On her death last November at the age of 74, Ms Grant was remembered as a trailblazer in Bermuda’s public life and a devoted public servant whose legacy spans law, education and politics.

She was born on May 30, 1951, and grew up in Hamilton, where her early exposure to public service would set the tone for a long and varied career.

Long before she held elected office, politics and civic engagement were part of her life. In 1968, the year universal adult suffrage was implemented in Bermuda, Ms Grant served as a registration clerk for the Parliamentary Registrar, registering eligible voters and helping implement a historic expansion of the electorate.

She left Bermuda to train in England, qualifying as a teacher in 1974 and later as a barrister-at-law in 1985, before returning home to practise. From 1986, she worked in Bermuda primarily in probate, wills and estates, establishing a reputation as a capable and trusted legal mind.

In June 1993, Ms Grant made history when she became the first woman elected as a councillor to the Corporation of Hamilton, a milestone in the city’s 200-year history.

She was sworn in following her election, marking a milestone in the city’s history. In her victory speech, she acknowledged the occasion and hinted at her broader ambitions.

She went on to serve with distinction for more than 12 years, holding roles including common councillor, senior alderman and deputy mayor. Her leadership was grounded in a belief in fairness and transparency, qualities that colleagues said defined her approach to governance.

The City of Hamilton officially recognised her passing with a statement praising her integrity, legal expertise and deep commitment to public service. Mayor Charles Gosling said Ms Grant’s contributions extended across “Bermuda’s legal, civic and ecclesiastical life”, and that she served with “conviction, professionalism and a genuine belief in good governance”.

Ms Grant’s advocacy went beyond local government. She was a vocal supporter of free and fair elections and civic participation, and she challenged practices she viewed as undermining democratic processes. Her work as registrar of the Synod of the Anglican Church of Bermuda further illustrated her engagement with community life, allowing her to preside over significant ecclesiastical milestones such as the election of the Right Reverend Ewen Ratteray as Bishop of Bermuda.

Her ambition also saw her run for mayor on more than one occasion, narrowly missing out. Her efforts demonstrated both her resilience and her belief that the City of Hamilton should reflect the voices of all its residents.

Beyond her public roles, those who knew her remembered a woman of wide interests and calm determination, committed to fairness and the rights of others. In death, as in life, Ms Grant’s impact was acknowledged across the community.

“Bermuda has lost a fierce advocate, a thoughtful leader, and a woman whose contributions helped shape the modern City of Hamilton,” said Mr Gosling in his tribute.

Through law, local government and public service, Ms Grant will be remembered for steady work that helped widen participation in civic life. That work left a lasting mark on the City of Hamilton.

The post Those we have loved and lost Sonia Grant appeared first on RG Magazines.

Born on June 28, 1939, in Pembroke, Leonard Frederick Wade was known simply as “Freddie”, both to those closest to him and to the island at large. The son of Sergeant Major James Eugene and Helen Wade, he grew up in mid-20th-century Bermuda, at a time when opportunity and power were sharply divided.

Mr Wade trained as a teacher in Canada before returning home to Bermuda, where he saw first-hand the inequities in the local education system. Determined to be part of change rather than merely critique it, he joined the Progressive Labour Party soon after its founding in 1963. At a time when issues of race, inequality and economic opportunity shaped daily life on the island, Mr Wade quickly emerged as one of the party’s most committed members.

In the historic 1968 election, the first under universal adult suffrage, he won a seat in the House of Assembly representing Devonshire North.

That election marked a turning point for Bermuda and for the PLP, as the party began its long struggle for political relevance against the long-governing United Bermuda Party. Mr Wade, however, could not keep his teaching position once elected, due to a law barring MPs from holding teaching posts — a sacrifice he accepted in pursuit of broader change.

Steady but sure

Over the next two decades, Mr Wade built his political career steadily. He served in a range of shadow ministerial roles, including finance, home affairs and education, and established himself as a respected strategist and parliamentarian. After decades of involvement, he became deputy leader in 1976 and was elected party leader in November 1985.

The political landscape he inherited was deeply fractured. The PLP had been reduced to just seven seats in the House of Assembly after a damaging election defeat that year, leaving supporters disillusioned and internal divisions threatening the party’s future.

Mr Wade’s leadership was not merely about steering policy — it was about rebuilding trust, healing rifts and restoring faith.

His approach was notable not for combative rhetoric but for strategic recalibration. He worked to tone down the PLP’s more radical image from the 1960s and reached out to broader segments of Bermudian society, including the business community traditionally aligned with the UBP.

His political acumen helped the PLP regain seats and momentum in the 1989 and 1993 elections, bringing the party closer than ever to victory even as it remained in opposition.

One defining moment came in 1995, when Mr Wade successfully called on PLP supporters to boycott a referendum on independence. The move effectively dealt a blow to the independence campaign — leading to Sir John Swan’s resignation as Premier — but it also demonstrated Mr Wade’s willingness to take bold, controversial stances if he believed they were in the island’s best interest.

Observers at the time saw Mr Wade as a steady and effective leader. When he took over, many critics doubted the PLP’s future; by 1993 the party was within a whisker of winning government, gaining 18 seats to the UBP’s 22 — the closest it had come in a general election to that point.

Skilled and influential

Mr Wade’s life outside politics was also full. Married three times and father to six children, he balanced the demands of public life with family responsibilities. He was known as a man of wide interests, including a love of jazz. Those closest to him emphasised his humility and commitment to public service.

Tragically, his life was cut short on August 13, 1996, when he collapsed on his way to catch a flight to a Commonwealth Parliamentary Association conference in Malaysia. He was 57. His sudden death shocked the island and left a void in the party he had spent decades rebuilding.

