Award Presenter
Prime Minister, within the Rotary Movement, there is a charity called Rotary Foundation, to which Rotarians worldwide contribute collectively and as individuals. The objective of the Foundation charity is to promote goodwill, understanding and fellowship between nations and peoples of the world.
Through their contribution to Foundation, rotary clubs are able to award fellowships in recognition of an individual's service in devoting their lives to these principles. The Rotary Club of Grantham has in fact awarded several such fellowships to their members. However, at a meeting of the Council, it was recommended and unanimously agreed by all members that such a fellowship be awarded to you. [end p1]
This I will now do, on behalf of the members of the Rotary Club of Grantham and of Rotary International (Great Britain & Ireland) in recognition of the way you have devoted your life to improving conditions in this country and our nation's standing in relationship with other nations of the world. This award is particularly relevant because of your close ties with the people of Grantham and especially as your father was a founder member of our Club and past President in 1936–37.
In receiving this award, you join the ranks of many other distinguished Paul Harris Fellows all over the world and the award is named after the founder of our great movement and I hope you will, at suitable moments, wear the pin with pride.
The citation reads:
“The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International. The Rt. Hon. Margaret Thatcher, Fellow of the Royal Society, Member of Parliament, is hereby named a Paul Harris Fellow in appreciation of tangible and significant assistance given to the furtherance of better understanding and of friendly relations between the peoples of the world.”
(Signed) Egbert Cadman
Chairman of Trustees
(Signed)Royce Abbey (phon)
[end p2]President of Rotary International
Prime Minister
Thank you very much! That is marvellous! That is wonderful!
Presenter
That is the pin that you may wear.
Prime Minister
First, I cannot tell you how touched I am and how delighted I am to receive this award. You will understand that it is something very special to me.
Rotary was very much a part of my life and my early upbringing and if I have been able to do some of the good things which you spoke about, it is only really because I have been able to carry on with what my Alfred Robertsfather started.
I remember everything which he lived by: the motto Service Above Self is your motto, which is one that he carried out every day of his life.
I came to have such a high regard for Rotary because of what I knew of it in Grantham and I know that whenever I call on Rotary to help in connection with any good cause or anyone who is urgently in need, that help will always be forthcoming wherever you are in the world. [end p3]
As I travel about the world now—a lot more than my father did—if I see the Rotary badge in the lapel of someone who is greeting me, instantly I say: “You are a member of Rotary!” Instantly, one knows there is a fellow feeling. You have something in common and instantly, therefore, there is no difficulty in starting to talk to that person about how things are there and what are the problems and what are they trying to do to alleviate them.
It is a wonderful movement started, as quite a number are, in the great United States of America, such a generous people, but that generosity has been reflected in our country and taken up anew. As we have just seen recently, all the barriers have come down when mankind is in need and that is very much the spirit and you are in the lead.
I can remember very vividly I used to listen with envy to the speed and ease with which my Alfred Robertsfather could get up and make a speech at any time anywhere. They would suddenly call: “Alf! Would you like to say a word?” and he always had something to say, always something worthwhile, and I remember one Rotary occasion when we were sitting there—it was one of the social evenings on which we raise money—I remember him saying—it was perhaps during the War—he thought that it was a great compliment to the Rotary Movement that Hitler would not have a Rotary Movement in Germany! He thought it really a great compliment and that really just showed precisely what at that time we were fighting. [end p4]
So, really, I have to thank you and the Movement for so much. To you in particular in Grantham and the International President and because it comes from Grantham, it means a very very great deal to me. I had just the other day a photograph from someone who had been presented with a cup by my father and thought that I might like to have the photograph because we have not got enough of them and also a report in the local paper which someone had kept when my father gave up the aldermanic office which he held—he had to give it up—and so I am constantly in touch and we have had from Finkin Street Church a big party here to try to raise money for doing that church up, so I owe whatever I have been able to do to the upbringing which I had from a very very good Rotarian and I am so pleased that you are carrying on the tradition and I shall indeed.
Thank you very much indeed and welcome to No. 10. I hope you will enjoy looking round it. It is the “taxpayers' house!” . I have a kind of leasehold tenancy on it of indeterminate length! I am very pleased that you should be able to look round and thank you very much indeed! (applause)