The Bermudian magazine, Spring 2014

FLATTS: The small town with a big history Bermuda’s Wild Side BAMZ’s success

Welcome, Spring!

Happenings This Season Codfish Cakes Spring Inspirations

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contents On the cover and right: Residential winner, Bees Nest, photographed by Ann Spurling

Features 26

Codfish Cakes ...and other Good Friday traditions

by Judith Wadson

28

Heritage Flatts The small town with a big history

36

Side Ever since its opening in 1926, generations of children have visited this landmark just over the bridge in Flatts Inlet.

cover story 20th annual bermuda building design Awards This year’s winners run the gamut from classic Bermudian architecture to ultramodern high design.

by Elizabeth Jones

by Laura Bell

feature Bermuda’s Wild

43

by Elizabeth Jones

4 | The Bermudian

www.thebermudian.com

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Departments From the Crow’s Nest 12 Home & Garden

Spring Inspirations!

14 famous onions

Family Ties: Bermuda Genealogical

Highlights by John Cox 16 the scene

Bermuda Yoga Festival and more

18 milestones

KBB Turns 50! and In Remembrance: Georgine Hill & Louise Jackson

Healthy Bermuda 23 Relay for Life

Bermuda joins an international, billion-

dollar fund-raising event for cancer research and prevention.

City Limits 69 Tourism 2014

The BTA discusses two new divisions to tackle tourism in Bermuda.

71 island trading @ home;

mjm awarded; your room

with a view; fast flowers 72 sugar sugar; body art 73 bermuda weather app; wedding photographer; got wings?

Regulars 8 up front Clockwise from top: Spring Inspirations in Home & Garden, page 12; Bermuda Yoga Festival and other happenings islandwide in The Scene, page 16; CableVision salutes Bermuda’s leading ladies in Afternoon & Evening, page 77; and a new book by John Cox is featured in Famous Onions, page 14.

20 Naturally Speaking

Conferring on Conifers

74 afternoon & Evening

Project 100 Arabian Nights Ball; Burns

Supper; Bermuda Marathon Weekend

Sponsors’ Cocktail Party; and Leading Ladies 78 That’s Life! A letter from London

6 | The Bermudian

The Editor’s Page

Cheap Eats www.thebermudian.com

DINING BERMUDA BER M UDA’S

L EA DI NG

I ND EPEND ENT

RESTAURANTS

B L Û B AR & GR ILL

LI DO

HARBOURFR ONT

At the Belmont Hills Club

Elbow Beach Sea Terrace, Paget

At the BUEI, 40 Crow Lane

Bermuda’s premier bar and grill restaurant. Varied menu offers bold American cuisine with a south-western flavour featuring fine steaks, ribs and fish.

Incredible ambiance with mesmerizing views of Hamilton Harbour & the Great Sound. Winner of Best Ambiance in Bermuda.

The signature restaurant of the Complex. Breathtaking ocean views and an elegant but informal atmosphere. Award winning restaurant for ambiance, service and food.

Varied menu featuring our famous Mediterranean seafood, steaks and chops.

On the harbour, with its own dock, water lapping gently by the romantic table setting.

Catch the sunset from the upper deck. Try our sushi and tempura or dishes from our exotic Robata Grill or savour the best dry-aged steak in Bermuda.

TELEPHONE: 441-232-2323

TELEPHONE: 441-236-9884

TELEPHONE: 441-295-4207

EMAIL: info@blu.bm

EMAIL: manager@lido.bm

EMAIL: info@harbourfront.bm

L A T R ATTO R IA

LI TTLE VENI CE

L’ORI ENTAL

Washington Lane, Hamilton

32 Bermudiana Road, Hamilton

The only choice for local residents,

Celebrating over 40 years

32 Bermudiana Road, Hamilton (above Little Venice)

a favourite for families and a haven for groups of young professionals looking for value. Succulent veal, flavourful fish, seductive steak and of course the only wood-burning pizza oven in town.

The sense of Italy in every bite.

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of fabulous food and fine wine, with classic and contemporary regional Italian specialities.

Spectacular wine list and an ambiance that sparkles with zest. Great outdoor dining on the terrace

Above Little Venice is Hamilton’s best Oriental restaurant for Chinese food with a twist. Featuring a teppanyaki table, sushi bar plus the only dim sum and noodle bar in town. Seating available inside under the exquisite Pagoda or outside under the stars.

TELEPHONE: 441-295-1877

TELEPHONE: 441-295-3503

TELEPHONE: 441-296-4477

EMAIL: info@trattoria.bm

EMAIL: info@lv.bm

EMAIL: info@loriental.bm

TELEPHONE 441-295-8279

|

W W W. D I N I N G B E R M U DA . C O M

Volume LXXXIII Number 1

Tina Stevenson Publisher and Editor tina@thebermudian.com Laura Bell Graphic Design laura@thebermudian.com

Up Front

Linda Weinraub Graphic Design linda@studiofluent.com Subscription Manager Kim Mosley subscribe@thebermudian.com Fiona Woodward Copy Editor Contributors Elizabeth Jones, Scott Tucker, Ann Spurling, Meredith Ebbin, Judith Wadson, Darlene McCarthy Barnfield, Christine Watlington, Winifred Blackmore, Dana Cooper, Jill Rubinchak Previous Editors William D. Richardson 1930-31 Ronald J. Williams 1931-41 Arthur M. Purcell 1942-49 Ronald J. Williams 1950-76 Dinah J. Darby 1977-86 Kevin Stevenson 1987-94 Rosemary Jones 1994-99 Meredith Ebbin 1999-2003

For more of everthing you love about The Bermudian, visit: www.thebermudian.com Connect with us!

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Published by The Bermudian Publishing Company Limited, P.O. Box HM 283, Hamilton HM AX, Bermuda. Tel: 441-232-7041. Fax: 441-232-7042. E-mail: info@thebermudian. com. Website: www.thebermudian.com. Annual subscription (postage included): Bermuda $29; U.S.A $29; Canada $39; rest of the world $47. The Bermudian is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs unless accompanied by addressed envelopes and return postage. All rights reserved. Reprints from The Bermudian only by permission of the publisher. The publishers cannot be responsible for the contents of any advertisement and readers are advised to use their own discretion in responding to same.

8 | The Bermudian

W

hen the kids were little, I think we went to the Aquarium almost every weekend.

It was our go-to outing that was a pleasure for all of us and one we never tired of.

No matter what age the kids were, there was always something at the Aquarium they looked forward to (Mr. Eel and the alligator for my son, the North Rock tank for my daughter) and something new they might discover.

Fast-forward about 25 years and I confess I am still a sucker for everything BAMZ. Their newest exhibits, like Madagascar, are masterful and modern; the natural history museum’s interactive and fun displays just get better and better; and the glimpses of the colourful creatures under our ocean in the aquarium never cease to fascinate. But more than all of that, I continue to be impressed by the smart and dedicated people behind BAMZ who do such a brilliant job, not only caring for the hundreds of fish and animals who reside there, but also educating locals and visitors of all ages about Bermuda’s natural environments. It is fair to say that the work-in-progress that is Bermuda’s Aquarium, Museum and Zoo is exceptional, but most especially when one considers the size of our tiny island. To quote Dr. Jamie Bacon, “It’s the little aquarium that could”.

With such a lovemark for BAMZ, it is no wonder I am delighted to highlight their important work as part of our look at the fascinating history of the town of Flatts. With one foot in Hamilton parish and the other in Smith’s, Flatts is one of the most unique little towns in Bermuda, having thrived in its own right since the early 1600s. Liz Jones gives us a colourful account, filled with fact and folklore, of the town and its people, what has changed, and interestingly, what has not.

Our cover story for this spring issue is our much-anticipated annual Building Design Awards. I had the pleasure of visiting many of the entrants this year and what a thrill it was to see that Bermuda’s famed tradition of architectural excellence is alive and well! This year our judges acknowledged the exceptional renovations of two very old Bermuda homes; a sprawling summer retreat that combines high design with Bermuda vernacular; and a beautifully built new office building in Hamilton. Our congratulations go to all the winners.

Per usual there is much work behind the scenes to produce The Bermudian’s Building Design Awards every year. That said, I’d like to thank our judges for their commitment and professionalism, and our generous sponsor, Bermuda Gas, for helping bring the 20th annual Bermuda Building Design Awards to life.

Tina Stevenson Publisher & Editor We want to hear from you! E-mail the editor at tina@thebermudian.com www.thebermudian.com

What’s your style?

Edimax

Designer Showroom 7 Serpentine Road, Pembroke. t: 292 8453 f: 295 8453 e: info@pts.bm www.pts.bm

From the

Crow’s Nest Home & Garden, pg 12 | Famous Onions, pg 14 | The Scene, pg 16 | Milestones, pg 18

Welcome, Spring! www.thebermudian.com

SPRING 2014 | 11

From the

Crow’s Nest Home & Garden

Spring Inspirations!

Get inspired to welcome spring into your home with seasonal touches for your dĂŠcor and entertaining.

12 | The Bermudian

www.thebermudian.com

From the Crow’s Nest | Home & Garden

Breakfast in Bed for Mother’s Day Egg bake with basil chiffonier, whole grain toast and an individual bottle of champagne make an elegant start to your mom’s special day.

Bouquet of Spring Flowers for the Bedroom Door Old Bermuda roses and other spring blooms make a gorgeous bouquet set in a sweet pink cone and hung over a doornob.

Hot Cross Bun Loaf for Easter Morning Forget the traditional hot cross buns and bake a loaf of the sweet and savory bread instead.

Nature’s Harvest on the Kitchen Counter

Set the Easter Table

Sweet Cupcakes

With spring comes a bounty of farm-fresh seasonal produce. Fill an old basket with goodies from your garden or the Saturday garden market.

A charming place setting with citrus coloured china and napkins folded like bunny ears will make a memorable Easter tablescape.

Whatever you are celebrating this spring, these delicious cupcakes topped with edible pansies make for an irresistable treat.

For recipes and directions, go to www.thebermudian.com www.thebermudian.com

SPRING 2014 | 13

From the

Crow’s Nest famous onions

Family Ties Bermuda Genealogical Highlights by John Cox

B

ermuda genealogy doesn’t have to be a pedantic exercise in family “begats.” John Cox’s newest book, Bermuda Genealogical Highlights, compiled with E. T. North Bourne and due out in April 2014, is as anecdotal as it is factual.

Highlights comes from a vast collection of genealogical data held at Orange Grove in Smith’s which was meticulously researched a century ago by the late Julia Zuill Mercer, 1862–1932, who left no stone unturned in her pursuit of Bermuda’s social history. “Mrs. Mercer ties old Bermuda families together in an almost gossipy style, so that one really gets a good idea of past life on the island,” relates Cox. “She digs up a lot on early local commerce and trade, too. But far from being exploitive, early Bermudians eked out lives in the midst of more tragedy than triumph.”

What immediately impresses the reader in

Cox’s book is how insular old Bermuda was.

Family life centred around the parish church, so that intermarriage was rife. Various members of the ancient Cooper family, for instance, who lived for centuries out in Southampton, cozily married their Newbold, Forster and Mallory neighbours, soon forging very close genealogical ties with one another. It would have been extremely unusual for one of them to go searching for a wife in the lower parishes. And so the old Bermuda way of life moved along in its own peculiar fashion.

Bermuda Genealogical Highlights should quickly find a place in the homes of many descendants of the featured families. The 200-page book will be printed in hardcover and will be available for $35 at Bermuda Bookstore and The Bookmart in Hamilton, as well as at The Book Cellar in St. George’s.

