November 10, 2013
Speech by the Executive Deputy Mayor,
Alderman Ian Neilson
Remembrance Day commemoration
Members and veterans of all armed services,
Members of the Consular Corps,
Honoured guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning.
Today is a day to look back and remember.
To look at the long road we have travelled.
But today is also one of renewal. For today we mark the relocation of our
cenotaph to this new position. But even in that renewal we also celebrate
historical acknowledgement.
The cenotaph is now moved for the second time, but always along the
same line of Adderley Street and the Herengracht. The renewal has also
enabled its orientation to be returned to the original one, and the
restoration of historical features.
On behalf of the City and its citizens, I want to thank all those who have
been involved in this difficult task. I thank them for their diligence and
thoughtfulness. Even those who opposed the move have assisted, as their
challenges led to a better result.
Many people have been involved, but in particular I want to thank the
construction workers who took great care with their work, overseen by
Jan Corewijn, the specialist contractor who planned and managed the
work.
So too must special thanks go to Bridget O’Donoghue, the Heritage
Consultant who patiently managed the historical investigations and
heritage approvals.
Some would have us believe that looking back is futile.
But it is not.
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It is immeasurably important to remember the path that brought us to
this point in history.
It is a sad fact of history that the path to the future is occasionally
washed in blood. As we move forward, we do so with the ever-constant
reality that conflict may occur and that lives will be lost.
It is the deepest tragedy that often those who fight for a particular future
do not get to enjoy it. They sacrifice themselves so that we all might live
and thrive in the hope that they created for us.
The story of our society is the story of the unsung heroes who gave their
lives to build it.
We remember the unimaginable bravery of our soldiers, as they pushed
forward to the front lines, as they pushed past fear, to make their
indelible mark on history.
Many think that they are forgotten, that the individual sacrifices that
some make pass away in the greater scope of history, minor events that
mean nothing in the greater scheme of things.
Such ignorance betrays a misunderstanding of history. For history is
made by individuals.
Today we remember the ultimate sacrifice of all those Capetonians, South
Africans and all others who have died in armed conflict
The stories of their lives, and their deaths, are the stories of this city.
We stand here today because of them.
Their efforts don’t always appear in our textbooks, their circumstances
are not always recorded.
But the gift they handed us, that of a new, a better world, shapes all of
our lives. Because, although armed struggle brings immeasurable tragedy
and sadness, it also brings change and renewal and forges new realities.
It seemed sometimes that conflicts would divide us forever.
But we came to realise that the only way to end that pain and that
struggle was to come together in peace.
The only way to stop those conflicts was to recognise our common
humanity.
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We have done so and though we have come a long way, we still have
more work to do. But we realise that what has divided us in the past need
not divide us in the future if we can reach out and see that we are all
bound to each other and must make this country together.
What allowed us to take that first step was the realisation that we all
suffered the same, we all died the same. So too then could we all live the
same.
It took conflict for us to see our humanity. And so the deaths of those
who have fallen in combat have helped us reach that point that can see
us build a future together.
We must remember the sacrifice others have made to build the country
and the city we call home today.
To be a united people committed to each other and the future, we must
honour those whose lives have built this place we have found ourselves
in.
Today we remember each of them.
And, by remembering, we thank them.
And, because of them, today we stand in a City that commits every day to
being a Caring City, an Inclusive City, an Opportunity City, a Well-run
City, and a Safe City – for all who call Cape Town home.
We honour those that have fallen, and we must never forget.
Thank you very much.
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