Tributes poured in from across the political spectrum. One colleague described him as a “master conductor” whose organisational skill and leadership under pressure were as integral to the PLP’s revival as his political vision. Even critics acknowledged that Mr Wade’s influence on Bermudian politics was profound and enduring.

His legacy was formally recognised in 2007, when the Bermuda International Airport was renamed L.F. Wade International Airport in his honour — a symbol of national acknowledgment for a man whose career helped transform the island’s political landscape.

Although Mr Wade didn’t see the PLP form government in 1998, leaders and supporters since have credited him with laying the essential groundwork.

Three decades after his death, his life is remembered not simply for the office he held but for the vision he championed: a Bermuda shaped by dialogue, gradual change and broader participation. Many older Bermudians still recall his strategic mind, his debates in the House of Assembly, and his belief that the PLP could one day form government. Others credit him with laying foundations that later leaders built on.

Mr Wade’s legacy extends beyond Bermuda’s political history. It is a reminder of work that often goes unnoticed at the time, but shapes what is to come.

• Sources for this article include Bermuda Biographies and The Royal Gazette archives

The post Political icon Freddie Wade appeared first on RG Magazines.

Written by Mr Smith in 1969 for a Department of Tourism briefing tour of the United States, the song evokes the friendliness of Bermudians and the natural beauty of the island with its references to flowers, honeybees, bird song and a “morning sunrise from the sea up to the sky”.

The song, which is among more than 50 written by Mr Smith, is widely considered the island’s unofficial national anthem.

This year marks a quarter century since the iconic musician, bandleader and songwriter died of a heart attack in December 2001 at the age of 83, but his love of the island lives on in his music.

Mr Smith spent more than 60 years as an entertainer in Bermuda, starting off at the majestic Colonial Opera House on Victoria Street in Hamilton, an 850-seat venue that played a significant role in the entertainment and community life of the island.

He began serenading tourists when Black entertainers became welcome on the island’s hotel circuit following the Second World War.

Mr Smith sang with several of the island’s big bands, including those led by Kenny Iris and Al Davis, but it was his leadership of the Coral Islanders that cemented his reputation as a top entertainer.

Adorned in colourful shirts, the calypsonians first performed for enthusiastic crowds at the Coral Island Hotel in Flatts, hence the band’s name. Postcards of the time heralded the hotel’s “temperature-controlled swimming pool located alongside the turquoise waters of Flatts Inlet”.

Mr Smith and the band moved on from their first venue, playing at the famed Clay House Inn on North Shore Road in Devonshire, a coveted spot on the island’s circuit. Later, international recording stars Ziggy Marley and Roberta Flack, among others, would play the venue.

The band also had a multi-year engagement at the Princess Hotel in Hamilton, where Mr Smith was named musical director, and later played at other island hotels during a period that is widely considered the golden era of Bermuda tourism.

Mr Smith’s career as an entertainer was celebrated locally with a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award from the Bermuda Arts Council in 2002, and internationally with a Queen’s Certificate and Badge of Honour.

He was not only honoured by Queen Elizabeth II; Mr Smith performed for the Queen, and also for Prince (now King) Charles and Princess Margaret, at receptions in their honour.

Mr Smith also played for US president John F Kennedy, and for film stars including Clark Gable and Gary Cooper.

Music historian Dale Butler, keen to ensure that Mr Smith’s vast contributions to the island were not forgotten, wrote a play about him that was performed at Fourways Inn in 2014 and featured top performers from the island’s musical heyday.

Mr Butler also said that it was Mr Smith who inspired him to write his 1978 book, Jazz on the Rock.

Mr Smith was among those honoured by the Bermuda Post Office in its Bermuda Troubadours stamp issue.

He is also fondly remembered for encouraging young musicians, for his time as president of the Bermuda Musicians Union, and for giving back to the community with his charity work.

A keen golfer, Mr Smith was a trailblazer in sport as well; he was a founding member and president of Ocean View Golf Course and the first Black member and a trustee of Port Royal Golf Course.

The post Hero from another world appeared first on RG Magazines.

That’s the message Clyde Best hopes people will get when they watch the documentary about his groundbreaking life.

The footballing icon is thrilled to share his journey in the film Transforming the Beautiful Game: The Clyde Best Story, which launches this April.

His personal achievements have long been a source of pride for Bermudians.

Mr Best, who scored 58 goals for West Ham United in the 1960s and 1970s, is regarded as the first Black footballing superstar in the UK.

His trailblazing career also included dozens of goals in the United States, Canada and the Netherlands.

Yet Mr Best’s greatest legacy is the remarkable way he handled racism.

He recently told how he once received a letter from someone threatening to throw acid in his face the next time he ran on the pitch.

Mr Best refused to buckle, and his fellow players formed protective lines either side of him to ensure he could get safely onto the pitch and the show could go on. As far as Mr Best was concerned, he had a job to do.

“My most important message is don’t give up,” Mr Best, 75, told Bermudian History.

“You have got to be tough. You can’t give in. You need to do what you’ve got to do. You are going to get obstacles in your way, on the field or from the people in the stands, but you can’t let it stop you.”

Be inspired

The documentary, directed by award-winning filmmaker Dan Egan, reflects on Mr Best’s career which began with Somerset Trojans in the mid 1960s.

It includes interviews with legends of the game including England internationals Viv Anderson, Les Ferdinand and Ian Wright, and Mr Best’s West Ham teammate Harry Redknapp.

“It feels great to have this film made,” Mr Best said.

“It’s something that we think is going to be worthwhile, and hopefully a lot of the younger boys can look at it and see this is the way to go.