Beat the Heat with Arbor Mist!

One of the highlights from John Cox’s new book is a letter penned by Anne (Butterfield) Tucker (pictured) in 1773 to her son St. George Tucker, who was residing in Williamsburg, Virginia. Courtesty the Bermuda National Trust

Bring this coupon into any Gosling’s store and get 15% OFF Arbor Mist Wines (750ml bottles & 1.5 Litres; all varieties)

Warning: Excessive Alcohol Consumption May be Harmful to Your Health 14 | The Bermudian

Offer expires on May 15, 2014 www.thebermudian.com

From the

Crow’s Nest THE Scene

3-6 April

March

1-22

Bermuda Spring Break

All the Happenings This Spring Season

Islandwide If you’re a student who’s travelled to Bermuda for spring break, this is just for you! All students travelling to Bermuda for spring break will receive a FREE event pass, which includes entry and access to all spring break activities in addition to free food at daytime events and free public transportation. For complete details, see www.GoToBermuda.com/springbreak2014. Enquiries: Tashae Thompson, Bermuda Department of Tourism, Global House, 43 Church Street, Hamilton HM 12, tel 441 292-0023, e-mail tcthompson@gov.bm or website www.gotobermuda.com/springbreak2014

Scene Spotlight

Bermuda Yoga Festival

W

hether you have experienced yoga before or not, a wonderful opportunity awaits you to taste a myriad of its forms at the Bermuda Yoga Festival, Thursday, April 3, through Sunday, April 6, at the Fairmont Southampton.

Internationally renowned yoga teachers will share their teachings, experience and knowledge of

yoga at the festival, and kirtan chant recording artists, David Newman (Durga Das) and C. C. White, will provide a unique opportunity to experience the music of yoga in two kirtan concerts.

Kirtan is call and response chanting where there is active participation by the audience, and in the last decade, it has become very popular internationally, attracting thousands of festival goers.

The festival has been designed to appeal to all levels and ages. There are 42 classes, workshops and events on offer—from beginners to therapeutic to advanced—and are not limited to the physical practices. There are also wisdom talks, meditation sittings and breathwork practices; local teachers will lead ecstatic dance sessions, qigong and chanting.

The Bermuda Yoga Festival is a 4-day yoga and chant festival that invites participants to surrender to the timeless call of yoga—to slow down, reconnect with self and share the expertise of the international and local presenters and artists.

As well as the full 4-day festival pass, single-day, two-day and half-day passes are also available at www.ptix.bm. For more information, visit www.bermudayogafestival.com.

16 | The Bermudian

9

March

8th Annual Lindo’s to Lindo’s Race & Walk

Lindo’s Family Foods, Warwick The Lindo’s Annual 10K Race and Walk is organised by the Mid Atlantic Athletic Club in support of the Bermuda Diabetes Association. Forms are available from Sportseller, Lindo’s and the Diabetes Resource Centre or online at www.racedayworld.com.

The first 1,000 registrants will receive goodie bags. www.thebermudian.com

From the Crow’s Nest | The scene

21 -27 March

BIFF

The 17th annual Bermuda International Film Festival runs March 21–27 with a lineup to suit all tastes, including three Oscar-nominated features never seen before in Bermuda. The action will be centred at Liberty Theatre in Hamilton. Enquiries: BIFF office 441 293-3456 or email info@biff.bm

23

March

Annual Beach Art Festival

Horseshoe Bay Spend the day at one of Bermuda’s most beautiful beaches at the Beach Art Festival. International and local artists will transform the beach into a walk-through beach art gallery, but hurry—these masterpieces only last until the next high tide washes them away! Enquiries: Nicky Gurret, Organiser, tel 441 295-4597, e-mail gurret@ northrock.bm

13

Peppercorn Ceremony

Bermuda Ocean Race

King’s Square, St. George’s, 10:30 a.m.

His Excellency, the Governor, receives the annual rent for the State House from the Freemasons Lodge. This historic ceremony is complete with a parade and full costume. Enquiries: Corporation of St. George, Storekeeper’s House, tel 441 297-1532

St. George’s Dinghy & Sports Club This biannual race departs from Annapolis, Maryland, and includes inshore and offshore racing and cruising yachts. June 6 marks the expected arrival of the first of the fleet. The participating yachts remain in Bermuda for a week of events and parties hosted at the St. George’s Dinghy & Sports Club. To register, visit www.annopolisbermudarace. com. Enquiries: St. George’s Dinghy & Sports Club, tel 441 297-1612, e-mail info@stgdsc.bm or website www.bermudaoceanrace.com

April

23

76th Annual Ag Show

The Annual Agricultural Exhibition showcases Bermuda’s agriculture and history. Popular among locals and visitors, the exhibition features local flora, equestrian events, and farm animals in addition to local and international entertainment. Food and refreshments are available. Admission: adults $10; children under 16 years $5; children under 5 years free; senior citizens presenting identification $5. Enquiries: Ministry of the Environment & Department of Parks, Botanical Gardens, tel 441 239-2351 or 441 239-2331, e-mail exhibition@logic.bm or website www.bdaexhibition.bm

April

www.thebermudian.com

April

Annual Palm Sunday Walk

Route to be determined The Bermuda National Trust hosts this free walk every year as an opportunity for locals and tourists alike to catch a glimpse of some of the island’s most hidden gems, which remain unseen by most Bermudians.

3

may

24-26

Catlin End-to-End

Come take part in one of Bermuda’s premier charitable events.

The end-to-end is the perfect way to see this island by foot, while also raising money for this year’s selected charity. Walkers, runners, cyclists, rowers, and equestrians are all welcome to participate.

Enquiries: Bermuda End-to-End Charity, tel 441 292-6992, e-mail ete@logic.bm or website www. bermudaendtoend.bm

6

June

may

24 Appleby Bermuda Day Half-Marathon Derby

Start: Cambridge Road, Somerset.

Finish: Pembroke The annual derby is 13 miles of excitement, competition and determination. Participation is limited to Bermudian residents only, but all are welcome to come support the participants. Enquiries: Race Director, Bermuda Marathon Weekend, tel 441 2960951, e-mail info@bermudaraceweekend.com, websites www. bermudaraceweekend.com or www.bermudamarathon.bm

Heineken Round D Island Seagull Race

Spanish Point Boat Club, Spanish Point Road, Pembroke This all-day event features small boats equipped with British Seagull engines. Sponsored by Heineken, the race raises money for “green” causes. The race is followed by a BBQ at the boat club. Enquiries: Martine Purssell, Round the Island Seagull Race, tel 441 298-1220 or e-mail martine. purssell@law.bm

14

June

SPRING 2014 | 17

From the

Crow’s Nest Milestones

KBB Turns 50!

Celebrating a half-century of Keeping Bermuda Beautiful

I

n 1932, hoping to remedy the unemployment crisis of the Great Depression, Manhattan real estate agent Bernard London devised the industrial strategy of “planned obsolescence.” This strategy sought to resolve unemployment by setting a limit to the life of all manufactured goods, encouraging, if not forcing, consumers to adopt a culture of throwaway living: buy, throw away, and buy again. By the 1950s, this throwaway culture had made its way to Bermuda. In response to the island’s growing litter crisis, two women, Phyllis West-Harron and Lady Gascoigne, created Keep Bermuda Beautiful (KBB).

For these women, maintaining the island’s pristine beauty was more than an interesting project. As West-Harron once explained, “If we do not protect our ecos, our home, our environment, then we are neglecting our economy. And nowhere could that be more important, because our environment in Bermuda is our economy—our bread, our cake.”

KBB began as a subcommittee of The Garden Club of Bermuda in 1962, but by 1964 it was officially registered as its own independent charity, making it Bermuda’s oldest registered environmental charity. The founders drew their inspiration from a similar movement in the US, namely the Keep America Beautiful campaign. They were assisted by the Bermuda Junior Chamber, the “Jaycees,” who according to KBB’s executive director Anne Hyde, “were undoubtedly influential in the formation of Keep Bermuda Beautiful because they had established their own cleanup committee in 1956 called the ‘Clean-Up, Paint-Up’ campaign.”

KBB’s mission has remained unchanged since its inception: “To provide an islandwide public service through which industry, joined with social, educational and government organisations, can cooperate as a team to fight litter and improve the amenities of the 18 | The Bermudian

KBB’s 1985 Clean Team advertising.

islands.” Achieving their mission, however, has become increasingly challenging. “Back in the early days,” explains Hyde, “there was plenty of camaraderie, neighbourliness, a sense of community. Much of that has been lost because of modern advances in technology and social changes. Fewer children play outside giving adults more opportunity to know their neighbours.”

Hyde praised the Ministry of Education’s requirement that school children complete a certain number of hours of community service: “This encourages students to think outside their social circle and do something as citizens for the greater good of the community.” She believes it helps instill a sense of accountability in Bermuda’s youth. And KBB is a particularly popular choice among school children because, as there are no prerequisites

to eligibility, “it is one of the easiest charities to volunteer for.”

KBB’s sustained presence in schools continues to benefit the organisation long after student volunteers graduate. Former students return to volunteer in adulthood and serve as members of committees, in focus groups or on the board of directors, bringing “fresh ideas, renewed enthusiasm and expertise to the organisation.”

Schools are but one example of how KBB collaborates locally to maintain relevancy. KBB also works closely with other environmental organisations, including government’s Waste Management Section and the Department of Parks and Conservation Services. Such local affiliations allow KBB to tackle emerging environmental challenges more easily. In 2010, for example, KBB collaborated with these two departments and other local organisations, including Greenrock, Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo (BAMZ), Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS) and Bermuda National Trust, to form the Marine Debris Taskforce.

The taskforce studies the marine debris that washes ashore in Bermuda and devises strategies for its elimination.

As 2014 marks KBB’s 50th anniversary, keeping the organisation’s message alive has never been more important. “Our grandparents were reducing, reusing and recycling long before it became trendy,” Hyde explains, “And the past 50 years have marked a significant decline in Bermuda’s environmental consciousness. Although there is a ‘green movement,’ it exists in response to (and partially in competition with) the forces of consumerism.”

Thankfully, the KBB of today has a membership as strong and passionate as the women who founded it in 1964. And a message that will be just as important in another 50 years: “Bermuda’s God-given beauty is her greatest asset.” www.thebermudian.com

From the Crow’s Nest | Milestones

In Remembrance: Georgine Hill & Louise Jackson Written by Meredith Ebbin

www.thebermudian.com

were a unique Bermuda art form. She wrote two books and lectured frequently on the subject. At her funeral at the Anglican Cathedral, H&H gombey troupe formed an honour guard and broke into dance after the hearse left the grounds.

Jackson was a recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award and Founders Award from the Bermuda Arts Council, as well as an MBE. She and her late husband, Albert Jackson, an educator and former Senate president, raised two daughters, Deborah and Susan, who is now an MP representing her mother’s old constituency.

Georgine Hill with her husband Hilton Hill II in 2004

Photograph by Scott Tucker

G

eorgine Hill and Louise Jackson were both born in the United States, but spent the better part of their lives in Bermuda. Bound, perhaps, by national ties, their status as American-born wives of Bermudian men and their passion for the arts, they became close friends, despite an age difference of 13 years.

Fascinating, feisty women, they fought for racial justice, inspired countless students, dancers and artists, and fostered a greater appreciation for arts and culture. Their deaths in January, just 25 days apart, are a major loss to Bermuda.

Louise Jackson died on January 2 at the age of 83. She had a fall on Boxing Day from which she never recovered. Three days prior to her death, she was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours list.

