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92
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
"RESOLVED that the Urban Council of Hong Kong welcome the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor of London, the Sheriffs and the Chief Commoner and convey to the Corporation of London through the Chairman of the Council and the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor, the greetings and good wishes of the Urban Council of Hong Kong." (Applause).
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
93
T.D., B.C.L., M.A., and his Lady, together with the Chief Commoner, Frank Nathaniel Steiner, Esq., M.A., and his Lady.
In acknowledging the importance of Hong Kong with its fine natural harbour and highly developed industrial capacity, the Members of this Court recall with pride and satisfaction the visits of former Lord Mayors in 1961 and in 1969 and are delighted to have this further opportunity of conveying to the Chairman and the Urban Council of Hong Kong their best wishes for continuing success and prosperity, it being their sincere hope that the present visit of their Chief Citizen may serve to strengthen still further the special relationship in trade, commerce and mutual understanding which exists between our peoples. Signed: CLAYTON, Town Clerk.”
GREETINGS
ADDRESS BY THE RIGHT HONOURABLE
THE LORD MAYOR OF LONDON, COMMANDER SIR ROBIN GILLETT, BT., G.B.E., R.D., D.SC., R.N.R.
Sir ROBIN GILLETT (in English):-Mr. Chairman, Honourable Members of the Urban Council of Hong Kong, may I thank you for your generosity in presenting to me this Address of Welcome to my city which I can take back to London and convey to my Corporation. Our two cities have quite a lot in common. They are both sea-ports and they both rely on the financial services which they provide for much of their wealth and their welfare. And so it was with particular pleasure that I, who for 17 years of my life was a sailor, and who never made Hong Kong as a port of call, regretfully because my time was spent largely in the chillier waters of the North Atlantic, at long last am able to fulfil a long cherished wish, not only of mine but of the Lady Mayoress' whose mother was born here, to come to Hong Kong. We only arrived last night but already the warmth of the welcome of its people is all that we expected. May I now read to you the official resolution from the Corporation which I bring to you with their good wishes.
"Gillett Mayor. A Common Council holden in the Guild Hall of the City of London on Thursday, the 7th day of July, one thousand nine hundred and seventy-seven, resolved unanimously:~-~
"That this Court has learned with great pleasure of the forthcoming visit to Hong Kong of the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor of London, Commander and Alderman Sir Robin Gillett, Bt., G.B.E., R.D., D.Sc., R.N.R. and the Lady Mayoress, accompanied by the Sheriffs of the City of London, Alan Seymour Lamboll, Esq., Alderman, and Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Colin Cole, M.V.O.,
PRESENTATION OF GIFTS
Sir ROBIN GILLETT (in English): -Mr. Chairman, I also have a presentation to make. It is a piece of silver plate from the City of London to the City of Hong Kong. This is not a new piece of plate made for the occasion. We have felt in recent years that in his frequent visits abroad by the Lord Mayor to the various cities across the world, it would be more appropriate if we dipped into the city treasure, if I may call it that, and present pieces of plate which are of some antiquity and which have actually seen service in the Mansion House. So this is a piece of silver plate from the Mansion House collection. Who knows who may not have eaten off it in the years gone by. We leave it with you in Hong Kong as a personal and rather special memento of my visit. It has a little stand so that you may display it, and rather than inscribe it and desecrate perhaps an ancient piece of plate with modern engraving, we prefer to provide it in keeping with this modern age of plastics with a stand on which the story is told. (Applause)
CHAIRMAN (in English): ---Thank you very much (Applause). My Lord Mayor, in order that you also might recall this visit to Hong Kong with particular association with your own profession, the Council thought it would be fitting that it should present to your Corporation a Chinese silver junk-in fact, a war junk. (Applause)
Sir, this visit is of historic significance because, as the Chief Citizen of the ancient capital of the United Kingdom-indeed, the capital of the Commonwealth-you choose, as it were, to set the seal on the Urban
Page 64 of 174
Page 64 of 174
Page 64 of 174
92
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
"RESOLVED that the Urban Council of Hong Kong welcome the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor of London, the Sheriffs and the Chief Commoner and convey to the Corporation of London through the Chairman of the Council and the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor, the greetings and good wishes of the Urban Council of Hong Kong." (Applause).