“I hope it appeals to everybody, but mainly young people, who will look at some of the stuff and feel they can be like that too.

“We have done this mainly to make people understand that you can make it if you really try.”

His own legacy, he said, was his determination to “stay in the race”.

“You are going to have things in your way, but you don’t give in. Be a pillar of strength and don’t give in. That’s what I’m most proud of.

“A lot of people might have given in. I didn’t. I was there for a purpose. I’m glad the Lord picked me.”

Mr Best noted that while racism may not be as vicious in the stands, it has not been eradicated from the sport while modern-day Black players receive abuse on social media.

“At times, racism has changed, but at times it remains the same,” he said.

“But as an individual, you have got to do what you can to get rid of it and do the things that are necessary to prevent it.

“It’s a lot easier for the players today than it was when I played. I was by myself. Today, you have got four or five guys on a team, so you have got their help.

“But you have still got to be strong. Set your goals. Make sure you keep them in your mind.”

Keep going

In recent times, many have questioned the underrepresentation of Blacks in football management.

A 2022 report from the Black Footballers Partnership found 43 per cent of Premier League footballers were Black – yet only 4 per cent of managerial positions for former players went to Blacks.

Mr Best’s stance on Blacks in management today mirrors his thoughts on his own playing career.

“We understand the numbers, but you have got to keep going. Don’t give in,” he said.

“Because they are not there yet, it doesn’t mean to say they are not going to be there some day, if you believe in it. You have got to go for it.”

He gave the example of Liam Rosenior, who was appointed manager of Chelsea in January.

“He’s taken off well and it goes to show, this is an opportunity and he’s got to stick at it,” he said.

One of the greatest changes from Mr Best’s playing days is the vast salaries earned by modern players.

“I would hope that a lot of the players doing well are going to do things in their community to help people who are less fortunate,” he said.

“Compared to what we were paid, the guys today make lots of money. I just hope they use it in the right manner and do things with it. They have got the power to make a difference.

“I like Ronaldo because he does a lot in his community with the money he makes.”

Several events are lined up to celebrate the launch of The Clyde Best Story.

• March 29 to April 7: Youth clinic with Bermuda footballer Dante Leverock and a coach from West Ham. Further details will be released soon.
• April 16 to May 2: Art exhibition at the Bermuda Society of Arts focusing on Bermuda footballers. Curated by Bermudian artist Jasmine Lee and supported by Barbara Dillas. This exhibition will later move to Dockyard.
• April 21 to 26: On-island premieres. A red-carpet experience and immersive premiere evening including premium reserved seating, meet and greet opportunities, photo opportunities and post-film discussion.

The post Let nothing stop you! appeared first on RG Magazines.

The protest against segregated seating in cinemas, launched on June 15 by the Progressive Group, struck a fatal blow against racial discrimination in two short weeks — something that various parliamentary committees and commissions had failed to do over the years.

Minus the closing of theatres by owners on day nine of the Boycott, the first sign of victory came from hoteliers, who on June 28, announced they would “accept reservations for dining, dancing and entertainment from local residents without discrimination.”

High-end restaurants in Hamilton followed suit the next day, and one day later, theatre owners announced that cinemas would reopen on July 2 and patrons could sit anywhere they liked.

There was praise all around for the dramatic change.

A statement from the then anonymous Progressive Group members said: “We are appreciative

of the fact that the hotels, restaurants and theatres are desegregated. The people of Bermuda are to be thanked, indeed congratulated for the striking display of solidarity shown since June 15th. The day should become for Bermuda what Emancipation Day was for the world.”

But the struggle for equality was far from over.

Discrimination

Blacks were welcome in hotel nightclubs and restaurants, but not for overnight stays. Some restaurants were still refusing to serve Black patrons.

In August 1960, the dust from the boycott having long been settled, The Bermuda Recorder reported the experience of two visiting couples, one White, the other Black, who had gone to the upscale Penthouse restaurant on Front Street for lunch.

Both couples left with a bitter taste in their mouths when told the restaurant did not serve Blacks. The tourists were on a taxi tour and asked their driver to suggest a place for lunch.

The driver told the Recorder: “I honestly believed they had stopped this business of discriminating.”

Two weeks later, the case of a Black American family who had booked a five-day stay at Castle Harbour Hotel hit the headlines. The couple, travelling with their 10-year-old son, were being assigned a room when the hotel manager intervened, telling them, “in no uncertain terms that Negroes were not acceptable as room guests,” the Recorder reported.

After a two-hour standoff, the family agreed to an offer of accommodation at the Princess Hotel in Hamilton. In an attempt to seek redress from the hotel, the couple met with Bermuda tourism officials, MP E.T. Richards and the US Consul General.

The next month, a similar incident took place involving 15 passengers, most of them Black Bermudian college students, but also Black Americans.

They were denied accommodation at Castle Harbour after their New York-bound flight was forced to return to Bermuda.

The Royal Gazette reported that White passengers on the same flight were given rooms, which led to some Black hotel staff walking off the job.

Kenneth Richardson, a student at Howard University, said the White passengers were checked into rooms, “but they told us it was the policy of the hotel not to accept coloured people.”

The Black passengers declined the hotel’s offer to dine in Castle’s restaurant, electing instead to be

transported to the Bermudiana Hotel in Hamilton.

Castle’s manager John Fischbeck described the situation as “very unfortunate.” He told the Gazette: “We have 2½ floors closed for renovation and it is sometimes hard to accommodate people at short

notice. There was some confusion as to whether meals only were wanted or whether accommodation was required. We were quite prepared to serve meals.”

