When Carter came to town
The former United States president was relaxed and the hosts were warm and respectful.
Palmerston North, Friday, February 10, 1984: The weather was cool, but Palmerstonians weren’t, when former American president Jimmy Carter arrived in town with his wife Rosalynn for a three-day ‘‘private and informal stay’’.
Accompanied by an entourage of staff and bodyguards, the famous couple immediately cemented their down-home image by checking into the Fitzherbert Ave Motor Inn, and were met by mayor Brian Elwood, Lions Club officials and welcoming fans.
Manawatu¯ Standard reporter Warren Barton wrote: ‘‘Among the onlookers were Lorne Smith and a group of other Canadian tourists. Carter walked across the driveway to meet them.
‘‘It’s the first time any of us have seen him in the flesh,’’ said Smith, as others chimed: ‘‘We shook hands with Jimmy Carter!’’
The Carters had come by road from Wellington, and before that from a stint in Australia. A busy programme of events stretched before them.
The 39th United States president and his first lady, then aged 60 and 57, respectively, had been invited to Palmerston North by the Central Districts and Manawatu¯ Lions clubs. Carter would be speaking at the fourth annual Lloyd Morgan Lions Club charitable trust dinner during the visit.
But first, a bite to eat, a rest and a change of clothes, and the Carters were off to the vast Pascal St stadium to catch the second-half of a prom concert by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. Outside, Carter broke away from the official party and chatted to people and children waiting to glimpse him.
Inside, an audience of 3000 people gave the couple a standing ovation as they walked into the stadium at 8.15pm.
At the concert’s end, Carter was first to his feet, striding forward to shake the hand of British conductor Ron Goodwin. The Standard’s headline the next day was: Jimmy’s A Charmer!
That pretty much set the tone for the rest of the weekend – a relaxed lack of formality from Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, and a warm, respectful response from their hosts.
For the press contingent and the local police force, it was also turning out to be a pleasant experience.
Palmerston North police historian Ray Carter (no relation) wrote in his 1988 book Beyond the Call of Duty that during the whirlwind of events, ‘‘as you can well imagine, the police were very much involved and came very close to Mr Carter and his wife. So much so, the staff on duty with them had a group photo taken, and they were delighted. Also, Mr Carter posed for a photo in his hotel room for Brian Hawley, police photographer at Palmerston North’’.
Former Standard chief photographer Maurice Costello also remembers the weekend vividly. ‘‘I remember, the first day or so, that Carter was heavily protected by his bodyguards, complete with holstered pistols.
‘‘They, of course, trusted no-one. After [that first] day or two, they appeared more relaxed. On a farm visit we were in a shearing shed watching a shearing demo when the shearer invited anyone to have a go. As time went by, security seemed to relax as far as the press went – it was the same team on assignments each day.
‘‘At the final press conference I asked if we journalists might have our photo taken with the president.
‘‘‘Not a problem,’ he said. Hence, I stood behind Carter [in the pictured group].’’
For several years, Costello says, he carried the photo around in his wallet.
On Saturday, Jimmy Carter swapped his suit for faded jeans and got into shearing mode at Richard and Barbara Walton’s sheep farm at Aokautere – it was a rainy day, but no-one minded. Maybe the visit put Jimmy and Rosalynn in mind of their country roots back in Plains, Georgia. Later, the couple were whisked away to a civic lunch in town.
Rosalynn Carter was photographed hugging young
Ricci Bradey at the Crippled Children Society Centre in
Main St. Then off to the Highden Stud Farm in Awahuri, followed by their only official Ma¯ ori welcome in New Zealand at Parewahawaha Marae in Bulls. On Sunday, the Carters attended services at Palmerston North’s Central Baptist Church.
James Earl Carter’s road to the White House had been paved with firsts: he was the first in his family to go to college, or even finish high school, and he graduated from the US Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland, in
1946. Aged 22, he married Rosalynn Smith, 19. They would have three sons in the 1950s and later, in 1967, their daughter Amy.
Carter joined the US submarine force, becoming an executive officer in the navy’s nuclear programme. When his father died, he resigned from the navy to return home and run the 200-year-old family farm. Rosalynn Carter handled the business’ finances.
Jimmy Carter entered local government and eventually became governor of Georgia, arousing the ire of many in the state by declaring: ‘‘The time for racial discrimination is over. No poor, rural, weak or black person should ever have to bear the additional burden of being deprived of the opportunity of an education, a job or simple justice’’ – radical words in that place and time.
Carter, a Democrat, ran for president and won. His term ran from 1977 to 1981, when he was succeeded by Republican Ronald Reagan. Afterwards, the Carters became international speakers and goodwill ambassadors.
Jimmy Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 ‘‘for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development’’.
The Carters, now in their 90s, still live in Plains, Georgia.