While this may be a week of celebration, let us also pause, as we did earlier this afternoon, to remember those of our colleagues who are no longer with us: Val Feld, Brynle Williams, Phil Williams, Peter Law, and our former First Minister, Rhodri Morgan. All a huge loss to their families, to their colleagues and to this country. And, of course, our most recent losses, Carl Sargeant and Steffan Lewis—two Assembly Members devoted to their parties and constituents and possessing a sincerity that saw them passionately pursue issues close to their hearts. Who can forget some of Steffan's brave and poignant contributions in this Chamber, when he told us that

'life is far too short not to say what you believe and to believe what you say', coupled with the words of Jack Sargeant, Carl’s son, who has succeeded his father in this Chamber with such dignity, whose call for a kinder politics should guide us all? Two of our youngest ever voices, with the wisest of words.

Little more than 40 years have passed since the very notion of a National Assembly was roundly rejected by the Welsh electorate. In sharp contrast, by 1999, the architects of progress to whom we are all indebted had won hearts and minds, laying the first building blocks of the new Wales. We, elected AMs and staff, have overseen the building of our new democracy over this last 20 years and it will be the youth parliamentarians of today and others who will be here to continue our work. They have never lived in a Wales without its own Parliament. For them, devolution will one day be a distant memory belonging to a time before governing our own affairs was the natural state of being for our nation, just as it is for all nations.

I’ll conclude by recalling that morning, that good morning, that very good morning in Wales. Well, it’s not even lunchtime yet, and the day still holds much more in store for us to do. Diolch yn fawr iawn. [Applause.]