Legal wrangling

As Bermuda grappled with a changing racial reality, a parliamentary Joint Select Committee was considering a motion, proposed by E.T. Richards in March 1957, to abolish the 1930 Hotel-Keepers Protection Act.

Lawyer Mr Richards, later Sir Edward and Bermuda’s first premier, called for the act to be abolished and replaced by a law that would make it illegal, and punishable by a hefty fine and imprisonment, for a hotelier to refuse accommodation to anyone on the grounds of race, creed or colour.

He told Parliament of “the embarrassment, insult and humiliation suffered in Bermuda by Negroes, Jews and other non-Caucasian races by virtue of the policy of racial discrimination enforced by hotel keepers and others.”

Sir Edward had first-hand knowledge of this injustice. In Richards’ biography Peaceful Warrior, author J. Randolf Williams wrote that Barbados premier minister Sir Grantley Adams had to be put up at

Government House, and the Government minister with whom he was travelling accommodated at Richards’ residence, because they could not stay in a White-owned hotel.

This happened nine days before he placed his motion before Parliament, but there were similar incidents involving Caribbean leaders whose flights landed in Bermuda in transit.

MPs, the majority of them White, gave the usual reasons for maintaining the status quo—it would harm the tourist trade. Their proposal of a Joint Select Committee was a tried and true delaying tactic.

However, in December 1960, a majority report recommended that racial discrimination in hotels and restaurants be outlawed. But when the report was debated in Parliament in January, MPs voted to exclude hotels from the bill.

There were heated exchanges in both the lower and upper Houses between White and Black members. Black physician Dr Eustace Cann, a member of the Legislative Council (now the Senate), said: “The coloured people want a legal guarantee that no one shall humiliate them in public with the aid of the law. We must be sure this does not happen again.”

He was incensed when White LegCo member Frederick Misick called for the words “race, creed and colour” to be removed from the bill.

In the end, White MPs won the day. The bill that was signed into law in March 1961 applied to restaurants only. Two months later, Joseph Rego, owner of the Arcade Restaurant, pleaded guilty to a charge of refusing to serve a Black patron. He was fined £25.

The Hotel-Keepers Protection Act was revised in 1967. In 1969, one year after Bermuda’s first election under universal adult suffrage, Parliament passed the anti-discrimination Race Relations bill.

Members of the Opposition Progressive Labour Party voted against the bill, arguing it did not go far enough. The Race Relations Act was eventually repealed and has been replaced by the 1981 Human Rights Act.

The post The long battle against racism appeared first on RG Magazines.

Celebrated South African writer Njabulo Ndebele once championed the idea of ‘rediscovering the ordinary’. Ndebele’s concern was South African literature, and its traditional focus on the spectacular: a focus that most folks adopt when they think of history.

Ndebele argued that we need to explore the rich, complex lives of everyday people in literature. History is the same.

In Bermuda, each and every one of us make history every day – and each of our stories indelibly contribute to our culture.

For six little girls who met in the mid-1960s, growing up in West Pembroke was all the history they needed to become lifelong friends, who regularly meet and reflect on more than 60 years of life, laughter and fellowship – to this very day!

The spectacular is often discussed but not required.

Wendy Wilson, Patty Perinchief, Gina Davis, Denise Peters, Connie Simmons and Sonia Smith established their collective during their time together at St John’s Sunday School, St Alban’s nursery, which was across the street from where Western Stars Sports Club is today, and West Pembroke Primary School.

Five of them later went to Berkeley together, while Sonia attended Warwick Academy. Their bond, however, had already taken root. They played together, danced together, went fishing, swimming and to the movies together – it was all outside in those days.

“Going to the home of your friends – that was a thing. You went to people’s houses to play, eat, run around, explore,” quipped Gina, the comedienne of the group.

“I used to go movies every weekend. Stand in the movie line at either Rosebank or Island Theatre. During the week, being inside was punishment, because the fun was outside playing with friends.”

Patty recalled playing games like Chinese hopscotch, sock-and-ball games and footsie (the game with a hoop around the ankle and a ball attached).

Wendy added context: “There wasn’t a lot of TV in those days, so lots of time was spent outdoors riding bikes, playing marbles, jacks and exploring our neighbourhood.”

Love that lasts a lifetime

Growing up was all about exploration: finding your way in a world that was anything but virtual. There was adventure, learning and growth in every moment away from home.

These were the everyday, ‘mundane’ activities of a group of friends who were never aware that they were living in a unique historical moment – and certainly did not allow that to affect their connection.

There was richness, culture and love in their ‘ordinary’ movements, so much love that, if you sit with the group today, you can feel the affection in every mumble, eye-roll, small giggle and aside – and there will be an abundance of asides!

Full of wit and charm and armed with a bond that demands that you accept them as they are, these ladies are shining examples of how living in Bermuda shapes us: how our ‘ordinary’ becomes our history.

Wendy hated gym class in school; she was always the last to be picked for teams. Sonia was the athlete who would be the first picked for teams. Patty joined the group late and still credits them with accepting her because she thought she was “funny looking”. Gina points to Patty’s blue eyes as a feature that made her different, and special – at least to this group.

Connie is the Christian of the group. She first met the others at St John’s Sunday School, then later went to West Pembroke, and the Berkeley, when her home became the group’s lunchtime hangout. Gina recalls that Connie’s mom would allow her to make sandwiches for the girls. Denise is the youngest, but she is universally acknowledged as the most ‘bossy’ and ‘pert’ – she’s the ‘girly’ girl of the group, and the youngest in charge! She presents as reserved, demure, with a tangible sense of confidence.