As a Member of Parliament from 2003 to 2012, representing the United Bermuda Party and then the One Bermuda Alliance, Jackson became known as an advocate for seniors. It was a perfect cause for someone who was the oldest MP in 2011, and who, during her time in the House, could count 14 sitting MPs and Senators as former students.

After she left the political arena, she remained active in public affairs and was a member of the Bermuda Hospitals Board.

Born into a middle-class family in Philadelphia, she came to Bermuda in 1952 and taught physical education at The Berkeley Institute.

She had a degree in physical education and had also studied dance in New York and London.

In 1953, she started the Jackson School of Dance with a handful of students. When she retired as owner/director 46 years later, the renamed Jackson School of Performing Arts had 700 students and offered a broad range of music and dance classes.

Jackson did much to raise the status of the Bermuda gombey. Research she carried out during the 1970s established that the gombeys

G

eorgine Hill died on January 27. She would have celebrated her 96th birthday on February 1, which was the day of her funeral at St. Paul AME Church.

Hill was a member of a distinguished Boston family—her father was a Harvard University educated dentist and her grandfather, also a dentist, was Harvard’s first black faculty member. Raised in an artistic household, she studied at the Massachusetts College of Art and became a portrait painter. She received her last commission in 2004.

Hill met her husband, Hilton Hill II, during her college years and moved to Bermuda as a young wife and mother in 1941. She became an integral part of Bermuda’s post-war arts scene. In 1947, she was cofounder of the Bermuda Art Association, which presented art and photography exhibitions and art classes.

She and sculptor Byllee Lang established the annual children’s arts exhibition.

In 1951, Hill, her husband, sister-in-law Carol Hill and others, led a protest against the Bermudiana Theatre Club after they were denied admission because of their race.

Hill wrote the US Actors Equity Guild to solicit their support. The group eventually achieved success, but little public recognition at the time. Public opinion has changed in

Louise Jackson

recent years, and the protest is now regarded as a forerunner of the pivotal 1959 Theatre Boycott.

Hill was also the first art teacher in a government school and taught for 24 years—the first year without pay. She left a big impression on her students at Girls Institute of Arts and Crafts and Prospect Secondary School for Girls, several of whom became artists.

She was a founding trustee of the Bermuda National Gallery and served on the board of the Bermuda Dance Foundation, which named a scholarship in her honour. She was also longtime chairman of the board of Teen Services.

In 2001, Hill received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Bermuda Arts Council, and in 2012, she was presented with the council’s Patron Award for her support of the arts.

She and her late husband, who was a Member of Colonial Parliament from 1953 to 1958, had two children, Hilton Hill III and Dr. June Hill, and two grandsons.

SPRING 2014 | 19

Naturally Speaking | written by elizabeth jones

T

he first Norfolk Island pine I ever saw belonged to Mr. Flint, one of my father’s friends in England. He had it growing in a pot in the corner of his living room and was so inordinately proud of it he gave it as much loving attention as other people give to their dogs. When I was 10 or so, he would bore me senseless with descriptions of how he had to turn it once a week to keep it growing evenly and how a humidifier was essential because it didn’t like central heating. Watering it, he said, was an art—it was vital to water it at the same time every day. I couldn’t understand why he bothered because I didn’t like the look of it—the leaves looked like glossy plastic to me and the branches so stiff and symmetrical they had to be synthetic.

Eventually, the plant hit his ceiling and the big debate was to cut or not to cut. In the end he sold it and started all over again with a new one.

Years later I came to Bermuda and forgot all about Mr. Flint’s pet plant until one day I visited Mike’s artistic Aunt Pink who had her easel and paints out.

“The post office has asked me to paint a Norfolk pine for one of their new stamps,” she explained.

“Why,” I asked, “would they want a stamp with a house plant on it?”

She thought this very funny and when we went on a drive together she pointed out the Norfolk Island pine trees that dot our island.

I was amazed—most of them seemed at least 80 feet tall and I had a vision of Mr. Flint’s tree shooting through his roof up to the heavens. I still didn’t appreciate them, though. True, they add height to our fairly low-lying landscape but many are so spindly. And thanks to 2003’s Hurricane Fabian, they have subsequently 20 | The Bermudian

acquired a lopsided stance without the symmetry Mr. Flint admired. The fierce winds whipped off their branches on one side. Since then the branches have regrown but they have the air of younger siblings trying to catch up.

Norfolk Island pines have not always been in Bermuda. They arrived in the latter half of the nineteenth century when Governor Lefroy was busy importing different pines into the island. According to Nathaniel Lord Britton’s Flora of Bermuda, the Norfolk pine was his greatest success: Britton describes it in 1918 as “the most luxuriant coniferous evergreen tree that has been introduced into Bermuda and

there are now many fine specimens on lawns; some of them are 45 feet or more.”

In fact, these trees are not true pines at all although they are coniferous. They were first noticed on Norfolk Island, Australia, in 1774 by Captain James Cook, who took one look at their trunks and noticed they were at least the size of the mast on his ship, the Resolution. As Robert Hughes explains in his The Fatal Shore, in the eighteenth century “pine and flax had the naval importance that oil and uranium hold today.” When the British had a desperate need for both they thought of Cook’s observation.

The trunks could make masts and yards, or spars, for ships and the trees’ sap would keep them supple, while the flax, also on the island, could be used to make canvas for sails. Off went shiploads of convicts to Norfolk Island—and sure enough there were the trees splendidly tall and symmetrical growing right to the face of the cliff. But alas, the wood was useless for ships. It did not have enough resin and to quote Hughes, “it snapped like a carrot.”

The leaves are sappy, though, as I found out the other day when I picked a sprig and a white substance stuck to my fingertips. It’s actually a mistake to touch the leaves without gloves. Some people, I later found out, are allergic and come out in a hideous rash. Fortunately, I’m not one of them.

I’m still not enamoured with the Norfolk Island pine. It’s sobering to think on how many people died from starvation and disease thanks to an imperial dream of forests of masts. But would we be better off without these trees? Maybe not. At least they’re natural skyscrapers and as Andrew Dobson, president of the Bermuda Audubon Society, says, “Norfolk Island pines are useful roosting perches for visiting ospreys and merlins.” www.thebermudian.com

Illustration by Christine Watlington

Conferring on Conifers

Healthy Bermuda

Relay for Life Bermuda joins an international, billion-dollar fund-raising event for cancer research and prevention.

Written by Darlene Mccarthy Barnfield

I

lost my father much too soon. When he got sick, I remember him saying, “Honey, I’m too young to have a fatal disease.” I replied, “I know, Poppy. I could date someone your age.” He said, “You could honey. But don’t!”

His humour and cleverness never left him, but cancer did rob us all of many more joyful years together.

Cancer has no respect. It will touch anyone.

According to the 2013 statistics of the Ameriwww.thebermudian.com

can Cancer Society (ACS), “About 1,660,290 new cancer cases are expected to be diagnosed, and about 580,350 Americans are projected to die of cancer, almost 1,600 people a day.”

“Everyone will get cancer if we live long enough,” says Tara Soares, executive director of Bermuda Cancer and Health Centre (“the Centre”). Soares warns that the instances of cancer are now actually rising to two out of three people.

The only response to such a massive assault

on the general public is to fight back. And Bermuda will get the extraordinary opportunity to do just that this May when “Relay for Life” blasts onto the island and joins a growing international happening. For the first time, the Centre will establish the ACS’s main fundraising event—Relay for Life—here in Bermuda. It is a global assault against cancer in the form of a 24-hour relay event. Over 6,000 cities have already participated. And now the Centre will hold the island’s very first Relay on SPRING 2014 | 23

Healthy Bermuda | Relay for Life May 30-31 from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Teams of participants take turns walking the track for a whole day in a show of defiance against the disease and in support of those who are fighting it. “Cancer never sleeps,” reminds Soares. “So for 24 hours we are not going to sleep either.”

A recent article in the New York Times, “Why Everyone Seems to Have Cancer,” points out that cancer is currently overtaking heart disease as the number-one medical killer.

This is happening, ironically enough, because we are actually becoming healthy enough to live longer, and the longer we live the more our bodies change or mutate. “Mutations are the engine of evolution. Without them we never would have evolved,” says author George Johnson. “The trade-off is that every so often a certain combination will give an individual cell too much power. It begins to evolve independently of the rest of the body. Like a new species thriving in an ecosystem, it grows into a cancerous tumor. For that, there can be no easy fix.”

Dr. David Green, on-staff consultant radiologist at the Centre, agrees. “Your body is a finely tuned device,” says Green. “That process isn’t perfect, and things go wrong sometimes inside the cells. There are mechanisms to repair those faulty genes, [but] as you get older that faulty gene-copying mechanism also ages and is less good at repairing the faulty genes,” says Green. “And that is when cancer can happen.”

Green’s colleague, Soares, should know.

Not only does she work with cancer patients and their doctors, but her own life has been touched by the disease as well. “My father has prostate cancer. My stepfather has terminal cancer,” says Soares. “There are still too many people who are losing the fight.”

The first overnight community fund-raising Relay walk happened 28 years ago in May 1985 because of Dr. Gordy Klatt.

The founder of this event is a testament to the power of the individual to create change.

Klatt was a Tacoma colorectal surgeon. He knew firsthand what cancer could do to his patients, and he also knew his local ACS office could use more money for research and patient support. So he decided to do something 24 | The Bermudian

about it. He loved to run marathons, so he went to the track at Baker Stadium at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma and kept circling it. During his personal marathon, 300 friends and supporters camped out around the track to urge him on while many others paid $25 to accompany him on the track for 30-minute intervals. The relay idea was born.

And after 24 hours and more than 83 miles, he had raised $27,000 and started what would become a worldwide event.

“The Relay philosophy is that those who face cancer will be supported, those who have lost their battle will not be forgotten and one day cancer will be eliminated.”

The event has grown into an international happening raising $5 billion dollars a year in the fight against cancer.

“It’s family oriented,” says Katrina Van Pelt, one of the Centre’s event supporters. “Food, games and activities provide entertainment and build camaraderie,” she says. “Relay represents a community coming together to fight cancer. The Relay philosophy is that those who face cancer will be supported, those who have lost their battle will not be forgotten and one day cancer will be eliminated,” says Van Pelt.

“The mission of Relay for Life Bermuda is to raise awareness—and funds—to support cancer prevention, detection and treatment.”

T

he 24-hour event will be held at North Field, National Stadium, and is divided into three sections, the first being the Survivors Lap, where cancer survivors march in recognition of their success and the support they received from family, friends, medical personnel and caregivers.

The second stage is called the Luminaria Ceremony, which takes place after dark so that, according to the ACS, “We can remember people we have lost to cancer, honor people who have fought cancer in the past, and support those whose fight continues.”

Personalised bags filled with candles are lit and placed along the track as a shining reminder of everyone touched by cancer.

Then there is the final event, described in the literature of the ACS as inspirational: “This emotionally powerful ceremony inspires Relay participants to take action. The Fight Back Ceremony symbolizes the emotional commitment each of us can make in the fight against cancer.

The action taken represents what we are willing to do for ourselves, for our loved ones and for our community to fight cancer year-round and to commit to saving lives.”

Organisers of the Bermuda event are constantly reminded of the fear that accompanies the diagnosis of cancer. “It must be terrifying to hear the words ‘You have cancer,’” says Deborah Titteron Narraway, the marketing and fund-raising manager for the Centre. Like millions of others, Narraway has had her own personal experience with cancer. “My mom is a breast cancer survivor diagnosed at the age of 37 and my uncle has terminal prostate cancer,” says Narraway.

