 |
Progressing the World Expo '88 Vision
- A non-government not-for-profit entity celebrating Brisbane's World Expo '88 -
Academic Forum
Opening and Closing Ceremony Speeches
"Opening Ceremony Speeches, National Day Speeches, Closing Ceremony Speeches"
Office of the Commissioner-General, World Expo '88
Opening Ceremony
The Hon Sir Llewellyn Edwards, Chairman of World Expo '88
IT IS JUST FOUR AND A HALF YEARS SINCE I RECEIVED THE COMMISSION, AS CHAIRMAN OF WORLD EXPO 88, TO CONDUCT AN EXPOSITION OF WORLD STANDARD WITH AN AUSTRALIAN FLAVOUR AND IDENTITY THAT WOULD CATCH THE IMAGINATION OF THE WORLD, OUR TARGET WAS 30 GOVERNMENTS AND 10 CORPORATE PAVILIONS. WE DEVELOPED A TEAM TO PLAN AND WORK AGAINST SOMETIMES INCREDIBLE ODDS AND DIFFICULTIES, BUT AS OUR STRATEGIES EMERGED AND OUR TEAM GREW, WE FELT EXCITEMENT AND ENTHUSIASM BEING BORN.
AT TIMES, THERE WERE PERIODS OF DARKNESS BUT WE, AS A TEAM, NEVER DESPAIRED. AT TIMES WE WERE LONELY, BUT WE DID NOT SHIRK OUR CHALLENGE. AT TIMES THE FUTURE SEEMED INSECURE AND UNCERTAIN, BUT WE HAD A VISION TO BE REALISED.
TODAY WE ARE CELEBRATING THAT REMARKABLE ACHIEVEMENT - OPENING DAY OF WORLD EXPO 88. 52 GOVERNMENT PAVILIONS, 34 CORPORATE EXHIBITS, 2 THEME PAVILIONS, A SURPRISE IN EVERY METRE OF THIS BEAUTIFUL SITE - ALL OUR MOST OPTIMISTIC DREAMS REALISED AND EXCEEDED.
YOUR MAJESTY, WHEN YOUR GREAT GRANDMOTHER OPENED THE FIRST GREAT EXHIBITION IN LONDON IN 1851, THERE WAS AN AIR OF EXPECTANCY CREATED. IN AN UNCERTAIN AND FRIGHTENED WORLD OF THOSE DAYS, IT WAS HOPED THAT, AS A RESULT OF NATIONS COMING TOGETHER TO EXHIBIT THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS TO PROMOTE BETTER WORLD UNDERSTANDING AT THE WORLD FAIR, THE WORLD AHEAD WOULD BE PEACEFUL AND ACHIEVE UNDREAMABLE GOALS.
HISTORY MAY SHOW THAT THIS DID NOT OCCUR, BUT IN 1988 AS YOU OPEN THIS WORLD EXPO 88, IN NOT ONLY AN ERA OF HIGH TECHNOLOGY, A PERIOD OF MEDICAL AND ENGINEERING SCIENTIFIC DEVELOPMENTS, BUT ALSO A PERIOD OF UNCERTAINITY AND, IN SOME CASES, FEAR. WE HERE AT WORLD EXPO 88 HOPE THAT A NEW RELATIONSHIP WILL BE BORN. A RELATIONSHIP WHERE MEN AND WOMEN OF ALL NATIONS WILL FEEL THE WARMTH OF BROTHERHOOD, THE CHALLENGE OF TOGETHERNESS AND THE HOPES OF OUR FUTURE, WHERE THEY SEE PEACE AND HAPPINESS DOMINATE OUR FUTURE AND, AS A RESULT, THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN DISADVANTAGED WILL BE ASSISTED, THOSE WHO HAVE FEAR WILL BE STRENGTHENED, THOSE WHO LEAD WILL BE AWARE OF THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES AND THOSE WHO FOLLOW WILL BE INSPIRED BY SUCH LEADERSHIP TO WORK AND CARE AND GIVE, SO THAT THE WORLD OF TOMORROW IS A WORLD OF PEACE, OF HOPE AND OF INSPIRATION BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS AND REBUILDING BRIDGES.
I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THOSE IN GOVERNMENT FOR THEIR CONFIDENCE AND SUPPORT, THOSE IN THE INTERNATIONAL AND CORPORATE AREAS FOR THEIR INVOLVEMENT AND THOSE OF MY WONDERFUL TEAM WHO HAVE PLANNED AND WORKED WITH ME TO PRODUCE THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM.
WORLD EXPO 88 WILL SOON BE OPENED AND AS THE SPIRIT OF EXPO INVADES THIS CITY, THIS STATE AND THIS COUNTRY AND, INDEED OUR WORLD, MAY THERE BE IGNITED IN THE HEARTS AND MINDS OF MEN AND WOMEN EVERYWHERE A NEW SPIRIT OF OPTIMISM, OF FAITH AND OF COMPASSION.
