The tablet was set up in a spot that will be directly under the centre of the dome.
It is 8 feet 6 inches high and 4ft wide, of white marble; framed with oak. The inscription is as follows: "New Zealand and South Seas International Exhibition, held at Logan Park, Dunedin, 1925-1926. Commemorating the dauntless courage of our pioneer men and women, typifying the resources of our dominion, and symbolising the world’s progress to 1925, this tablet was set by His Excellency Admiral of the Fleet Viscount Jellicoe of Scarpa GCB OM GCVO, Governor-General of New Zealand, October 13, 1924. The Right Hon W.F. Massey PC, Prime Minister. Industry, Thrift, Prosperity. ‘Truth, witness of the past, councillor of the present, guide of the future.’ — Cervantes"
Send-off for Governor-General
The throng in the vicinity of the Octagon Hall indicated the popularity of the departing Governor-General, and the esteem in which he is held. The Mayor said they had assembled there with sadness in their hearts, and he was saying that in the deepest sincerity.
He said sadness in their hearts because the gathering was to say farewell to their beloved Governor-General, Viscount Jellicoe.— (Applause.) The Mayor read the following address: "His Excellency, the Right Honourable John Rushworth Viscount Jellicoe, Admiral of the Fleet, Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, Member of the Order of Merit, Knight Grand Gross of the Royal Victorian Order, Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief in and over his Majesty’s dominion of New Zealand and its dependencies; May it please your Excellency, on the occasion of your Excellency’s final visit to our city before relinquishing the exalted and important office of Governor-General of the dominion, we desire, on behalf and in the name of the citizens of Dunedin, to bid you a formal farewell and to avail ourselves of the opportunity of expressing to your Excellency and Lady Jellicoe our sincere good wishes for your future happiness .... We appear before your Excellency today as loyal and dutiful subjects of his Majesty King George, full of hope and confidence that the great British Commonwealth of Nations, of which we are proud to form a part, will emerge with renewed vigour from the many troubles that have followed in the wake of the Great War."
His Excellency then read the following reply to the Mayor’s address: "Your Worship, Councillors, and Citizens of the City of Dunedin. I desire gratefully to acknowledge the loyal sentiments which you express towards his Majesty the King. While his Majesty needs no assurance to convince him of the steadfast devotion of his New Zealand subjects, he will with certainty derive pleasure from the thought that distance serves only to strengthen that feeling towards his Throne and the Empire in the hearts of New Zealanders. Her Excellency and I appreciate very very highly the kind and generous terms which you use in bidding farewell to us and to our family." — ODT, 14.10.1924
Compiled by Peter Dowden