Happy days

To this day, each personality is easy to discern, and the love and authenticity that this group exudes is downright intoxicating. There is laughter – voluminous, full bellied laughter – that gives a family vibe. These ladies are family now, and their collective memories are rich with history, culture and devotion.

Growing up in Bermuda in the 1960s and 1970s instilled a resolute value for family in these ladies, and a sense of adventure that made them the stellar Bermudians they are today. When Gina describes a typical school week in those days, it feels like a warm, familial hug.

“Going to school was fun. Learning was adventurous and fun,” she said.

“We had teachers who made lasting memories, from standing in front of the class telling a story, reciting your times tables, or learning how the earth moves. We had teachers who were creative, so we built Bermuda homes from Styrofoam, had an African Show on the field. I remember a concert we had singing songs from the Jackson Five; Christmas plays, and sports day.”

Gina confesses to hating sports day. It was always a day when she would end up crying because she came last. Other events were more treasured, however.

“Children’s birthday parties were at your home, in your yard and you played, all dressed up with your friends. We walked home from school; no one picked us up. If we went swimming, we walked to the beach or the rocks.”

Adult supervision was not conspicuous in those days, but the ladies testify that if anything happened, their parents knew about it by the time they got home!

After high school, the girls drifted apart for a while, as life would have it. But Wendy, who is acknowledged by all the ladies as the common link that kept them together, made a concerted effort to write letters, arrange gatherings and ensure that the family they built in their school days would be the family they would return to for a lifetime. 

Now, as they each enter a new chapter at 65 years young, they have memories of the ordinary: spectacular secrets to keep among themselves, and a history that each of us would cherish.

But most of all, they have each other. 

The post Ordinary moments make for extraordinary memories appeared first on RG Magazines.

Mr Hill’s solo status stood for 45 years before Dame Flora Duffy claimed gold in the women’s triathlon at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

They remain Bermuda’s only Olympic medallists.

Mr Hill won two fights at Montreal’s Maurice Richard Arena, named after the legendary Canadian hockey player.

The powerful 25-year-old southpaw recorded a third-round technical knockout against Parviz Badpa of Iran in the round of 16 before beating Rudy Gauwe of Belgium, 5-0 on points, in a quarter-final bout.

Advancing to a semi-final held on Cup Match Thursday, Mr Hill was handicapped by a severely inflamed left arm and was beaten on points by Mircea Simon of Romania. 

Speaking to The Royal Gazette afterwards, Mr Hill said: “Man, I couldn’t make a fist properly with either hand. The two hard fights in two days have left their marks.” 

Pre-Games favourite Teofilo Stevenson of Cuba defeated John Tate of the United States in the other semi-final before despatching Mr Simon in the gold medal fight.

Mr Hill and Mr Tate, as beaten semi-finalists, were each awarded bronze in a ceremony at the Montreal Forum.

“We are as proud as punch of the way Clarence has represented Bermuda,” his coaches Gary Smith and parliamentarian Stanley Morton told the Gazette. 

Mr Morton added: “A bronze medal has never been more richly deserved.” 

Mr Hill was among six athletes chosen by the Bermuda Olympic Association to represent the island at the competition’s closing ceremony.

Hero’s welcome

Bermuda’s Olympians returned home to a tumultuous reception on August 2.

In a front-page story accompanied by a photo of Mr Hill and his mother, the Gazette reported: “Over 300 persons crammed the passenger exit at the Civil Air Terminal yesterday afternoon to give one of the warmest receptions ever seen in Bermuda to the Bermuda Olympic team and officials. 

“Parading with colourful banners bearing phrases like ‘Good Show in Montreal — Go Gold in Moscow, 1980’, the crowd gave a hearty roar when the local Olympians walked out of the airport. 

“The first to exit was heavyweight boxing hero Clarence Hill, wearing his bronze medal on his chest — the first Bermuda has ever won.

“Immediately the crowd surged forward, and small children began climbing all over the huge boxer trying to touch the large shining medal. 

“A smiling and obviously happy Clarence Hill walked out with his two favourite women on his arms — his mother Mrs Ruth Talbot and girlfriend Miss Dianne Simmons. He had only taken a few steps and that was about as far as he could go before the crowd of well-wishers thronged around him.”

Mr Hill told the Gazette: “It is really nice. There is a lot of people here.”

The official delegation who welcomed the athletes included Acting Premier, Quinton Edness; Acting Leader of the Opposition, Walter Roberts; parliamentarians Ernest Vesey, Sir John Swan and Ernest DeCouto; and Miss Bermuda, Vivienne Hollis.

All-time great

Mr Hill was born in Bermuda, but it was only after a move to Newark, New Jersey, that he took up the sport, aged 11, inspired by the ring craft of legendary heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali. 

Returning to the island, Mr Hill trained at the Pembroke Youth Centre, as it was then, on Angle Street, under Stanley Trimm, and, after the Olympics, under Allan “Forty” Rego. PYC was also the training ground for Bermudian professional boxers Troy Darrell and Quinn Paynter.

Mr Hill blazed through the amateur boxing ranks before travelling to Montreal. After continuing as an amateur following the Olympics, Mr Hill turned professional in 1980. He impressed with his knockout power before retiring in 1986.

Retired media executive Ulric “Rick” Richardson was a television news and sports reporter at Bermuda Broadcasting Company during Mr Hill’s heyday.

He told Bermudian History: “At the peak of his boxing prowess, Clarence Hill was physically menacing and technically sound. He deservedly ranked amongst the world’s top heavyweights. 

“Clarence, nicknamed ‘Shaft’, had a cultlike following here on island. On fight night, I vividly remember following the customary march of devoted boxing fans as they left the Pembroke Youth Centre chanting ‘PYC’ and calling Hill’s name enroute to BAA gymnasium. 