ON BEHALF OF ALL THE EXPO FAMILY, WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR THE PRIVILEGE OF BEING PART OF THIS GREAT CHALLENGE AND I HOPE THAT OVER THE NEXT 184 DAYS THAT ALL THE WORLD WILL BE INFLUENCED BY THE GOODWILL, THE COOPERATION AND THE BENEFITS FROM WORLD EXPO 88.
NO SACRIFICE AND NO EFFORT HAS BEEN TOO GREAT TO BE PART OF AN EVENT THAT WE HOPE WILL INFLUENCE HISTORY AND TRANSFORM IDEALS FOR THE FUTURE. TOGETHER WE'LL SHOW THE WORLD.
AT TIMES, THERE WERE PERIODS OF DARKNESS BUT WE, AS A TEAM, NEVER DESPAIRED. AT TIMES WE WERE LONELY, BUT WE DID NOT SHIRK OUR CHALLENGE. AT TIMES THE FUTURE SEEMED INSECURE AND UNCERTAIN, BUT WE HAD A VISION TO BE REALISED.
TODAY WE ARE CELEBRATING THAT REMARKABLE ACHIEVEMENT - OPENING DAY OF WORLD EXPO 88. 52 GOVERNMENT PAVILIONS, 34 CORPORATE EXHIBITS, 2 THEME PAVILIONS, A SURPRISE IN EVERY METRE OF THIS BEAUTIFUL SITE - ALL OUR MOST OPTIMISTIC DREAMS REALISED AND EXCEEDED.
YOUR MAJESTY, WHEN YOUR GREAT GRANDMOTHER OPENED THE FIRST GREAT EXHIBITION IN LONDON IN 1851, THERE WAS AN AIR OF EXPECTANCY CREATED. IN AN UNCERTAIN AND FRIGHTENED WORLD OF THOSE DAYS, IT WAS HOPED THAT, AS A RESULT OF NATIONS COMING TOGETHER TO EXHIBIT THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS TO PROMOTE BETTER WORLD UNDERSTANDING AT THE WORLD FAIR, THE WORLD AHEAD WOULD BE PEACEFUL AND ACHIEVE UNDREAMABLE GOALS.
HISTORY MAY SHOW THAT THIS DID NOT OCCUR, BUT IN 1988 AS YOU OPEN THIS WORLD EXPO 88, IN NOT ONLY AN ERA OF HIGH TECHNOLOGY, A PERIOD OF MEDICAL AND ENGINEERING SCIENTIFIC DEVELOPMENTS, BUT ALSO A PERIOD OF UNCERTAINITY AND, IN SOME CASES, FEAR. WE HERE AT WORLD EXPO 88 HOPE THAT A NEW RELATIONSHIP WILL BE BORN. A RELATIONSHIP WHERE MEN AND WOMEN OF ALL NATIONS WILL FEEL THE WARMTH OF BROTHERHOOD, THE CHALLENGE OF TOGETHERNESS AND THE HOPES OF OUR FUTURE, WHERE THEY SEE PEACE AND HAPPINESS DOMINATE OUR FUTURE AND, AS A RESULT, THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN DISADVANTAGED WILL BE ASSISTED, THOSE WHO HAVE FEAR WILL BE STRENGTHENED, THOSE WHO LEAD WILL BE AWARE OF THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES AND THOSE WHO FOLLOW WILL BE INSPIRED BY SUCH LEADERSHIP TO WORK AND CARE AND GIVE, SO THAT THE WORLD OF TOMORROW IS A WORLD OF PEACE, OF HOPE AND OF INSPIRATION BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS AND REBUILDING BRIDGES.
I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THOSE IN GOVERNMENT FOR THEIR CONFIDENCE AND SUPPORT, THOSE IN THE INTERNATIONAL AND CORPORATE AREAS FOR THEIR INVOLVEMENT AND THOSE OF MY WONDERFUL TEAM WHO HAVE PLANNED AND WORKED WITH ME TO PRODUCE THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM.
WORLD EXPO 88 WILL SOON BE OPENED AND AS THE SPIRIT OF EXPO INVADES THIS CITY, THIS STATE AND THIS COUNTRY AND, INDEED OUR WORLD, MAY THERE BE IGNITED IN THE HEARTS AND MINDS OF MEN AND WOMEN EVERYWHERE A NEW SPIRIT OF OPTIMISM, OF FAITH AND OF COMPASSION.
ON BEHALF OF ALL THE EXPO FAMILY, WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR THE PRIVILEGE OF BEING PART OF THIS GREAT CHALLENGE AND I HOPE THAT OVER THE NEXT 184 DAYS THAT ALL THE WORLD WILL BE INFLUENCED BY THE GOODWILL, THE COOPERATION AND THE BENEFITS FROM WORLD EXPO 88.
NO SACRIFICE AND NO EFFORT HAS BEEN TOO GREAT TO BE PART OF AN EVENT THAT WE HOPE WILL INFLUENCE HISTORY AND TRANSFORM IDEALS FOR THE FUTURE. TOGETHER WE'LL SHOW THE WORLD.