I will do my utmost to make sure that nothing can undermine the strength of partnership that has existed for many hundreds of years between Gibraltar and the United Kingdom

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 Tuesday, June 16, 2020 - 09:01
I will do my utmost to make sure that nothing can undermine the strength of partnership that has existed for many hundreds of years between Gibraltar and the United Kingdom
*Governor’s Swearing-in Speech:

Mr Speaker, Chief Justice, Chief Minister, Leader of the loyal Opposition, thank you for your warm and generous welcome. I am honoured to be here in your Parliament and can only apologise for my delayed arrival in Gibraltar. That delay has, however, only made me more eager to get down to work, fully immerse myself in the life of Gibraltar and to play a positive and constructive role in its future.

More years ago than I really care to remember, I joined my first ship in the Royal Navy as a fresh-faced, very eager young officer, keen to make his mark. The ship was undergoing an intensive period of operational sea training, with fires, floods, attacks by all sorts of enemy ships, submarines and aircraft – a sort of controlled mayhem to test us and to see if the ship and its people were completely ready for operations. I rushed into the Engine Room and asked an old and bold Fleet Chief Petty Officer what I could do to help. He looked me up and down in that measured way that indicated that he had seen the likes of me before, and said quietly, “just sit down - watch and listen. One day young sir you may be useful”. Those words are ringing in my ears now, and I suspect that many here would, in a very kind and considerate way, be thinking the same of this new although now not-so youthful Governor.

In preparing to assume this appointment, I have indeed been watching and listening from afar, but I know that nothing can compare with hearing from the people of Gibraltar themselves. Current circumstances may not allow the close engagement I would wish, at least not initially, but I am determined to listen and to be useful, not one day but as soon as possible.

HOW SPECIAL GIBRALTAR AND ITS PEOPLE ARE

One thing I will not need to be told is how special Gibraltar and its people are. Winston Churchill once said, “a country which forgets its past has no future” and it is already clear to me that Gibraltar’s history has fashioned a people with a special character and ambition for themselves and this unique place. Typical of that character has been the way in which Gibraltar has demonstrated to the world an amazing proficiency in denying the Coronavirus a strong foothold here. My heart goes out to the people of Gibraltar, those whose home has always been here and those more recently settled, or just here for a temporary period, who have suffered with this virus.

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16-06-2020 PANORAMAdailyGIBRALTAR