“Once they arrived, the floor of the gym virtually shook as fans stamped and shouted non-stop.”

Mr Hill’s status as one of the island’s greatest ever athletes was recognised in 2005 when he was inducted into the Bermuda Sports Hall of Fame. The audience gave an emotional Mr Hill a prolonged standing ovation at the induction ceremony held at the Fairmont Southampton Princess hotel.

In 2017, Mr Hill was invited to act as the grand marshal of the Bermuda Day Parade by the Department of Culture.

Two years later, the PYC was renamed the Sammy Wilson Central Zone Community Centre, and the facility’s gym became The Clarence Hill Multipurpose Gymnasium.

Outside the ring, Mr Hill has fought several personal battles, and late last year faced the prospect of homelessness after losing his government-owned accommodation during a lengthy hospital stay for treatment of a serious heart ailment.

His son, Jamaka Kamal, rallied support for 74-year-old Mr Hill, setting up a Go Fund Me page to raise money for his father to move to Britain on a permanent basis. At press time, some £6,283 pounds had been raised.

Providing an update in December, Mr Kamal wrote: “Because of your generosity, I’ve been able to take a major step forward. I’ve just moved into a two-bedroom home that will soon become my father’s safe space and sanctuary. 

“It has all the amenities he’ll need, a beautiful garden, a big kitchen and spacious rooms where he can finally rest, heal and live with dignity.”

Mr Kamal’s efforts to organise a move to Britain for his father were in progress at press time.

The post Flashback 50 years Olympian achievement appeared first on RG Magazines.

At the centre of that origin story are two men whose vision reached beyond the touchline. Edward DeJean, the school’s principal, and Braxton Burgess, a physical education teacher, believed sport could sharpen the mind as much as it strengthened the body.

Their all-boys team became one of the best in Bermuda, before progressing to practice matches against local men’s football teams, and then entering the Bermuda Football Union. A school team had been transformed into the beginnings of a football club with staying power.

This was not just about sport. It was community building in a society where exclusion and inequity were normalised, and where Black Bermudians had to create structures of support so their people could advance.

Much of what defined that era has shifted, but the need for Black led networks of mentorship, opportunity, and mutual aid has not disappeared. It remains part of how families, clubs and community organisations help young people navigate barriers and build futures.

Like many community stories in Bermuda, the club’s early years were shaped by movement and sacrifice. After the high school team years, many players went abroad to continue their studies. The team itself paused. But the connection did not break. Four years later, after completing their education, many of the original players came back together, bringing with them a renewed commitment to each other and to the idea that had first taken hold at Howard Academy.

Mutual support
They formed a group called The Mutual Associates. Members paid dues into the organisation with the objective of purchasing shares in Black businesses. That detail matters because it speaks to how Black organisations and Black enterprise have long supported each other in Bermuda. From that pool of contributions, they decided to use some of the money to restart Devonshire Colts and enter the second division of the Bermuda Football Union. They were rebuilding a club and strengthening a community at the same time.

From the beginning, Colts have never been limited to one sport. The same founding philosophy of combining sport with learning has carried through, and the club has seen success in both netball and bowling. Football has remained the heartbeat, but the broader message has always been present. Sport can open doors, but it also teaches you what to do once you’re inside.

That sense of purpose is exactly how the current president, Zuri Darrell, describes Devonshire Colts today.

“Devonshire Colts has been a staple in the Devonshire and Bermuda community by providing a safe place for young black men to grow in sport,” he said, “but also fostering educational opportunities and mentorship for all those parts of the DC family.”

Family affair

For Mr Darrell, the club’s longevity is not accidental. He points to a culture that has endured across decades, even as the sport and society around it have changed.

“The family atmosphere at DC has been key to its longevity and success,” he said.

That family identity is not just a feeling. It is how people relate to the club across generations. “It is everything at DC,” Mr Darrell said. “The family legacies and multi-generational participation cannot be emphasised enough. If you’re a Colt, you’re family. Family sticks together and is the bedrock of our existence.”

He hears it all the time from players and families.

“Many players say, ‘my daddy, or my uncle played for the Colts, this is my club’ or ‘the Colts is my family, family always supports each other’.”

The Colts have also evolved with changing times.

“We provide a sustainable youth programme that mentors young men and women, and we educate coaches and former players on the laws of the game to be able to give back. The DC family has always supported its members in their educational and vocational pursuits through scholarships.”

He also points to growth in girls’ programmes, including DC Diamonds netball and girls’ football at Under 7 and Under 9.

Mr Darrell notes that the Colts also support young people beyond sport, including helping in special situations, such as when youth members head off to college.

“We instil discipline by engaging in community projects and showing our young members that you must be well-rounded to succeed in life beyond football,” he said.

As I write this article and learn more about the history of Devonshire Colts, it is more than just another freelance project.

It brings back the legacy of my late uncle, Vic Ball (1949-2023), and the stories I grew up hearing about his time playing football.

Mr Darrell remembers Mr Ball as a leader who served the club as a player, coach, president and friend.
He shared one story. During a period of internal conflict, when a small group attempted to pull the club away from its founding principles and values, Mr Ball stepped in and steadied the club.

For me, it is a reminder of my Uncle Vic, as he always was: someone who looked out for people and had integrity in everything he did for his family, his work, and his community.

For my family, that continuity is not a metaphor. It runs from Uncle Vic to my youngest son. My youngest son, Rainn Ball-Burgess, plays for Devonshire Colts Under 11s, coached by Mr Darrell. In that small detail, you get a glimpse of the club’s larger story: the names and faces have changed throughout the decades, but the club’s purpose has held.

