.0 1 LUNCHEON IN HONOUR OF THEIR ROYAL HTGHNESSES
THE DUKEB AND DUCHESS OF GL'OU CSM~ K
PARLIAMENT HOUSE, CANBERRA 23RD ivltJLCH. 1965
Speech by the Prime Hnise, the Rt. Hon. Sir Robert Mengieg.
,,..,,,.. proposing the toast of our distinguished guests who
ar no newcomers in this place, but had in fact toaope in their
own time with Ministers of the Crown and, occasionally I have
no doubt, put them right.
Sir I remember the first time you came here
. because I was at that time something of a new boy in Canberra,
I came here in October of 1934 and you arrived am I right
in thinking? i-in November, 191,4 on a Royal Visit, and this
is quite memorable because the rain fell, ( We've had no rain
here this year) It rained and it rained and it rained most
indiscriminately, and the Molongolo, that noble strea flooded,
I have always been indebted to you, Sir, for having arranged
that because it was the first time I had a vivid picture of
what a lake would look like in Canberra. ( Laughter) And from
that time on, I began work hoping that it might arise.
Then, Sir, of course, you were out here as
Governor-General, and you, Ma'am as the Governor-General's
waife, and I know perhaps better Lhan most people what an
affection you conceived for this country. This is indeed most
important because in all these more recent years whenever I
have gone to England, you have overwhelmed me ana my wife and
other people with great kindness and I have never been left
in any doubt that Australia has a place in your hearts which
you would not always want to make vocal but which is perfectly
obvious and has been perfectly obvious to those who have seen
you. S Therefore it gave me immense pleasure to be able
to take a hand in arranging this journey of yours this time.
This is not a pompous journey; this is not a journey to be
richly adorned by illuminated addresses. This is a journey
in which you are coming to a country which you love and in which
you are going to see old friends whom you have known, Indeed,
I think Sir this is perhaps the only unhappy occasion, from
your point ol view, on which you may have to make a speech,
I want to tell you that His Royal Highness, as a
former Governor-General, has a sturdy disregard for speeches.
( Laughter) He probably had to listen to a number of them
when he was here. He will have to listen to what I have just
been saying, and when he has made his I am going to ask
Arthur Calwell to speak to associate he Opposition with this
welcome. But Sir, and Ma ' am, the main thing I want to
establish in the few words that I utter is that you are old
friends and that you are back here among old friends, This,
I think, is something that matters to you and matters to us,
We hope you have a marvellous time. ' Je have had the great
pleasure in Australia of seeing your two sons here A'lliam
and Richard, in their time, and we have been greatly taken by
both of them. Rather nice to think that in many, many years
to come the former Governor-General and his wife will be
recalled by their sons who I have not the slightest doubt
will continue to maintain a lively interest in Australia. * aaa/ 2
. OP -2-
Now, Sir, I know you don't like listening to
speeches but must tell one story would you mind Sir?
His rloyal Highness was President of the Australian hlub in
London one year when I stepped out of the Australian summer
into the English winter and got the next best thing to
pneumonia whatever the next best thing may be and I was
booked to make a speech at the Australian Club dowrnstairs in
the Savoy and I had a high temperatures I think about 103.
I was advised by a medical man and medical men are always
disagreeable, that I must cancel it. I said, " But I can't.,
I can't, I am booked to do this, This is for me." So I
struggled into that garment of the subservient a stiff shirt
and a white tie and I went down belowI and stood in the line
with His Royal Highness for a while and then we went in and
finally I got up to make a speech the first time I ever made
a speech to a collection of clouds, because that's all I
could see, I didnt know whether I began a sentence or ended
a sentence and when I sat down, I turned round almost
despairingly to the ? aoyal chairman and said, " Sir, could you
understand a word I said? You know, I have a very high
temperature." And he looked at me with a mixture of affection
and contempt and said, " iOn the contrary, I have never heard you
better." 1 ( Iaughter) So there we are.
elSL,, we have never seen you better, Ma'am,
welve never seen you better. we grieved for you for the
troubles that you have been through. You really have had a
rough time, but I have no doubt whatever that with the weather,
the friendships, the comfort the quietness as I would hope
that you will experience in Xustralia, you will go back feeling
completely fit. l-adies and gentlemen Their Royal Highnessesi