This is the full text of Governor Sir John Vereker's speech delivered at the Cabinet Office last night.

Hon. Premier, Reverend Bishops, Chief Justice, President of the Senate, Speaker of the House of Assembly, Deputy Governor, Ministers of the Bermuda Cabinet, Leader of the Opposition, Consul General and honorary Consuls, Members of the Supreme Court, Members of the Senate and of the House of Assembly, distinguished officials, friends, ladies and gentlemen:

Thank you, Hon Premier, for your kind words both here and, at the end of last week, at the farewell lunch you kindly hosted with your Cabinet colleagues.

Yes, we have worked hard for Bermuda, but it has been worth it, because Bermuda is worth it.

It is worth it because of what has been achieved here already, and of what more can be achieved in the future.

Bermuda is now one of the richest places in the world, and it is becoming steadily richer. It remains now to ensure that all on this island can share in that prosperity. It remains to enrich Bermuda as a society, rather than Bermudians as individuals.

A rich society values strong institutions, invests effectively in education, preserves its unique environment, protects its reputation as a business center.

A rich society provides a structure for young people that engages them rather than excludes them; and steers them away from drugs and criminality. A rich society holds this island, its institutions and its assets in trust for its children and grandchildren.

I know, Hon Premier, that your Government is committed to these ideals. I have spared no effort, and I believe my successor will spare no effort, in supporting you in achieving them, not only for yourselves but also for future generations.

Whatever contribution to that endeavour I have been able to make, I have not been able to make alone. There are so many people to thank for their support and friendship over the last five and a half years, that it is impossible to mention them all by name.

I have worked with three Premiers and I have valued my relationship with all of them. I have learned much from them, and I have appreciated their willingness, in the privacy of my office, to share and receive confidences, to listen to what I have had to say, and to put Bermuda first when making difficult choices.

I think, Premier, that neither of us would have chosen the inherently awkward relationship that the Constitution has defined for us, but we have made it work, and we have shown that with goodwill and open collaboration on all sides, it can work well.

I have enjoyed, too, working with Cabinet Ministers and their senior officials. I do not seek, nor do I claim, the credit for the productive business that is done between us. It has often been unsung, but there has been much of it.

Premier, it falls to the Governor to make many public appointments and I want to say a particular word of appreciation to those who have accepted my invitation to take public office, with all that entails.

Our Constitution provides a crucial and impartial role for our independent Senators. I am grateful to those I appointed for their commitment to their duty and their service to Bermuda; and particularly to the President of the Senate, Senator Oughton for the occasions when he has acted as Governor in the absence of both my deputy and myself.

The quality of Bermuda's Judiciary, from the Magistrate's Court through the Supreme Court to the Court of Appeal, should be a source of pride for all of us, and the dedicated people who take judicial office, led by Chief Justice Ground, have contributed hugely to Bermuda's reputation.

In this small and remote island, maintenance of law and order, public safety and security places a heavy responsibility on the uniformed services. I want to pay a particular tribute today to the commitment and leadership of the two Commissioners of Police I have worked with, Commissioner Smith and Commissioner Jackson.

The Bermuda Police Service deserve great credit for coping with the consequences of some of the ills that affect all societies, and cannot be held accountable for their causes.

The Bermuda Regiment under the Command of the three Colonels with whom I have worked, Lt. Col. Gibbons, Lt. Col. Lamb and Lt Col. White, has admirably performed its mission to support the Police Service, and in so doing it has provided a disciplined environment for successive generations of young recruits.

Members of the Defence Board under the Chairmanship of Mr. Garry Madeiros have been an invaluable source of advice to me, and to the Regiment.

The Public Service Commission under its able Chair, Ms Nelda Simons, has worked tirelessly to fulfil its constitutional role of ensuring impartiality in public appointments. Countless others serve on public bodies for the good of Bermuda; I am grateful to all of them.

My wife and I have worked with many of the voluntary organisations that constitute so much of Bermuda's social capital. Both of us are full of admiration for what you achieve.

We have enjoyed helping you in whatever ways we could, and also in encouraging you to work more closely together with each other. You have enriched our lives with your understanding of the world in which we live.

Premier, a time of farewell is also a time to look forward. I would like to leave you with one final reflection.

The Bermuda we have known for the last five years has not always been at ease with itself. The scars of Bermuda's social history are not yet all healed. Even in this small island, the sense of common purpose is not yet universal.

But small can, and must, embrace diversity. All the colours of the rainbow manage to live together in harmony in a single drop of dew. All the nationalities and all the colours that comprise today's Bermuda can live together in equal harmony — if we manage our affairs carefully.

That would be an example that would know no boundaries, an achievement that would have no limits.

It would be, in William Blake's words, to hold infinity in the palm of our hands.

If that cannot be here, in Bermuda, then where?

My contribution to that endeavour is coming to an end. I have been proud to serve as your Governor, with all the opportunities, and within all of the limitations, that the Constitution has provided for.

I am confident that my successors will be driven, as I have been driven, only by a determination to help bring about what is best for Bermuda.

Hon. Premier, the baton I have been privileged to carry now passes to other hands, and I must ask you to support those hands as you have supported mine. To you and to the people of Bermuda, I would like to say this: for us, there are no goodbyes.

However long we are away, we will always be pleased to return. However far we travel, distance will never dim these memories. Wherever we may be, you will always be in our hearts.