You cannot ignore cancer and you cannot ignore this island-wide happening or its message for anyone touched by cancer. “They’re not alone in Bermuda,” Narraway says. And what better way to express that sentiment than to turn out in vast numbers for the Relay?

In essence, organisers want Bermuda to “come to the party.” Find friends and coworkers to join you in this mission and sign up as teams. There is a festive and competitive spirit to the event. Bermuda may be a small island, but it does not mean it cannot shine on an international stage and outperform hundreds of other regions which are much larger.

Bermudians have huge enthusiasm for each other and for sport, and there is no greater sense of competition than when the opponent—cancer—seems almost unbeatable. “Bermudians love a get-together,’” says Van Pelt, “and this is a local fund-raiser for a local cause. What’s more, 95 percent of funds raised will stay in Bermuda with Bermuda Cancer and Health Centre.” You may register as a team through the website bermudarelay. com from February 15, or e-mail the Relay team at team@relayforlife-bermuda.org for more information. www.thebermudian.com

Relay for Life | Healthy Bermuda Ironically, Klatt, the man who founded Relay and who has worked so hard to fight cancer, is now waging his own personal battle against the disease. In 2012, Klatt was diagnosed with stomach cancer and told the ACS staff as much when he wrote them this letter: “Throughout the years I have spoken and written about how cancer can personally affect everyone. It affects the rich, the poor, and all nationalities and cultures around the world.

About four weeks ago I was diagnosed with stomach cancer, and I have begun my battle with this disease using chemotherapy.”

“I am even more energized to defeat this disease worldwide. I will again be with all of you in spirit this Relay season—even more so this year. Celebrate the survivors; remember those who lost the battle and fight back! We all need to celebrate more birthdays and by relaying we keep the hope alive through education, community involvement and fundraising for ongoing research.”

As Reuel Johnson, national vice president for Relay for Life, points out, “The best way we can pay tribute and honor Gordy is to redouble our efforts in the…Relay season…adding one more team, one more team member or one more additional donation…and creating an extra meaningful Relay experience for those touched by that Relay spirit that we all learned from Gordy.”

The Centre’s Dr. Green points out that all cancers are either genetic or environmental. “If you are part of the five percent who carry the gene for breast cancer then your risk of getting breast cancer soars to 80 percent,” says Green.

That’s the genetic component and early testing for early detection and treatment are vital there. Then there are the environmental causes of cancer. “Evidence for that,” says Green, “is provided by a subset of the population of a country where breast cancer is very uncommon who migrate to an area where breast cancer is very common; given enough time the newcomers will develop the same incidence of breast cancer as the general population.”

So for Green and the staff at the Centre, a major component of the Relay experience is getting the message out that you can prevent many cancers all by yourself.

“It’s one thing if you develop lung cancer www.thebermudian.com

because you smoked cigarettes your whole life, right?” says Soares. So the Centre urges you to put the cigarette down. As Johnson’s article in the New York Times points out, “Where antismoking campaigns are successful, lung cancer, which accounts for almost 30 percent of all cancer deaths in the United States, is steadily diminishing.”

Cancer can happen enough all by itself without actually offering it an invitation into our lives. “It is about moderating,” adds Soares, “Half of all cancer deaths are preventable, so that is a message we want to get out there. This event is about the advocacy, the education, the prevention and, for us, supporting better treatment for Bermuda.”

In addition to antismoking campaigns, there are other success stories in the battle against cancer provided by people who simply took better control over their lives. According to the New York Times, “Worldwide, some 15 to 20 percent of cancers are believed to be caused by infectious agents. With improvements in refrigeration and public sanitation,

stomach cancer, which is linked to Helicobacter pylori bacteria, has been significantly reduced, especially in more developed parts of the world. Vaccines against human papilloma virus have the potential of nearly eliminating cervical cancer.”

Green sees another area that needs work in Bermuda. “Given that obesity is such a huge issue here and throughout the developed world, the message just is not getting through,” says Green. “Everybody should be aware that if they are overweight and drinking and smoking then they are going to die younger than they would otherwise. In other words, that finely tuned instrument which is our body can only repair so much abuse.”

Green’s greatest hope for this May’s Relay event is that people in Bermuda will “kickstart” 2014 with a better lifestyle. “You get so much out of being healthy,” he says. “You just enjoy life more. You sleep better. You relate to people better. You just feel good about yourself.”

SPRING 2014 | 25

Codfish Cakes ...and other Good Friday traditions

recipe 1 lb. salt cod, drained after soaking in

water for 12 hours (two water changes

recommended) 2 lbs. potatoes, peeled and cut into

similar-sized pieces

3 tbsp. fresh thyme, minced, or 1 1/2 tbsp.

dried thyme

written by Judith Wadson | Photograph by scott Tucker

2 tbsp. fresh parsley, minced, or 1 tbsp.

G

ood Friday has great significance in the Holy Year calendar, but in Bermuda the focus of this day is on the pleasures of kite flying and tucking into warm hot cross buns and codfish cakes—served either inside the bun or solo.

The hot venue on Good Friday is Horseshoe Bay, where myriad multicoloured kites fly high in the sky. Prizes are awarded to the best in a range of categories, including the smallest, largest, most beautiful and most original. Kites are best seen above the beach—from South Shore Road—the prime vantage point that provides an almost uninterrupted aerial view.

There are several tales surrounding the origin of Bermuda kite flying, but no one has yet been able to provide documented facts. So I rely on oral histories.

One story is that a Bermudian Sunday school teacher wanted students to understand Christ’s ascension, so he took his charges to a hilltop and launched a kite bearing the likeness of Jesus Christ. The kite climbed high and the teacher cut it loose, allowing it to soar with the wind currents right on up to heaven.

Another yarn is that the attendance of a minister’s normally faithful flock dropped to nearly zero on Good Friday. Wanting to encourage attendance, he moved the service outside and created an entirely new church event and, at that time, an innovative religious group sport: kite flying. The priest said that the top of the hill would be the best place because it was nearer to heaven. Additionally, he instructed, the kites needed to have the holy cross to praise God. In Bermuda, flying kites is serious business in the fun department. But that is after the kite has been made. Creating the handmade tissue paper and wooden stick kite is painstaking, time consuming and requires patience, particularly when gluing the flimsy paper to the wooden frame and supportive string. It’s a test of skill to not puncture holes in the paper before the launch and liftoff.

26 | The Bermudian

Once settled into a flying position with its steadying tail—made from strings of old sheets knotted together—written messages and wishes can be sent skyward on the string.

Dry bay grape leaves are also sturdy vehicles for this purpose.

Sometimes aggressive “fights” are staged between competitive—and mischievous—tacticians. A highflyer with too little tail dives dramatically in different directions, and by attaching razor blades to its tail the kite flyer can easily cut the strings of other kites within reach.

Good Friday parties are important social events, and groups of kites can be seen hovering over picnics islandwide. Always, there is a repair area with plenty of tissue paper, glue, tape and scissors. But the idea is to keep from damaging the kite, and flying in unobstructed spaces is preferred and also wise.

While kite flying takes place, a bountiful supply of hot cross buns and codfish cakes and other dishes are on offer. During food breaks the strings of stable kites are tied to trees or garden furniture. This culinary tradition of enjoying hot cross buns continues until Easter Sunday, two days later.

The hot-cross-bun-eating ritual was brought to the island by Bermuda’s English forefathers.

Many were superstitious and believed that if a homeowner didn’t eat a bun on Good Friday, the house would at some point catch fire and be destroyed. So everyone ate buns.

Pagans were the first to inscribe crosses on buns. The Saxons ate cross-marked buns in honour of Eostre—the goddess of light—at the annual festival of spring. And archaeologists unearthed several small loaves bearing crosses while digging under the Roman city of Herculaneum which was destroyed during a volcanic eruption in A.D. 79.

More than 1,600 years before Christianity, the Greeks offered cross bread to the divinity.

Later, the Mexicans and Peruvians celebrated with “crossed” bread during special times.

dried parsley

freshly ground pepper leftover water from potatoes 1 egg, optional safflower or sunflower oil, for frying In large saucepan or medium stockpot, add water to cover potatoes and bring to boil.

They are cooked when paring knife can be easily inserted and removed. Turn off heat.

With slotted spoon, put potatoes in large mixing bowl.

Put cod into pot of potato water. Add boiling water, if necessary—to cover the fish.

Cover and let poach for several minutes until thoroughly cooked.

Meanwhile, mash the potatoes well. If you have a food mill, a finer consistency is achieved.

Add cooked hot fish to warm mashed potatoes and mix well, adding herbs and pepper to taste. Taste before adding salt—which is not normally needed. If mixture is dry, add a little potato-fish cooking water until it can be easily formed into cakes. Alternatively, use a beaten egg to bind the mixture.

To form cakes, roll about 1/2 cup of potato-fish mixture into a ball and gently flatten between palms to about 1-inch thickness. Smooth edges of patty and put atop wax paper on a plate. Continue process, leaving about 1 inch between each, putting wax paper atop each layer to prevent them sticking together. These can be made a day ahead if stored in an airtight container and put in fridge.

To cook, put about 1/2 inch oil in skillet over medium high heat. Test oil is correct temperature by putting small piece of fish mixture in skillet. If it cooks rapidly, oil is ready.

It is not necessary to dredge cakes in flour, but they should be patted dry to avoid moisture reacting with hot oil, causing it to “spit.”

Cooking is easier by cooking cold patties as warm potatoes and fish have a tendency to fall apart while frying, particularly if an overzealous cook pushes at them too frequently.

Do not crowd pan and leave at least 2 inches between patties while cooking them.

Cook about 8 minutes until golden. With spatula, carefully flip patties toward far side of pan to prevent oil from splattering towards you. Cook second side until golden. Remove and serve. www.thebermudian.com

www.thebermudian.com

SPRING 2014 | 27

s flatt out

ll ab

it’s a

Flatts the small town with a big history

First settled in 1612 and home to several prominent Bermudian families, Flatts has a long and colourful history that includes shipbuilding, commerce and even a little smuggling! by elizabeth jones

Thomas Driver’s 1823 watercolour of Flatts shows the sandy bay surrounding the inlet where tarmac roads are now. It appears the water at the inlet’s head was so shallow, cows paddled in it. Bridge House is depicted on the right and on the left we see buildings and warehouses that are still there today including Bridge Heights, Stanley House, Fairview, residences from the start, and Lazy Corner, Old House and Westport. All of them in the past belonged at some point to the Mussons.

28 | The Bermudian

www.thebermudian.com

www.thebermudian.com

collection bermuda archives

W

hen people living in Bermuda think about Flatts, chances are they think about the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo, the main attraction in the area for visitors and locals alike.

They might also think “picturesque” because the quaint old buildings around the inlet, the curve of coconut trees and the variety of sea vessels bobbing on the blue-green waters racing to and fro under the bridge make that word particularly apposite.

And for some, the eateries at the Aquarium and on the north shore in Flatts offer a relaxing venue with a view for lunch or dinner.

Nobody, however, would see it as an important port and a bustling hub of shipbuilding and commerce.

Today, few trucks and cars and bikes stop at Flatts. Instead, they hurtle past the Aquarium, over the bridge, to Hamilton or race round the walled end of the inlet, up the North Shore Road and round to Jennings Land.

But long before an aquarium was even thought of, there was a time when Flatts was a harbour second in importance only to St. George’s.

