Mayor of Vale de Cambra,
Speaker of the Municipal Assembly,
Family of Commander Álvaro da Costa Leite,
Ladies and Gentlemen

It was with great pleasure and pride that I receive from your hands, Mister Mayor, the Keys of this City. My best thanks and warmest greetings to the people of Vale de Cambra.

The inaugural act of this large Square is a tribute to the memory of Commander Álvaro da Costa Leite and an initiative that ennobles the Vale de Cambra county council and its local authorities, who knew how to extol the example of dynamism and enterprising spirit of a man who was the epitome of the virtues of this city’s inhabitants.

To pay a tribute to Álvaro da Costa Leite is, apart from an act of justice, a gesture of civic education. Because civic virtue is something which is taught – and is learnt – through examples. And virtuous examples must be disclosed to all and to everybody’s advantage.

In our days we need models, of true references of life. Individualities that, because of their character, are a standard of behaviour, to which we can look at and say: «follow that lead».

The path of Álvaro da Costa Leite’s life is exemplary. He launched large companies, he created wealth for his Country, and he provided work for many families of several generations. He demonstrated that it is possible to build an economic group, expand it, make it pay off in the international market and extend it to the financial sector.

In the times of crisis in which we live, it is worth while underlining his enterprising capacity, the spirit of initiative, the opening to innovation and the risk taking, the courage and determination with which he faced difficulties. Remembering him, several entrepreneurs will possibly feel more motivated to act, to overcome fears and uncertainties, to search for new business opportunities in the global market.

The sinew that Álvaro da Costa Leite demonstrated in the entrepreneurial world was the same he revealed as a citizen and as a man of causes, as an entrepreneur concerned with the future of his Country. For this reason he gladly celebrated the 25th April 1974. For this reason he became a member of the local authority. For this reason he stood out as a member of entrepreneurial associations. For this reason, finally, he left an indelible mark in the offices he served and in the people who had the privilege of being acquainted with him.

«Steer for the future, dynamic as always», was the motto of Álvaro da Costa Leite’s life. And many lives were touched by his own. Álvaro da Costa Leite always paid attention to the needs of others, never lost sight of the essential values of human dignity. .

Looking to the others, the concern with the more needful, the conscience of social responsibility are fundamental principles in the times we live. For some time now, since the beginning of my mandate, I have called attention to these principles, endeavouring that the Portuguese muster around them. For this reason as well it is with great pleasure that I join this tribute to a great individuality of contemporary Portugal, an example of life.

The biographical course of the person to whom we are paying tribute today is, in effect, a mustering example, a source of inspiration. I thus salute, once more, this gesture of the County Council of Vale de Cambra.