What a great honour this is!
This is one of the great Clubs of the world!
I am delighted to have been invited – but of course I am also filled with trepidation.
A very distinguished and very elderly friend of mine recently told me that for him nowadays the worst part of making a speech was actually getting to the podium – the stumbling steps, the looks of concern on the faces of the audience, a few hands even half-outstretched to help, the final grab for the podium as if it was a hospital walker. I understand that. I am not quite there yet – but not far from it. And I did tell your President when he invited me that really I felt I should be able to get up, dodder to my speaking place, utter a few words of heartfelt thanks for the honour of appearing atall and then be allowed to get on with the refreshments and in particular the best rum available. He told me that was indeed an option I had but he was hoping for something a little more than that!
So here I am talking to you at this great Club which deserves the honour of great words which for sure I can never sufficiently deliver.
One thing I know I have to avoid like the plague is the mistake of speaking overlong. A guest speaker, I suppose is allowed a little leeway – but not much. One should always be aware of the rule attributed to Winston Churchill – “Be alert when you are speaking if you notice people looking at their watches – but when you see