SPRING 2014 | 29

I

t was even, for short periods during the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, the seat of government. Eminent local white families, such as the Paynters, Penistons and most notably the Mussons, would make their fortunes and change the landscape by building their prosperous stone homes and warehouses. Later the family of black Bermudian Clarence Orester Darrell would rise to similar prosperity and eminence thanks to his gift for enterprise and philanthropy. And famous visitors from the States and Canada would stay in houses here, contributing to the social scene.

They all have their stories, but so do other residents not so eminent. At least two slave stories happened in Flatts.

This article will recall Flatts’ livelier history through historical records and books, and by means of early maps, pictures and photographs will reveal how Flatts has changed visually and how it has not.

Flatts Bridge & Bridge House Flatts’ history goes right back to the beginning of Bermuda’s first official settlement in 1612 when, according to Hamilton Parish, Volume IV of the Bermuda National Trust’s Bermuda’s Architectural Heritage Series, the

area was one of the pieces of common land allocated by Somers Island Company.

Flatts has always had its own identity, given it is shared by two parishes. Part of the area nearest to the inlet is in Hamilton Parish, while the southern part is in Smith’s Parish. It is likely that locals would dry fish and tobacco on racks here. In fact the very name “Flatts” could be derived from the Dutch fleigh—a word for a stage for drying fish. Although for some reason Captain John Smith’s map of Bermuda published in 1624 does not depict a bridge at Flatts, we know the footbridge erected over the tidal race was likely to have been the first one built in Bermuda since it was mentioned in the minutes of the House of Assembly’s first meeting in 1620: “The Bridge wch is already erected at the fflatts ouer the mouth of the little sound be made more substantiall.” In those days Harrington Sound was known as the “little sound” and the area around the bridge as “sound’s mouth” because here was the only visible opening of Harrington Sound to the ocean.

We are fortunate that in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries some visitors to Bermuda were also artists and chose to immortalise the Flatts of their time in sketches, watercolours and, later, in photographs. George Tobin, a lieutenant

collection bermuda archives

30 | The Bermudian

in the Royal Navy aboard the Thetis, was one such artist although his picture of Flatts Inlet dated 1797 does not depict the bridge. Neither does Dr. Johnson Savage’s watercolour of Flatts painted in the early 1830s when he came out to Bermuda to serve as a young surgeon in the Royal Artillery. But artist Thomas Driver, who came to Bermuda from Britain in 1814, eventually becoming an auctioneer in partnership with John Augustus Musson, gives us in his 1823 watercolours a much clearer view of the flimsy wooden bridge and indeed of the sandy bay surrounding the inlet where tarmac roads are now. Later Susette Harriet Lloyd would describe it in her Sketches of Bermuda published in 1835. “The Flatts,” she says, “are separated from the opposite shore, which is however a part of the mainland, by a narrow channel, over which a wooden bridge has been thrown; it is about thirty feet long, and is supported by three stone piers ….” Crosses in the background of her sketch mark the bridge.

In the heyday of shipbuilding before steamships succeeded Bermuda sloops, bridges were constructed so they could open for ships passing through. A notice in the Royal Gazette of 1833 tells us: “The Flatt’s Bridge will be removed on Tuesday, 19th inst. & the Passage remain uncovered for several days.” Apparently, the charge for removing the bridge was 10 shillings. Once shipbuilding declined, the bridge became stationary. The safety of the bridge was sometimes a concern—in 1827, for example, it was deemed too dangerous to go over. But it also instilled fear in offenders and slaves since it was a public place of barbaric punishment. W. E. Zuill in his book Bermuda Journey cites an example in 1718 when a blasphemer was made to stand on a cask on the bridge and have his tongue bored through with a hot iron. And it was on this bridge that the “jumper,” responsible for punishing slaves, would whip them—or worse. A somewhat happier slave story is also narrated in Bermuda Journey. A slave called John would swim from Flatts “to his beloved on the other side of Harrington Sound.” When his slave master discovered this nightly escapade, he staked John into the ground. But John was so strong he pulled out the stake and swam with the stake still attached to him. Apparently this Thomas Driver’s painting of Flatts Bridge, 1823; the bridge would open for ships passing through. www.thebermudian.com

Leading merchant Clarence Darrell and his family lived at Clarendon near the top of Flatts Hill. He is seen here, front left, with his wife Henrietta, front right, and their children, Gladys in the front row and, in the back row, from the left, Hilgrove, Amy, Wilfred, Helen, Ambrose and Minnie. photograph courtesy of dr. g.b.mcphee and the late gloria mcphee and published in the smith’s parish architectural heritage series by the bermuda national trust

exploit and John’s determination so impressed his “owner” he was allowed to marry his girlfriend in a broomstick ceremony. n his Flatts paintings, Thomas Driver depicts the present Bridge House, appropriately named because of its proximity to the bridge. But according to Hamilton Parish, there had been a house in that location long before, the earliest one probably belonging to the bridge keeper. A house at the bridge was first mentioned in 1681 when a slave, Indian John, was held prisoner there for attempting to murder the Maligan family and to burn their house, on the site of Orange Grove, Smith’s Parish. He was hanged, drawn and quartered on neighbouring Gibbet’s Island. Land near Flatts Bridge belonged to the Peniston family. The Governor’s Council met there in 1696 and 1702–9, and later the Court of Assizes was held there.

The present Bridge House was bought in 1822

by Augustus Peniston, who may have built it, and he became a receiving housekeeper when, in 1844, the house became a receiving office (an early branch post office). The mail coach, also carrying passengers, would run between Hamilton and St. George’s, stopping at Government House. An advertisement in the Royal Gazette informs us more Penistons were running a business there in 1887: “The Misses Peniston beg to announce that they are prepared to execute all orders entrusted to them…with neatness and despatch. Hats and Bonnets trimmed after the latest New York styles.”

Much later, in 1920, the house was bought by the parents of Sir Henry Tucker, who would become Bermuda’s first government leader.

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The Inlet, the Mussons & Clarence Orester Darrell During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Flatts, as a sheltered harbour close to the former capital, St. George’s, was an important centre for shipbuilding, trading and importing.

It was also a haven for smugglers who wanted to cheat the “searcher”—in other words the excise man who would check ships coming into St. George’s for dutiable cargo. As evocatively described in Bermuda Journey, traders would instead make their way to the inlet: “...let us picture a sloop, homeward bound from the West Indies, silently creeping in through the inlet on a rising tide of a moonless night.

As she enters the channel the men begin to hail to arouse the village, so that by the time she is ready to drop anchor there are many willing hands to drop a hawser and warp her in.

Candles are now being lit in many houses and soon the narrow road, deserted only an hour ago, is bustling with activity as women and children follow the men to the waterfront ….

The hatches are off in a trice and punchions of rum from Barbados, bales of silk from wrecking operations at the Bahamas or Caicos Islands and other precious cargo are all trundled away from the vessel and hidden in secret places.”

Eventually, Flatts’ importance faded. Smuggling became more difficult after the City of Hamilton was founded, subsequently becoming the principal port of entry and the island’s capital.

In addition, Bermuda’s famous sloops and schooners gave way to the larger steamships, so that shipbuilding declined. The inlet itself was changing, since it silted up. Indeed, in one of Thomas Driver’s paintings, the water at the inlet’s head is so shallow he depicts cows paddling in it.

Look over the inlet from the bridge towards St. James Court and at first the scene seems very different from Driver’s paintings.

These condominiums, of course, were built late in the twentieth century. But look closely to the left of them and you realise with a shock some of the buildings and warehouses he depicted are still there, albeit sometimes with subsequent additions—Bridge Heights, Stanley House, Fairview, residences from the start, and Lazy Corner, Old House and Westport, once storehouses. All of them in the past belonged at some point to the Mussons, who according to Hamilton Parish were among the first to make their homes in Flatts as well as their businesses.

They became the dominant and one of the most prosperous families in Flatts during the eighteenth and mid-nineteenth centuries. The history of the family is somewhat confusing since they tended to intermarry and to pass on to their children the same forenames—Susanna, for example, William and James and John. One Susanna, sister of prominent Flatts residents James, Samuel, Robert, John, Robert and Giles Musson, had a particularly intriguing life. She never married and was extremely independent, being the owner of ships and of a variety store.

Hereward T. Watlington writes in his Family Narratives that she was “dubbed ‘Captain Sukey’” because she once safely navigated one of her own vessels back to Bermuda when the master of that boat was very sick. She was also known as an eccentric, shabbily dressed miser. A sister who lived with her died from starvation.

After her sister’s death, Captain Sukey had a fit of conscience and frequently placed food on her tomb. When Sukey herself died, her cousins benefited from the money they found hidden inside teapots and chairs. According to Family Narratives, a Miss Anna Maria Outerbridge, known as the Bailey’s Bay historian, had mixed feelings about the whole of the Musson family: “The men and women of this family were always good looking; they were aristocratic and carried themselves as gentlemen; they were pleasant and had good minds, but in some cases their morals and business principles were not of the best.”

SPRING 2014 | 31

Flatts & the Years of Tourism Where St. James Court is now, there was once a house built by the Mussons over two generations. Called Frascati, it became the Frascati Hotel at the beginning of the twentieth century when tourism began to develop.

In 1926, it benefited from the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo, founded as an important attraction for Flatts, and in 1931, by the opening of the Bermuda Railway, which had a bridge going over Flatts as well as a stop at the Aquarium itself. Frascati must have gained a larger clientele because of both institutions. The Second World War caused a hiatus for the tourism industry, but the hotel 32 | The Bermudian

st. james court

flatts bridge

top: The Frascati Hotel from a hand-coloured postcard. Originally a house built by the Mussons

over two generations, it became a hotel at the beginning of the twentieth century when tourism began to develop.

was not left deserted. It hosted the United Service Organization (USO) that for many American servicemen was the symbol of Bermuda. Here the Talbot Brothers would sing their harmonious, mischievous songs to the soldiers. Indeed, whenever soldiers arrived on the island, the colonel at the base would make sure they were treated to a Talbot Brothers’ concert before going off to fight. An army truck would be sent to pick the singers up. After the war, Frascati was renamed the Coral Island Hotel where again the Talbots would regularly perform. So would Hubert Smith and the Coral Islanders.

Another gracious property built for and

owned by the Mussons—Palmetto Grove— also became a hotel, the Palmetto Bay Hotel next to Bridge House. In the 1980s, when the Bermuda College was at Roberts Avenue, the hotel was a favourite watering hole for exhausted lecturers celebrating the end of the semester. Now, it too has been destroyed and its site occupied by condominiums. One landmark remains, however—an old mahogany tree. According to Zuill in Bermuda Journey, the house’s former owner, Samuel Musson, used to sit under it as an old man and drink sangria while a manservant fanned him with a palmetto leaf to protect him from the heat and flies. www.thebermudian.com

from the bermudian magazine archives

collection national museum of bermuda

P

erhaps she was thinking about the smuggling days of Flatts. Certainly another of the Musson’s properties, Stanley House, built in the mid-eighteenth century, still has the extensive cellars once used for storage by merchants, or most likely, smugglers.

As the Musson family’s fortune declined, so Clarence Orester Darrell’s increased. The son of a barrister and soliciter general, he was born in 1859. In 1885 he purchased Clarendon, a two-storey building on the corner of Middle and Clarendon Roads. Here he opened a provisions store, and also a dry goods store on the corner of Middle Road and Paradise Lane where Belvin’s grocery store is now. In addition, he opened a cycle livery and liquor store on the north shore in Flatts. The Old House, shown in a Driver watercolour and possibly built by William James Sears of Orange Grove, Smith’s, also attracted Darrell’s attention. He bought it in 1909. In the City of Hamilton, he ran a livery and grain business and was one of the largest importers in Bermuda.

