIFE.
4. HAMBURG HAS BEEN PROMINENT IN AUSTRALIA'S TRADE WITH THE FEDERAL
REPUBLIC. MANY GOODS FROM AUSTRALIA ENTER GERMANY THROUGH THE
PORT OF HAMBURG AND AN EVER INCRFASING PROPORTION OF YOUR EXPORTS
TO AUSTRALIA GO THROUGH THIS PORT. HAMBURG HANDLES APPROXIMATELY
PER CENT OF ALL AUSTRALIAN TRAFFIC THROUGH GERMAN PORTS,
SHIPPING AND SHIPBUILDING HAVE LONG BEEN SIGNIFICANT IN THE
ECONOMIC RELATIONS BETWEEN US. IN 1888 THE GERMAN-AUSTRALIA STEAMSHIP
COMPANY WAS FOUNDED', AND ITS SUCCESSOR, THE HAMBURG AMERICA I. INEo HAS
CONTINUED THE SERVICE TO THE PRESENT DAY, MANY OF THE CONTAINER SHIPS j
WHICH NOW PLY BETWEEN EUROPE AND AUSTRALIA, WERE BUILT IN HAMBURG
SHIPYARDS.
6. I KNOW OF HAMBURG'S LONG HISTORY OF FREEDOM AND INDEPENDENCE.
THE WORD ' FREE ' OCCURRED IN THE EARLIEST CHARTERS OFYJOUR CITY FROM
THE EMPEROR: RARBAROSSA, AND HAS CONTINUED TO THIS DAY IN THE TITLE
OF THE ' FREE AND HANSEATIC CITY THE AUSTRALIAN PEOPLE HAVE THIS
SAME FREE AND INDEPENDENT SPIRIT, LIKE YOU WE ATTACH GREAT IMPORTANCE
TO THE RESPONSIBILITIES WHICH FREEDOM PLACES ON OUR CITIZENS.
VOLUNTARY MUNICIPAL SERVICE WHICH I UNDERSTAND IS ONE OF HAMPURG'S
OLDEST TRADITIONS, IS A FEATURE OF AUSTRALIAN LIFE,
7. MY WIFF AND I ARE MOST GRATEFUL FOR THE INVITATION TO VISIT YOUR
GREAT CITY AND FOR THE HOSPITALITY YOU HAVE SHOWN US, I LIFT
MY GLASS TO THE SENATE AND STATE OF PAMBURG AND INVITE YOU ALL TO
DRINK TO THE CONTINUING FRIENDSHIP AND COOPERATION BETWEEN OUR PEOPLES.