60TH ANNIVERSARY OF COMMONWEALTH
The 60th Anniversary of the Commonwealth was held at the Wellington Cathedral of St Paul on Monday, 9 March 2009. The theme for this year’s celebration is “Serving A New Generation”. Governor General, the Hon. Anand Satyanand and Prime Minister John Key were the guest-of-honour. The event was preceded with prayers and recitation of verses from the holy books of Al-Quran, Hindu, Buddha, and Christian covering issues of unity, respect, cultural diversity, and brotherhood.
2. A pre-recorded message from the Commonwealth Secretary General (CSG) was later presented to the audience. His speech reviewed the journey that countries have taken since the inception of the Commonwealth through the London Declaration of 1949. The Governor General then read out the Commonwealth Day Message from Queen Elizabeth II.
3. In conjunction with the 60th anniversary, the Queen has appointed the 4th Commonwealth Secretary General, Don McKinnon as the Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO). The appointment is to recognise his outstanding service as Secretary General of the Commonwealth. Sir Donald McKinnon served as the Commonwealth Secretary-General for eight years from 2000 to 2008 following a 21-year career in New Zealand politics. He was also New Zealand's longest serving Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
4. In conclusion, the Commonwealth Day displays the organisation’s unique signature as an association of people, a family of 2 billion people from across the globe. The recitation of beautiful verses from major religions including Islam, Christian, Buddha and Hindu is a testament to the principles of goodwill and mutual understanding as subscribe by members of the Commonwealth.
MW Wellington
9 March 2009