But Clarence Darrell had his employees at heart. We can see that Stanley House in the Driver painting had planting land behind it. In 1897, Darrell purchased 1¾ acres of that land, divided it into building lots and sold it cheaply to employees. In 1914, he constructed Darrell’s Range on Clarendon Road for his workers. After he died at St Luke’s Hospital in New York in 1922, flags were flown at half-mast when his body was returned to Bermuda on the SS Fort George.

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from the bermudian magazine archives

Wistowe, on the southern side of the inlet, has a long and interesting history. In Bermuda Journey, Zuill describes a duel in 1741 at a dance and supper garden party on the site.

The opponents were Robert Hill and Peter Nice, a newcomer to Flatts who was married to a local beauty. It was thought that she had rejected Robert as a suitor. Whatever the reason, there was a quarrel and Nice, not so nicely, slapped Hill with a glove and challenged him to a duel. It was agreed that the weapons would be swords. “The two men,” Zuill writes, “faced each other in the moonlight with the silvery tide of Flatts inlet flowing seaward only a few feet away.” Nice was struck in the stomach and died the following day.

Hill was sentenced to death but was eventually pardoned by Governor Alured Popple. What happened to Mrs. Nice is a mystery.

Later, there was a bakehouse located at Wistowe which supplied bread to Royal Naval ships anchored off the north shore.

By 1818, Wistowe was the Union Theatre.

Zuill’s Bermuda Sampler quotes the Royal

Wistowe was home to many things over the years, including a bakerhouse, a venue for theatrics, and the residence of the American consul when Mark Twain was once a guest.

34 | The Bermudian

photograph courtesy of the bermuda national trust and published in the hamilton parish architectural heritage series

Wistowe & the Tidal Race

The back garden of Wistowe which, when owned by the American consul around 1879, featured a large fountain which made use of the tidal race through the underwater tunnel he created to feed fresh water into it, keeping dozens of angelfish thriving there.

Gazette’s sententious report: “We are happy to find the rational and moral enjoyment of Theatrical amusements, the present season, has superseded the unsatisfying and senseless parade of balls and assemblies.” Apparently, a “Farce ‘Raising the Wind’” and the “comic entertainment of ‘The Weather Cock or the Way to Fix Him’” were held there to a “very respectable and full audience.”

The present house, originally called Walkerville, was built by John Walker, and he had the ingenuity to make use of the tidal race in and out of Harrington Sound for powering a gristmill to grind aloe so that he could export the juice to be used for medicinal purposes. He had slaves dig an underwater tunnel beneath the property to join Harrington Sound with Flatts. Many a person today remembers as a child exploring the tunnel and surfing the tide.

After the end of the American Civil War in 1865, Wistowe became the home of Charles Maxwell Allen, the American consul, who became much loved for his generous hospitality. Mark Twain was one guest; Julia Dorr another. In her Bermuda, An Idyl of the Summer Islands, she describes a visit to his house: “Its brick paved court, with arched entrance, from which winding stairs on the outside of the house lead to the drawing rooms above, and its overhanging, projecting balconies, give it a singularly foreign aspect that is very charming.” She saw that Allen also used the tunnel and tidal race, this time to feed water into the fountain he had constructed. She

remarks on the “dozens of beautiful angelfish so exquisite in their blue and gold, and with something so human in their mild innocent faces, that they seemed half uncanny.”

A report in the Royal Gazette of 1879 reveals that Allen extended his hospitality to the Bermuda Hunt Club. “Members of the Bermuda Hunt Club approach over fields behind Mont Clair, riding as far as Orange Grove, then turning down to Flatts Village and across Flatt’s Bridge, to finish over hurdles erected at Wistowe Lodge, for the benefit of the ladies assembled at this beautiful residence of the American Consul. Everybody steps inside for Cherry Brandy and other delicious refreshments, before jogging homewards.”

From 1928–32 another famous person retired at Wistowe—Reginald Fessenden, a radio pioneer. And he, too, used the tidal race to power his generator while making a lobster cage and a pool to raise oysters in the canal. But he also cared about his coconut trees. According to Bermuda Journey, he hired a West Indian, who called himself “the coconut doctor,” to look at his coconut trees which he thought should bear more fruit. The “doctor” climbed the trees to salt the budding fruit. Apparently, the salt worked—they had a “luxuriant crop.” Zuill also relates the touching story of how when Fessenden planted more trees along the seawall, he placed in the holes “a pound of ship biscuits for nourishment, a horseshoe for luck and a lump of charcoal for warmth.”

This recipe also worked. Wistowe’s curve of trees is today a well-loved landmark. www.thebermudian.com

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Thanks to dedicated staff and volunteers, BAMZ’s success is a balance of caring for the welfare of animals, and education, research and conservation.

36 | The Bermudian

www.thebermudian.com

Wild Side by elizabeth jones • photographs by scott tucker

What

is the one attraction that all adults remember from their childhoods spent in Bermuda? It has to be the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo (BAMZ), most commonly referred to simply as “the Aquarium.”

Ever since its opening in 1926, generation after generation of children has visited this familiar landmark just over the bridge at Flatts Inlet and gazed in wonder at a whole myriad of creatures from all over the world.

In time, those children have also had children and, like their parents before them, have seen the Aquarium as a godsend for something interesting to do on rainy days, long summer vacations and afternoons after school. While ferrying their offspring around they greet some of the animals like longlost childhood friends—Crooked Nose, for example, is a 99-year-old Galapagos tortoise who has been with BAMZ since it began. And they will remember animal friends of their past, like the penguins and racoons. Archie, the seal, was a well-known character loved by many before he died at the age of 37. BAMZ, too, is generally the first place people think of for rescuing and rehabilitating hurt birds, turtles or other animals they have found while swimming or walking.

But how many visitors realise that BAMZ, small as it is within its seven-acre property, is an important centre for research, education and conservation projects? Or that it has connections with zoos, aquaria and related organisations in

www.thebermudian.com

North America and Europe and has, since 1994, been consistently accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA)? That accreditation and those connections are crucial because important though BAMZ has always been as a key Bermudian attraction for both locals and tourists, it would be a serious mistake to see that role as its sole function.

Staff working for BAMZ and its support charity the Bermuda Zoological Society all passionately believe there has to be a greater reason for keeping animals in captivity than merely providing entertainment. “Do I believe animals should be kept in captivity?” principal curator and veterinarian Dr. Ian Walker asks rhetorically. “The answer for me would be ‘no’ unless there’s a very, very strong reason for it. Unless you have an education component. That’s the justification. There’s a need to get children and adults understanding and appreciating nature so that they will conserve it. If you don’t appreciate nature, why would you conserve it?”

SPRING 2014 | 37

Principal curator and veterinarian, Dr. Ian Walker, with a lemur friend in the Madagascar exhibit.

in this regard,

BAMZ’s and the Bermuda Zoological Society’s shared mission statement makes perfect sense: “to inspire appreciation and care of island environments” through its animal exhibits, its education and research programmes and through conservation projects.

How does such a small facility carry out this mission? “We are the best example of a public/private partnership,” Walker explains. Government (under the mandate of the Department of Conservation Services) owns all the buildings and the animals and provides the infrastructure. All three curators (Dr. Walker, Patrick Talbot, curator of the aquarium and zoo, and Dr. Struan (Robbie) Smith, curator of the natural history museum and head of education and research) are paid by government—as are the animal carers.

The Bermuda Zoological Society charity is responsible for education, volunteer programmes, membership and fund-raising for new additions to the facility. It’s the perfect working relationship—two bodies with dedicated staff and volunteers working towards the welfare of animals on the one hand and education, research and conservation on the other.

Visitors to the aquarium and zoo might not realise how much care, attention and thought are paid to the animals’ welfare. The Caribbean and Australasia exhibits, as well as the most recently introduced Madagascar 38 | The Bermudian

exhibit, give the animals a natural habitat quite unlike the barred cages we associate with zoos of the past. “The Madagascar facility was built to provide another interactive exhibition where there’s nothing between you and the animals. You’re at home with them, which is a much better way of seeing them,” says Walker. But it’s also a habitat that provides something for the animals.

The year it was introduced, 2011, was a busy time for importing new species to Bermuda. “All the animals in the zoo are brought in from other zoos,” explains Talbot, “and are carefully chosen for their health and safety.”

Another issue when choosing the animals, he says, “is getting the right mix of the cute and fuzzy with the cold and the reptile. We need the fuzzy to pull in the public.” But since an important goal is to conserve and protect endangered species—in this respect Walker sees the aquarium and zoo as an ark—the animals that don’t have general appeal are also imported. “No-one sees lizards, for example, as important for recovery. But we have a recovery plan for the practically extinct Bermuda skink lizard with Chester Zoo (UK) which specialises in animals threatened by loss of habitat and predators. We sent 12 lizards there—they will breed them so that perhaps we can reintroduce them.”

As animal registrar, Barbara Outerbridge is responsible for the complex administrative process of bringing animals in and sometimes

sending them out. “Our preferred sources are ideally zoos in gateway cities in the US,” she says, “because of shorter flights. But we also bring animals in from Canada.” In addition, they are looking to import from Europe and the UK to gain species unavailable in North America. Whatever the source, accreditation is vital. It’s far easier for American zoos, for example, to deal with zoos at home rather than with ones overseas, so BAMZ has to establish its credentials. “One of the first questions they ask is whether we have accreditation,” she explains. “Having accreditation is like having a reference letter which makes it easier for us to trade.” (Outerbridge has increased BAMZ’s credentials by becoming a member of the Zoological Registrars Association and subsequently the vice president of its board. And, as Talbot points out, this connection gives BAMZ kudos since the Association has few international members.)

Taking animals from other zoos avoids the ethical compromise of capturing them from the wild, but it also means that animal carers can be confident that the animals have had good care. In addition, they have as much background information about the animals as possible, such as their date of birth or hatching and detailed records of their health, movement, breeding and behaviour. Outerbridge, who first came to BAMZ as a volunteer aquarium records keeper, is in charge of this information as well as all BAMZ’s records, which begin the moment of the animals’ arrival in Bermuda. Animal carers and aquarists note down their observations about the creatures’ movements and about medical and territorial issues. The information is then recorded on Outerbridge’s data base, which is backed up on a computer in the National Aquarium of Baltimore. In addition, the data is shared with the International Species Information System (ISIS), a global custodian of information about animals. This information, both quantitative and qualitative, is very important, not least because if staff with specialist knowledge leave the facility, at least some of their knowledge will be retained.

When the animals arrive in Bermuda, www.thebermudian.com

Barbara Outerbridge, animal registrar, who overseas importation of animals, with Crooked Nose, a 99-year-old Galapagos tortoise.

Outerbridge, along with one or two zoo keepers, greets them at the airport. As the animals are uncrated at BAMZ, Walker checks them for stress. Then they are put into quarantine for 30 days under the watchful eye of Roma Hayward, who, as a licensed veterinarian technician, is quarantine officer.

After that, the arrivals are introduced to other animals in stages under careful observation. Some animals get used to each other through their olfactory sense first, and then with their visual sense.

What about the fish and ocean life in the aquarium? Unlike the zoo animals, the fish are 100 percent Bermudian. “We have a fish collector, Steven Davis,” Talbot explains.

“We give him a shopping list. But instead of going to Lindo’s he goes to the ocean!

