1998 Holiday Season Message
Holiday season message from Lt.-Gov. John James Kinley:
My wife, Grace, and I have begun our fifth year as the Queen's representative and Chatelaine of Nova Scotia and welcome again the opportunity to send greetings to you, our fellow Nova Scotians.
Over four years of residence in Government House and travelling throughout the province have given us the opportunity to visit more Nova Scotian communities and meet more Nova Scotians than ever before. It has been more than just occasions and visiting communities. It is an opportunity to view all segments of our society, young and old: city dwellers, country dwellers, schoolchildren, college students, people actively in the workforce, retirees, members of the Armed Forces, and, ultimately, families: mothers, fathers, children, grandmothers, grandfathers and more.
We, together with you, experience every day the exuberance of youth, the excitement of growing up, the challenge of learning, building a career, raising a family, the contemplation and wisdom of the senior years, all of which is ongoing and has always been so. There are days of great expectation, challenge, achievement and satisfaction mixed in with days of sadness and, in some instances, unwelcome disaster. As the Queen's representatives in this province, we share this with all of you.
During our residence at Government House, we have lived with the tremendous work of the restoration of the house and grounds. Government House belongs to the people of Nova Scotia, and the work of restoration is evidence of how important governments consider the part that Government House plays in the life of this province. It is the oldest Government house in Canada and we believe the oldest governor's residence in North American that has been continuously occupied by a governor. The residence is part of the history not only of Canada, but of America. This year, as part of the renovation, the house has been made wheelchair accessible. This will enable many people to have easy access to the ground floor for which temporary ramps previously had to be used.
During the Christmas season, we rejoice with one another in the conclusion of a wonderful year. We also look forward with confidence to the future. The year 1999, the last of the 20th century and the second millennium AD, has been declared the Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. The celebration with our older persons will be shared by Canadians of all ages as we all go forward together to a brighter future in this beautiful country.
My wife, Grace, joins me with our best wishes to all of you for a joyous holiday season, and good health and happiness in this final year of the century and of the millennium.