The club was evicted from its Frog Lane Field base when the North Field of the National Sports Centre was built, but its programmes continue through rented facilities and community partners.

As young players show up for a game on a Saturday morning, if you are keen, you may still see it: the past and the present meeting on one field.

Devonshire Colts Football Club remains a steady place where young people are seen, guided, and held to something bigger than themselves, a club that has spent decades teaching Bermuda’s young people how to show up on and off the field and take ownership not just in a club, but as active community participants.  

The post Devonshire Colts: A story of legacy and sport appeared first on RG Magazines.

“My younger brother pleaded that I should be allowed to play in the Ladies’ Singles, in fact, as well as I remember, that was the sole event,” she wrote in an article entitled ‘A Bermuda Tournament in 1876’, published in American Lawn Tennis, September 15, 1924.

“There were, I think, only four entries. I first met my sister and won two games to one. I then played the final against Miss Key, daughter of our Admiral, Sir Cooper Key, and won 2-0.”

The prize was a “tilthead” racquet with a red velvet handle covering and a silver plaque, which read “Ladies Prize for Lawn Tennis Won By Miss M G Gray Bermuda 1876.” 

In spite of the tournament’s impact, it appears there was no news coverage of it at the time. Yet, its legacy lives on to this day, not just in Bermuda, but in the popularity of tennis worldwide.

Recognising the trophy’s significance, the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, bought the racquet when it was auctioned by Christie’s, London, in 2001, for £14,100 ($19,085).

“It is currently on display in our early international tennis history gallery and is a show-stopper artifact in our collection,” said Nicole Markham, the Hall of Fame’s curator of collections.

“It is a fascinating item, as it relates to an event that predates the first Wimbledon Championships.”

The first Wimbledon Championships were held at the All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club in 1877.

Miss Gray “promptly tore off” the red velvet which, said Christie’s, “suggests that she may well have used it in further matches.”

Much has been written about the fact that Bermuda introduced the modern game of tennis to the United States via Mary Ewing Outerbridge. The story goes that she took a set back to the Staten Island Cricket and Baseball Club in early 1874, after seeing it played by British soldiers stationed in Bermuda. However, the exact circumstances and this date have been questioned and some suggest that Mary Gray should be given more acclaim.

‘Undignified game’

Mary G Gray was born in 1860 and grew up at Clermont in Paget. Her father, Sir Samuel Brownlow Gray, was Attorney-General of Bermuda and later Chief Justice. He rented the house from the Butterfield family and, according to the Bermuda National Trust’s, Paget book, was responsible for creating the island’s first tennis court there for “his enthusiastic family”, which “gets credit for being the direct ancestor of tennis courts in the United States”.

In addition to Miss Gray, her brother, Sir Reginald Gray, was also a keen player and, she wrote, he “was one of four gentlemen who played the first game of lawn tennis that took place at Wimbledon which seems to have been during the year 1874.” 

Miss Gray acquired her first tennis set in 1875 from a Mr Tom Middleton.

“An elderly gentleman in Bermuda saw the game advertised and sent to England for a set of net, poles, racquets, etc. On its arrival he was so horrified at the idea of ladies playing such an undignified game that in order to prevent his equally elderly wife from attempting to take it up, he decided to dispose of the whole concern – thus it came into our possession and the ball was started rolling in Bermuda,” she wrote. 

According to tennis historian, the late Frank Van Rensselaer Phelps, writing in the Summer 2003 issue of The Tennis Collector, it is Miss Gray’s recollection of this date and the fact that British Major Walter Clopton Wingfield’s pamphlet, “The Major’s Game of Lawn Tennis,” wasn’t published until February 25, 1874, that calls into question the date Mary Ewing Outerbridge actually brought her tennis equipment back to the US. He thinks it is far more likely that she took it back after visiting Bermuda on a later trip, in April 1877. 

Great excitement

A letter published in The Royal Gazette and Colonist Daily on Tuesday, June 9, 1931, also confirmed Miss Gray’s influence in the Mary Outerbridge story, quoting a letter from Philip B. Smith, who not only called Miss Gray “the dean of Bermuda tennis,” but also quoted her saying: “It was with us that Miss Mary Outerbridge first played.” 

Once she got her hands on her first tennis set, Miss Gray didn’t look back and continued playing into her eighties. 

Her first tennis partner was Miss Wood, daughter of the Chief Justice Mr TL Wood and, wrote Miss Gray, “in the course of five or six weeks we played each other 101 singles, of which she won 49 and I 52.” The “bats were made of wood and of course the balls were uncovered.”

After the April 1876 tournament, another ladies tournament was held in 1880, and then in 1889, American tennis players, Ellen and Grace Roosevelt visited Bermuda.

First cousins to Franklin D. Roosevelt, “Ellie” as Miss Gray called her, “had either won the American Championship the previous year or else became Lady Champion that year, possibly both.”

There was, she said, “great excitement” at their arrival and matches between the sisters, Miss Gray and a Mrs Erskine were played. 

Bermuda quickly became a popular destination for American players and, explained Miss Gray, “The first open tournament held after that of 1876 was the first annual one of the Hamilton Hotel Tennis Club in 1913 (an interval of 37 years) in which quite a number of Americans took part.”

The legacy of the 1876 tournament and its victor, Mary G Gray, was an inspiration to the many players who came after her, however, she reflected: “I feel morally certain that no one in the world has ever derived more genuine pleasure from their tennis career than I have.”

The post FLASHBACK 150 YEARS Bermuda’s trailblazing tennis story appeared first on RG Magazines.