One or two aquarists go with him. We have the advantage of being in the middle of the Atlantic—so we can use water fresh from the ocean. It’s pristine.”

Schools of fish caught for the aquarium also go through a 30-day quarantine for observation. “We treat them all as if they have parasites, moving the fish every five days from one tank to another. We dip them in fresh water for awhile—they can handle it, but the parasites

can’t.” The fish caught for the North Rock exhibit are also introduced to the other fish in stages to prevent predation as much as possible.

“We put them in a cage and then into the tank so they can get a look at their surroundings and know what predators are there.”

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generally, bamz’s

exhibits have very positive visitor reviews.

According to Walker, “One of the things they say is that the exhibits are of a good standard but not overwhelming. You can usually see what you want to come and see and can do it in a couple of hours.” In addition, BAMZ’s exhibits have been described by the AZA evaluators as following the best zoological practices. “All our animals are very well cared for,” he adds, mentioning that from time to time the quality of life of some of the animals is improved by putting them through enrichment programmes to keep them stretched and to prevent them from suffering boredom.

Certainly, it’s clear when talking to the staff and volunteers responsible for animal care that they feel a keen enthusiasm and responsibility for the welfare of the creatures on their watch. In fact, it was a love of animals that brought most BAMZ staff to the institution in the first place. As a teenager, Walker, for example, worked his way up through the Junior Volunteer programme and knew that he wanted to be a vet from an early age.

Likewise, Talbot has always loved animals and during his childhood took an aqua camp and was a frequent visitor. When he joined BAMZ straight from university as an aquarist 20 years ago, he first worked with the seals. “I’ve been here as long as our youngest seal, Pebbles. You try not to get attached but if anything were to happen to Pebbles…”

Preventative medicine is an important focus. Every year, for example, just about every animal, except some of the birds, receives a full physical examination under anaesthetic,

40 | The Bermudian

complete with blood tests, faeces-sample tests, X-rays and an ECG. Where are the physicals carried out? In the on-site veterinary hospital which Walker was responsible for developing and constructing when he was appointed principal curator of BAMZ in 2004. The hospital has a full surgical suite, a lab and, of course, quarantine rooms for sick animals and new arrivals. “We can handle just about every animal except the alligator,” Walker laughs.

While much of his work as principal curator is administrative, he is also in charge of the hospital. His veterinarian work, as he puts it, keeps him grounded.

Fish in the aquarium don’t have X-rays or blood tests, but they are regularly visually inspected for parasites, stress and disease. Like Walker, Talbot has mostly administrative

As already mentioned, conservation of endangered species is a critical goal. Talbot points out that population management and breeding management are therefore very important, especially as in smaller populations, such as those held by BAMZ, animals run the risk of mutations and recessive genes. Most endangered species are part of a managed breeding programme, the Species Survival Plan (SSP), which the AZA has introduced in cooperation with its accredited institutions to ensure a healthy, genetically diverse and demographically varied population. Zoos may draw on the AZA’s stud books for information about the pedigree, genetic and demographic history, of each individual in a population of species.

Sometimes it is necessary to prevent animals from breeding. For example, two tamarins now

“We reach out to about 6,000 children yearly. We have these marvellous collections.

What better place than here do we have to bring the principles of biology to life?” responsibilities. “But I try to walk around the aquarium and zoo. Observing the animals helps to keep my feet on the ground.” Occasionally, he treats fish when called upon to do so. Sometimes, he explains, a fish requires an anaesthetic—which surely must be nervewracking. “If a fish goes under in three minutes, you have three minutes to work on it out of the water.” On one occasion, he cut a parasite out of a fish in 30 seconds.

in the Caribbean exhibit are father and daughter, so the female has a contraceptive implant.

Walker is very proud of BAMZ’s excellent standards in terms of the exhibits and animal care, but he also sees the reach of the Bermuda Zoological Society’s educational programmes, as well as the volume of its research, as an integral part of their overall success. “I think for the amount of money and staff numbers we have, we do a tremendous job.” www.thebermudian.com

left:

Patrick Talbot, curator of the aquarium and zoo, has been with the Aquarium for 20 years, which is as long as their youngest seal, Pebbles. right:

Zoological Society’s full-time teacher, education officer Dr. Jamie Bacon, who also is principal investigator for the Bermuda Amphibian Project.

the bermuda Zoological Society has just one full-time teacher, education officer Dr. Jamie Bacon, and two part-time teachers, Dr. Alex Amat, in charge of youth programmes, and Dr. Muriel Wade-Smith, in charge of pre- and lowerprimary-school programmes. In addition, they have two volunteers. But they can also draw on local experts such as Dr. Wolfgang Sterrer, former curator of BAMZ, Andrew Dobson, president of the Bermuda Audubon Society, and Dr. David Wingate of cahow fame, as well as experts working with the Department of Conservation Services, such as Jeremy Madeiros, conservation officer, and Lisa Green, collections officer.

The education page on BAMZ website shows just how extensive the education programmes and events are, with something of interest for all ages and for every level of education—from preschool to post doctorate. Many parents in Bermuda are grateful for the winter and summer camps, perfect for students in the school holidays, for the “Wild Encounters,” which allow both children and adults the chance to have a closer interaction with nature, and for community events. But perhaps they don’t realise the support the Bermuda Zoological Society gives to teachers and students in the schools. As Bacon points out, “We try to satisfy teachers’ needs in a creative, hands-on way.” As a former Bermuda College lecturer, she has long been known for her ability to inspire her students with her knowledge of and passion for biology.

In her role as principal investigator for the Bermuda Amphibian Project, Bacon has given 200 talks about how toads on the island are being adversely affected by our environment, encouraging younger students to become “toad warriors.” Her team offers classes during the school year that complement the Cambridge curriculum now followed in Bermuda’s public schools. The field and www.thebermudian.com

marine trips they offer are very important for stimulating students and motivating them to become custodians of our natural heritage. “I am hugely proud of the diversity of classes we have for all of Bermuda’s schools,” Bacon says.

“We reach out to about 6,000 children yearly.

We have these marvellous collections. What better place than here do we have to bring the principles of biology to life?”

Walker agrees. “We’re unique because not many other institutions have an aquarium, zoo and natural history museum in one

place. Also Bermuda’s entire population of kids comes through our doors. How many other zoos have the pull to bring the vast majority of children through their programmes?

But that’s what we do.”

As Bacon puts it, BAMZ is “the little aquarium that could.”

In the meantime, Walker is looking, as always, to the future. As well as replacing the roof (badly damaged by termites), he’s planning more interactive exhibits and one day, he hopes, the penguins will be back.

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From a spectacular new office building on the waterfront in Hamilton to a vacation home in Tucker’s Town, this year’s winners run the gamut from classic Bermudian architecture to ultramodern high design.

THE JUDGES Reggie Fleming, sales representative, Coldwell Banker Bermuda Realty Geoff Parker, principal, Geoff Parker Architect Jonathan Gaugain, owner/operator, J.A.G. Construction Ltd. Jon Wilson Allen, principal, Wilson Allen Jonathan Castro, architectural intern, Cooper Gardner Owen Cann, owner, Canndu Restorations

www.thebermudian.com

Written by Laura Bell | Photography by Ann Spurling

SPRING 2014 | 43

The entrance lobby features some of the Green family’s spectacular artwork.

Style & Substance Hamilton’s newest office building is modern and efficient with a nod to traditional Bermudian architecture.

44 | The Bermudian

www.thebermudian.com

commercial

Winner Waterloo House

by BotelhoWood Photograph by Scott Tucker

architects

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SPRING 2014 | 45

Above: Bermudians familiar with the former Waterloo House guest house will be pleased to know that the much-loved poinciana tree that graced the patio by the harbour has been retained. “The poinciana tree is probably the only thing about the old property that still exists,” explained Kevin Horsfield of Horsfield Landscape & Design. “We managed to keep it alive and well during the construction phase. It seems to be loving life and I think it will be around for many years.”

Left: Vines—including allamanda, coral and honeysuckle—are beginning to fill in the green screen that will shade the stairwells. Below: The sculpture at the entrance of Waterloo House is titled ‘Points of View’ and was created by local artist Will Collieson.

G

eorge Bernard Shaw once said, “Progress is impossible without change.” The demolition of a charming old hotel and re-creation of Waterloo House as a Class A office building was a particularly controversial change in the landscape of western Hamilton. While many lament the loss of the historic hotel, progressives know that any investment of this magnitude in Bermuda’s business sector can only be seen as a welcome sign of optimism in the island’s future economic growth.

The architects responsible for the awardwinning design of the new Waterloo House— BotelhoWood Architects—set out, however, to create more than optimism with their 46 | The Bermudian

185,000-square-foot commercial/residential building for the Green family. “Our plan was to create a modern office building to meet all the needs of today while retaining many of the qualities of Bermudian architecture—and to take full advantage of the spectacular site,” said architect Michael Strohecker. With the aim of designing a building that makes the best use of the available landscape while simultaneously improving the aesthetics of Pitt’s Bay Road, BotelhoWood earned our judges’ highest— and only—praise in the commercial division.

“By the nature of the site and the curve of Pitt’s Bay Road the building was designed to step back along the street,” said Ted Wood, a partner at BotelhoWood. “This allows the building to unfold as you travel from or to Hamilton, and the courtyard with the sculp-

ture set into a water feature provides a very pleasing addition to this view of the building.”

Entitled Points of View, the 26-foot sculpture by local artist Will Collieson, highlights the entrance to the building with its glossy, white undulating forms representing billowing sails floating atop a serene infinity pool.

Custom-made using fibreglass and stainless www.thebermudian.com

The outdoor terrace for the residents

steel, it was designed to maintain a sense of lightness while being strong enough not to sail away in storms.

“A conscious decision was made to include the Pitt’s Bay sidewalk into the design with increased width and paving that flows into the building courtyard,” added Wood. “Street lights and mature palmetto palms add to the pedestrian experience.” This carefully considered design of the entrance perfectly reflects the elegant yet restrained style of the new Waterloo House.

With four generous floors of office space topped with two floors of luxury residences, and three half-levels of parking underground, the building is substantial in size but maintains that same sense of lightness reflected in the Collieson sculpture. A pitched roof, extensive balconies and full-height windows with shutters help to soften the exterior and recall traditional Bermudian architecture, albeit with more contemporary clean lines.

It is immediately apparent that neighbouring Overbay to the east was a design inspiration for the architectural firm.

“The owner of Waterloo House also owns Overbay, the building immediately to the east,” explained Wood. “During design we made a conscious effort to attempt to blend the two buildings. Both buildings share the same colour palette as well as similar details for the handrails with wood cap and the shut-

ters. In addition, during the construction of Waterloo House we renovated the Overbay site along Pitt’s Bay Road to help blend the two sites together as one.”

Their neighbours to the west were given equal consideration in the design. “As Waterloo Lane gives access to high-end commercial and retail activity at WaterFront, the service functions for Waterloo House are carefully concealed behind a sinuous Bermuda-stoneclad wall,” said Wood. “The entire west elevation of Waterloo House is modulated with balconies to ensure there is no connotation of being the ‘back’ of the building.”

Inside the impressive two-storey-tall lobby for the commercial offices, visitors are greeted with Indian quartzite floors, teak acoustical wall panels and marble wall tile—a subtle yet beautiful backdrop for the Green family’s spectacular modern art collection. Already leased to Arch Capital Group Ltd., Platinum Underwriters Bermuda Ltd., Endurance Specialty Holdings Ltd. and Contrarius Investment Management Bermuda Ltd., the 20,000-square-foot interior office spaces offer a clean, open-plan design maximising the spectacular views over Hamilton Harbour.