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
93
T.D., B.C.L., M.A., and his Lady, together with the Chief Commoner, Frank Nathaniel Steiner, Esq., M.A., and his Lady.
In acknowledging the importance of Hong Kong with its fine natural harbour and highly developed industrial capacity, the Members of this Court recall with pride and satisfaction the visits of former Lord Mayors in 1961 and in 1969 and are delighted to have this further opportunity of conveying to the Chairman and the Urban Council of Hong Kong their best wishes for continuing success and prosperity, it being their sincere hope that the present visit of their Chief Citizen may serve to strengthen still further the special relationship in trade, commerce and mutual understanding which exists between our peoples. Signed: CLAYTON, Town Clerk.”
GREETINGS
ADDRESS BY THE RIGHT HONOURABLE
THE LORD MAYOR OF LONDON, COMMANDER SIR ROBIN GILLETT, BT., G.B.E., R.D., D.SC., R.N.R.
Sir ROBIN GILLETT (in English):-Mr. Chairman, Honourable Members of the Urban Council of Hong Kong, may I thank you for your generosity in presenting to me this Address of Welcome to my city which I can take back to London and convey to my Corporation. Our two cities have quite a lot in common. They are both sea-ports and they both rely on the financial services which they provide for much of their wealth and their welfare. And so it was with particular pleasure that I, who for 17 years of my life was a sailor, and who never made Hong Kong as a port of call, regretfully because my time was spent largely in the chillier waters of the North Atlantic, at long last am able to fulfil a long cherished wish, not only of mine but of the Lady Mayoress' whose mother was born here, to come to Hong Kong. We only arrived last night but already the warmth of the welcome of its people is all that we expected. May I now read to you the official resolution from the Corporation which I bring to you with their good wishes.
"Gillett Mayor. A Common Council holden in the Guild Hall of the City of London on Thursday, the 7th day of July, one thousand nine hundred and seventy-seven, resolved unanimously:~-~
"That this Court has learned with great pleasure of the forthcoming visit to Hong Kong of the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor of London, Commander and Alderman Sir Robin Gillett, Bt., G.B.E., R.D., D.Sc., R.N.R. and the Lady Mayoress, accompanied by the Sheriffs of the City of London, Alan Seymour Lamboll, Esq., Alderman, and Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Colin Cole, M.V.O.,
PRESENTATION OF GIFTS
Sir ROBIN GILLETT (in English): -Mr. Chairman, I also have a presentation to make. It is a piece of silver plate from the City of London to the City of Hong Kong. This is not a new piece of plate made for the occasion. We have felt in recent years that in his frequent visits abroad by the Lord Mayor to the various cities across the world, it would be more appropriate if we dipped into the city treasure, if I may call it that, and present pieces of plate which are of some antiquity and which have actually seen service in the Mansion House. So this is a piece of silver plate from the Mansion House collection. Who knows who may not have eaten off it in the years gone by. We leave it with you in Hong Kong as a personal and rather special memento of my visit. It has a little stand so that you may display it, and rather than inscribe it and desecrate perhaps an ancient piece of plate with modern engraving, we prefer to provide it in keeping with this modern age of plastics with a stand on which the story is told. (Applause)
CHAIRMAN (in English): ---Thank you very much (Applause). My Lord Mayor, in order that you also might recall this visit to Hong Kong with particular association with your own profession, the Council thought it would be fitting that it should present to your Corporation a Chinese silver junk-in fact, a war junk. (Applause)
Sir, this visit is of historic significance because, as the Chief Citizen of the ancient capital of the United Kingdom-indeed, the capital of the Commonwealth-you choose, as it were, to set the seal on the Urban
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