August 2, 2015

Finest Hour 167, Special Issue 2015

Page 21

By Sir Jerry Mateparae

On the fiftieth anniversary of the State Funeral of Sir Winston Churchill, the Governor General of New Zealand, Sir Jerry Mateparae, spoke at Government House Auckland to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust.


Sir Jerry Mateparae - formal portraitLt. Gen. The Rt. Hon. Sir Jerry MateparaeOn 30 January 1965—fifty years ago today—the world paused for a moment as the great statesman Winston Churchill was laid to rest. It was a day of mourning on a scale not often seen. Unusually, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II attended Churchill’s funeral, in what was a gathering of Presidents, Princes and Prime Ministers like no other. Footage of that day, even fifty years on, still holds enormous emotional power.

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Amongst the pageantry, the gun salutes and the marching soldiers, it is perhaps the simplest tribute that stands out the most. As Churchill’s coffin passes up the Thames, carried by MV Havengore, London’s dockers one by one lower their crane-jibs in a final, moving salute.

It is an unexpected and very human moment. It is a reminder of the huge affection ordinary people had for that extraordinary man. A journalist, soldier and politician, he became Prime Minister not once but twice, and led Great Britain with steely determination through the darkest days of the Second World War. He was a man of great achievement, but someone who knew failure as well. Cast into the political wilderness on more than one occasion, his ability to overcome adversity only enhanced his reputation and the people’s admiration for him.

Some people have said the death of Winston Churchill marked the day the British Empire died. Indeed, Churchill was under no illusions that the post-war world was going to be a very different place. As he said in 1943, in a speech at Harvard University promoting Anglo-American unity, “The empires of the future are the empires of the mind.”

How appropriate, then, his life and name should continue to be commemorated with fellowships that encourage the transfer of ideas for the enrichment of others. Under the auspices of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, over 800 New Zealanders have been able to travel overseas to investigate areas of interest, bringing back with them fresh ideas and new ways of thinking and doing.

What is also noteworthy is the egalitarian nature of the fellowships. The Trust Board’s message to give “ordinary New Zealanders extraordinary opportunities” befits Churchill’s “man of the people” status.

As we celebrate 175 years since the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi and think about what nationhood means, we can see the value of these interactions. Through the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, New Zealanders have travelled and learned from other nations and cultures, while at the same time giving other nations and cultures the opportunity to glimpse things through Kiwi eyes. The Fellowships, with their link to Churchill and the twin purposes of enabling international understanding and bettering our communities and country, are where our past and future intersect.


Sir Jerry Mateparae is the twentieth Governor General of New Zealand. His speech is reproduced with kind permission from his office.

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