Testimonial Luncheon

Toast to Loyal Societies

Harry T. Seymour

Response to Toast to Loyal Societies. Nola Susan Crewe

Salute to Mrs. John Aird John W. Griffin

Toast to Captain (N) the Hon. John Aird and Mrs. Aird Catherine Chariton

Response to Toast to Captain (N) the Hon. John Aird and Mrs. Aird

The Hon. John Black Aird

Thank you very much, General Legge, and, yes, I will try to respond to Catherine Charlton's toast. It's been an unusual day for Jane and me, because (Archdeacon) Bob Dann this morning at St. Paul's said:

"You know, Your Honour, you're not used to running third, are you?"

And I said:

"No, sir, I'm really not." He said:

"Well, you had 1,800 people here this morning for the Thanksgiving service. His Holiness the Pope outdrew you, and so did the Archbishop of Centerbury, and you've come third."

I must say that this morning was an extraordinary experience for us, as, of course, this is here. I don't know how many of you have had lunch at 3:12 in the afternoon in the Royal York Hotel on Sunday afternoon when the Blue Jays are playing.

When we come here today, we do so with the greatest of pride when we look out at the audience of our friends. I truly mean that, because it's rather ordinary to go to a gathering and look out, and perhaps you don't get the names right with the various titles and so on.

But, when I look out here, I have some understanding of what this province is about, indeed what this country is about. And when you look at the back of the program and when you see the various units and societies that are represented here, you do have some understanding of, to use a popular phrase, the engines of motivation and so on.

But that's not really what it's all about. What it's about is that the people here today are the ones who support the things that matter in Western society. And I think that is a great thing to happen in Toronto and in Ontario and indeed

in Canada. Because, you know, the question that I very often ask people is simply this: Is there any place in the world you would rather be than right here, right now?

We are fortunate to have a system built upon trust and loyalty and on a constitutional system that does establish the Crown.

But could I say this, to this particular group? When you drink a toast to Her Majesty the Queen of Canada, it is terribly important to understand, I think, how simply marvellous this lady has been in that role. I think you should understand that the motivation certainly for me and Jane and-could I also say-for my distinguished successor, will be exactly that: effective performance is still the bottom line in the everyday activities of all of us.

But in Lieutenant Governor's activities, I always had to think about saying: "I now bring you greetings on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen of Canada." And I never really thought about it much before I became Lieutenant Governor. I really had not understood what I was trying to do as part of a system.

That's what I've learned, but I've only learned it through the assistance of nearly everybody in this room. It would be wrong of me to name anyone or any place or any position as to what they have meant to Jane and me as we've tried to do this rather difficult job in the last five years. I call it a job, some call it a position.

I call it a question of balance. I call it a question of representing Her Majesty the Queen of Canada and through that representation serving the people of Ontario.

And I think truly that, when you come to the Royal York Hotel-and this may sound strange to you and perhaps it's self-serving and perhaps it's because we enjoyed rather a good lunch-but it's a little like coming home as this morning was for Jane and me when we went with our family to St. Paul's which is home to us, and when you come to the Royal York Hotel and quite apart from the name and so on.

It is something that I think we understand and truly do

appreciate so, when we come here today to acknowledge with great gratitude what you have meant to us. Everybody in this room has meant something rather special to us and it's a day of thanksgiving.

Our thanks is really to you. Not from you to us, because I don't say you've made it easy. Because it has not been easy, it's been a very fulfilling and rewarding five years and five days.

But I suppose that, when we look back on our lifetime, we will think about it with some degree of emotion but also with some degree of very real gratitude to the strengths of our society. And could I say to this group that you are the strength of Ontario? Very much the strength of Ontario. So when we come here this afternoon to be honoured, could I say to you, please go away from here understanding that what you are doing for all of us is terribly important. We salute you all.

MGen. Legge

It only remains for me to announce that a gift will be made for this audience in the names of the Honourable and Mrs. John Aird towards the fund for an aquatic pool in Variety Village, as the Airds have requested.