Our children are our greatest treasure. They are our future. Those who abuse them tear at the fabric of our society and weaken our nation.

The suffering inflicted, and more often than not on the most vulnerable sectors of society, demeans all of us as humanity. That it is invariably women, children, the aged and disabled who suffer in these conflicts stands to the added shame of humankind.

Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.

As the years progress one increasingly realises the importance of friendship and human solidarity. And if a 90-year-old may offer some unsolicited advice on this occasion, it would be that you, irrespective of your age, should place human solidarity, the concern for the other, at the centre of the values by which you live.

The virtue and the strength of UWC is that it provides small, but powerful cells of innovation, catalysts for change, breaking barriers of habit and opening broader vistas of experience for both pupils and educationalists.

Part of building a new nation means building a spirit of tolerance, love and respect amongst the people of this country.

We tried in our simple way to lead our life in a manner that may make a difference to those of others.