Smith Lockwood: Adjournment — Sittings of the House 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Smith Lockwood: Adjournment — Sittings of the House 
[Sitting date: 21 December 2011. Volume:677;Page:77. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Mr SPEAKER 
: My colleagues we come to the end of this so brief a sitting. I do not recollect a sitting of the House quite as brief as this one. I am very conscious that I stand between you and what could perhaps be called refreshments being offered by the press gallery and therefore I do not want to keep you too long. It is a privilege to be back as your Speaker and in listening to debate this afternoon I could not help but be struck with a feeling of déjà vu to hear the Hon John Banks again refer to someone listening on the crystal set. For a number of years in this House I heard the Hon John Banks use that line over the decade of the late 1980s and 1990s. It was wonderful to hear the voice back in this House again and of course to hear the Rt Hon Winston Peters back in this House again using some of the old lines to do with I think the plots of the media that were all lined up and all so evil. I am sure we will hear much more about that!  
Believe me it shows one’s age when the voices go back so far. I think Grant Robertson in his adjournment comments referred to the days when perhaps he spoke to me through a loud hailer but I have to say though Mr Robertson you were always very gracious one-to-one. But of course Grant was not the only former student leader whose voice I now listen to in this House. Andrew Little was also a president of the New Zealand University Students’ Association whose voice I listened to as Minister of Education in times gone by. But let me just share this one with you before I bring the sitting to a close. There are some voices that I hear in the House these days that you probably will not be aware that I had heard in the past because in those days those people were in short pants. Believe it or not the Hon Jonathan Coleman was a contestant on the TV show  
It’s Academic 
 which I used to front way back before ever entering this place in the early 1980s. What was fascinating was that Jonathan Coleman represented Auckland Grammar School and on the other side of course was Charles Chauvel representing King’s College competing against each other on  
It’s Academic. 
 Do not ask me which year it was but if the videos could ever be found again of the shows I am sure they would be entertaining.  
My colleagues thank you all for the spirit in which you have entered into the start of this sitting. I can see an eagerness to resume on 7 February next year. Thank you also for the kind comments that you have all extended to the staff of Parliament at all levels from the Clerk’s Office and Parliamentary Service right through to Bellamy’s and the cleaners. You have all been very gracious and very kind in the thankyous you have extended to the people who make our lives in this place possible. I just want to endorse everything you have said. We are so privileged to be served by such a great team in this place. I wish you all a thoroughly enjoyable Christmas. Have a relaxing break and I look forward to seeing you all back here on 7 February next year.  
Motion agreed to.