Mr Justice Wolffe witnesses the outcome of this every time someone appears in his courtroom and pays the price for a transgression that – with a bit more pride in who they are and where they come from – they might not have made.

“The young men, women and children who come before the courts are there for a plethora of reasons,” he told Bermudian History.

“But there is a sense that they are rudderless. I do think that, as Bob Marley said, if you know where you came from, then it breeds in you a level of pride and inspiration.

“Maybe it even manifests itself into dreams and aspirations.”

He’s referring to Marley’s Buffalo Soldier, which celebrates the bravery, struggles and resilience of African American troops who served in the United States Army after the Civil War. 

“If you know your history,

“Then you would know where you’re coming from,

“Then you wouldn’t have to ask me,

“Who the heck do I think I am?”

We have our own heroes in Bermuda. The problem, for Mr Justice Wolffe, is that we don’t celebrate them enough.

“Every culture, every race, every community, needs to celebrate its rich history,” he said, “to know where you come from, where you are and where you could be.

“And I just don’t think we do enough of that in Bermuda.”

Growing up in the Court Street area in the 1970s and 80s, he watched historic events unfold on his doorstep. He was so inspired by iconic campaigners like Dame Lois Browne-Evans, Ottiwell Simmons and Julian Hall that he tried to do his own bit by becoming first a police officer, then a lawyer and now a judge.

“I had the front row seat to a lot of the civil unrest that was going on in Bermuda,” he recalled.

“The 1977 riots. The turmoil that resulted from the Larry Tacklyn and Buck Burrows hanging. I literally was there, watching the riots go on.

“The 1981 riots. A lot of the uprise took place in the Court Street, back of town area. Every Labour Day, I would see Ottiwell Simmons and the stalwarts of the labour movement walk across my door.

“So, I took an interest in all this, and maybe this is why I’m a lawyer, I don’t know.”

Yet, at school, he learnt more about American history than his community’s history.

“Yes, we had civics class, and yes, we learned what happened in 1609, and The Deliverance. But it’s very surface stuff.”

Trailblazers

In Mr Justice Wolffe’s lifetime, many individuals have broken barriers, changed the world around them and demonstrated how Bermuda could punch above its weight. For example:

• Dame Lois Browne-Evans, who smashed the glass ceiling as Bermuda’s first female lawyer and the first female Opposition leader in the Commonwealth and dedicated her life to fighting racial discrimination.
• Julian Hall, an iconic and charismatic lawyer and politician who became a role model to Black professionals through his highly successful legal career.
• Ottiwell Simmons, who led the Bermuda Industrial Union through tumultuous events which helped change the island’s sociopolitical landscape.
• Sir John Swan, the long-serving Premier who helped establish Bermuda as a major international finance centre by negotiating the US Tax Treaty in 1986.

“Bermuda has punched above its weight for a very long time,” Mr Justice Wolffe said.

“We’ve got our National Heroes, and that’s great. In the legal context, do we know enough about Lois Browne-Evans? A lot of older persons know about her, but I wonder whether the millennials, the Gen Zs and all, do they know what our past was?

“As a Black woman, coming through the legal system at the time, and how she was able to navigate through that. I think that knowing what she did would give some inspiration to other young Black women who want to get into law.”

He also cited events from our history that don’t receive the attention they deserve, such as the Enterprise slave ship’s unintentional arrival in 1835, which prompted the release of 72 slaves; or the staging of the world’s first women’s tennis tournament in 1876 [Turn to page XX for the full story].

On the shoulders of heroes

But he believes events in living memory, which shape the way we live today, could have the most significant impact on our young people.

“When I was like 11, 12, 13, I remember seeing those things with my own eyes, but nobody was talking about it,” he said.

“If you’re talking about racial history, economic history, that whole period of about 1975 to about 1985 was a hotbed of activity.”

He added: “I firmly believe that if many of the young men who are engaged in antisocial behaviour, and in some cases, criminal behaviour, knew that they had emerged from people who had made a difference, not just in Bermuda but in the world, that maybe would change the whole paradigm of how they view their lives.

“They are descendants of kings and queens from Africa, right?”

Mr Justice Wolffe is speaking from personal experience; his career had the chance to happen because of what other people did.

“If you look at things like the Theatre Boycott, there were a handful of extremely courageous people who were just as courageous as Rosa Parks, who said that we need to do something about this,” he said.

“Thanks to the sacrifice they made, to their own detriment, we are able to enjoy things that those people were not able to enjoy. And they should be celebrated. Absolutely.

“I am sitting in this seat here because of the blood, sweat and tears expended by people who came before me.

“I am standing on the shoulders of a Lois Browne-Evans. I’m standing on the shoulders of a Julian Hall. I’m standing on the shoulders of many other persons who came before me who had to sacrifice. And I don’t take that for granted.”

So, what does that mean for our young people?

“Any child who is five years old, and is being told, listen, you come from a line of inventors, musicians, politicians, who not just made a difference in Bermuda, but across the globe, I think it would instil in us a deep sense of pride, which could let us know that we can do anything.

“And I know that may sound airy-fairy. But you can put it in the context of what I do every day. I see a lot of lost people, and I know that’s a much more complex issue, but I do think that a part of their growth may be, ‘You are somebody. You come from a line of people who have done some great things. And that you should be proud of who you are.’

“There’s a song called Proud to be Bermudian. Do we actually feel that? I think some of us do. But I think some of us don’t understand what it is to be Bermudian.”

That’s something for us all to consider, as John Woolridge put it in that timeless classic:

“With our youth as the future, we must pass them the mantle.”

The post Be inspired by our history appeared first on RG Magazines.