Employees can also enjoy the view alfresco around a paved courtyard area surrounding a preserved poinciana tree that was incorporated into the design and protected during the construction. The significance of the

tree—which was well known and appreciated by locals going back to the previous Waterloo Guest House—has been highlighted with seating and lighting which allow for casual get-togethers during the day or corporate cocktail parties at night. Restroom facilities and a catering kitchen—thoughtfully designed adjacent to the courtyard—facilitate more formal functions.

Even the building-code-required fire stairs were carefully finished with custom stainless steel handrails with wood accents and charcoal grey tiles. “In lieu of typical fire stair construction which usually consists of concrete stairs and painted steel handrails, the stairs were thought of as a finished portion of the building,” said Strohecker. “By placing the stairs on the building exterior it allowed the stairs to receive ample natural light which is filtered through the ‘green screens’ outside the glazed walls.”

The green screens are a type of vertical landscaping, a first of its kind in Bermuda according to Kevin Horsfield of Horsfield Landscape & Design Ltd. who planted a selection of vines including allamanda, coral vine and honeysuckle that will eventually grow up and down the trellis system and provide shade for the stairwells while reducing energy costs.

As is often the case with large office buildings, some of the most interesting design details are actually hidden from view—Waterloo House being no exception. A first of its

Waterloo House Contractors & Suppliers General Contractor D&J Construction Co. Ltd. | Mechanical Contractor BAC | Electrical Contractor P&M Electrical Engineer Woodbourne Associates | Quantity Surveyor Atlantic Building Consultants | Landscape Contractor Horsfield Landscape & Design Ltd. Roofing JW Gray & Co. | Cabling Switchworx | Audio Visual Precise Systems | Raised Access Flooring Kaissa Ltd. Flooring Eminence Contracting | Millwork Convoy Custom Interiors | Drywall Omega Contracting | EIFS Atlantic Construction Ltd. Elevator Bermuda Elevator Systems Ltd. | Tiling Surface Trends | Windows/Doors Island Glass | Shutters Bermuda Shutters Hardscaping Sousa’s Landscaping Management | Signage Signworx | Outdoor Furniture Island Trading Ltd.

48 | The Bermudian

www.thebermudian.com

kind on this scale for Bermuda, the office areas boast a unique under-floor air distribution system. Strohecker explained: “The underfloor air distribution system utilises floor panels raised 18 inches above the structural concrete floor slab to form a plenum through which conditioned air is distributed through the floor at low pressure. Air flows up through the floor via adjustable diffusers that can be located to give each occupant control over the amount of conditioned air around them. This system has many advantages over traditional HVAC system designs, such as estimated 20 percent saving on energy costs, highly flexible and reconfigurable layout, better acoustics and improved personal comfort with individual air volume control. Also, with the space provided by the use of the access panels it allows electrical and data cabling to be run under-floor in the plenum.”

Many other energy-efficient systems were included as part of the design. Interior lighting is automated, turning on and off based on occupancy and daylight levels. Balconies, particularly those on the south side, provide shade to reduce glare and solar heat gain, while insulation in the roof and exterior walls

as well as high-performance low-e glazing on the windows help to reduce cooling costs. In the residential section of the building, solar panels on the roof provide preheated water for each of the seven apartments.

The luxury apartments include five threebedroom units and two two-bedroom units ranging in size from 2,800 to over 4,200 square feet, including expansive balconies with impressive views overlooking the City of Hamilton, Hamilton Harbour and the Great Sound. Fetching rents from $14,000 to $20,000 per month, the high-tech and spectacularly appointed apartments are finished with Brazilian walnut floors, custom kitchen and bathroom millwork, granite kitchen countertops and porcelain tile in the bathrooms.

A gym, lounge and large outdoor terrace, complete with barbeque, were also included for the tenants’ personal use. For those who may own a boat, the adjacent marina was also renovated to accept new floating docks allowing for seven boat berths to be added.

When they purchased the site in 2009, the Green family “intended to create a Class A office building worthy of the special site and provide a building that compliments and adds

Live. Bold.

to the Hamilton area,” said Strohecker. And according to Wood, the owners are thus far very pleased with the success of the building.

“The Green family have been very supportive through all phases of the project and have been a pleasure to work with. In the course of construction they hosted worker appreciation parties to express their gratitude to the full team of consultants and contractors. They are very pleased with the completed building and encouraged that less than six months after completion of the building both the commercial and residential space is 100 percent leased.”

“While the overall success of the project can be credited to all of the contractors and suppliers, we would like to specifically recognise the general contractor, D&J Construction, and the main subcontractors, P&M Electric and Bermuda Air Conditioning, for helping create an on-time and on-budget project,” added Strohecker.

We give all the credit to BotelhoWood for designing a spectacular commercial project worthy of the top award in the commercial division, as well as a beautiful new addition to the Hamilton landscape.

KOHLER products in the Waterloo House apartments.

Where sleek design meets smart functionality. And when you purchase a KOHLER product from the BAC Group’s KOHLER Registered Showroom, we can guarantee you’ll get a quality product with quality customer service.

9 Mill Creek Road, Pembroke HM 05

www.thebermudian.com

•

292 0881

•

www.bac.bm

At the BAC Group Showroom

SPRING 2014 | 49

Fit for a QUEEN

Originally a fisherman’s cottage, charming Bees Nest is renovated to suit the owner’s relaxed lifestyle, boasting sweeping views and an open, spacious plan.

50 | The Bermudian

www.thebermudian.com

Residential

Winner Bees Nest

by Westport Architecture www.thebermudian.com

SPRING 2014 | 51

S

ometimes during the course of a project all the right people and ideas come together so perfectly that a kind of magic happens.

Such was the case for Bees Nest, a renovation project that left our judges “glittering with excitement.”

Upon retirement from her business, the Frog & Onion Pub in Dockyard, owner Carol West gave herself a present: an extensive renovation of her cottage overlooking Harrington Sound. Purchased in 1984, the old fisherman’s cottage had undergone some minor renovations in the past but the house no longer suited West and her flair for entertaining.

“During the design phase, Carol was very good at visualising and understanding the plans,” said Tripp West of Westport Architecture. “She has owned the house since the early ’80s and had done a number of improvements and renovations but basically she was working with old additions that were added on out of necessity and not very well thought out.

I gave her a proposal that recommended we ‘peel back the layers’ to the original fisherman’s cottage, which was the best part of the house architecturally. From this point, we designed and built a house that met her requirements

52 | The Bermudian

and was in keeping with the original building.

One can tell that it was added on to over a period of time but we respected the original structure.”

The team, which included talented contractors Travis and Frank Lewis of F. Lewis Maintenance, began by demolishing the two wings on either side of the cottage—the dark and dreary master bedroom wing and a Perspexroofed “sunroom” that functioned as part of the entrance and semi-outside living space, but constantly leaked.

“We demolished the walls down to the slab and rebuilt everything,” said Tripp West.

“It was too hard to line up bad existing roof lines that had been attempted unsuccessfully years before. I worked out these details with Travis Lewis and we both agreed that making the structure and design as simple as possible would result in the best space.”

Westport took this opportunity to completely integrate the indoor/outdoor space in the entrance into the main house while still giving it the light and airy feel of a sunroom.

“With a full Bermuda roof above the front door from the road and very tall and elegant collapsing doors leading out onto the terrace, the room now has a wonderful amount of

Outside the verandah is a checkerboard-patterned lawn with the greenest “grass” you’ve ever seen.

“We used SYNlawn artificial grass supplied by Waterwood. It’s an amazing product for properties that don’t have great access for landscaping equipment. It’s always green and lasts decades. Although this site has a lot of direct sunlight, we just felt from a maintenance position that using SYNlawn was better for this project,” explained Tripp West.

www.thebermudian.com

natural light and plenty of breeze blowing through,” Tripp said.

One enters Bees Nest directly from the roadside where only the roofline is visible. This rather unassuming entrance belies the spacious home below and the incredible views enjoyed from almost every room.

“I feel that a good piece of architecture is a house that looks small and modest from the exterior and when someone enters, they are surprised at the space they find,” he continued.

“There is an element of surprise at Bees Nest

and no one can tell from the road that this cottage has all of the interior space and sweeping views of the Sound. It’s about 2,000 square feet and feels much larger and more spacious than it actually is. This has all to do with the voluminous ceilings.”

Those voluminous ceilings have become synonymous with the architectural firm over the last few years, with many dubbing such a ceiling a “Westport ceiling.” Not necessarily a new design, but rather a different technique to enhance the volume of a Bermuda roof, Westport works with a steep roof pitch creating a wonderful space underneath and instead of covering this space with a traditional tray ceiling, they leave it open. Tripp explains: “We don’t have to hide a lot of mechanical in the ceilings so we have engineered the structure of

the roof to take the minimal number of collar ties (cross beams), which opens up the space inside. We plaster to the ridge board of the roof and for a room that’s just 14 feet wide, it is incredible how much larger it feels when it has this volume. One has to be careful though

Clockwise from top: The kitchen cabinets were custom built

by Travis Lewis of F. Lewis Maintenance. The master bedroom—which the owner called the black hole—is now light and airy thanks to it’s voluminous ceiling and large windows and doors leading to the verandah.

The galley kitchen is small by today’s standards but perfectly efficient for the owner who loves to entertain. The original living room is now connected seemlessly with the kitchen and new entrance.

Bees Nest contractors & Suppliers General Contractor F. Lewis Maintenance | Mechanical Contractor After Hours | Electrical Contractor Sam Nusum Landscape Contractor Westport and F. Lewis Maintenance | Roofing F. Lewis Maintenance | HVAC Air Pro | Audio Visual M&M Plumbing After Hours | Flooring Eminence Tile | Millwork (cabinetry and interior) F. Lewis Maintenance | Millwork (doors) Fine Woodworking Paint/Painting F. Lewis Maintenance | Appliances Bermuda Supply | Windows/Doors Baptiste/custom/Fine Woodworking Tiling/Countertops Aptech | Glass Island Glass | Security Systems Bermuda Security Group | Lighting ESC | Outdoor Furniture Island Trading Ltd. www.thebermudian.com

SPRING 2014 | 53

Before

Before

“BEES NEST”

Winner, Bermuda Building Design Awards 2014

Proud to be a part of this award-winning project

After

Maintenance • ContraCting Carpentry • landscaping P.O. Box FL 375, Flatts, FLBX flewismaintenance@logic.bm Office: 441.293.8182 Cell: 441.535.0558 Fax: 441.293.6680 54 | The Bermudian

because this space can be cluttered up with too many collar ties. We have designed these ceilings to carry the weight with the least amount of structure.”

A more modest version of the Westport ceiling was used in the master bedroom, which Carol once called the “black hole”—adding volume to the average-sized room, while double French doors serve to further open up the room to the views beyond.

“Looking at the floor plans, I wanted to keep the size of each room proportional,” Tripp said. “The main living room has a much taller ceiling but the space is comparable to the other rooms. Also, because we didn’t have hallways to connect the rooms, we have to cross one room to get to another. This is usually not a good design solution but in this case, the building being a small cottage, this works.

The openness and flow were very important to making this a successful renovation.”

Other elements of the renovation include the surprisingly small galley kitchen for an owner who loves to entertain. However, designed to be highly efficient and with a window into the main living space, the kitchen is just perfect for Carol. “The galley kitchen was not in the original plan but once Carol saw the house beginning to take shape, she decided it was time to address this,” said Tripp.

“We completely gutted the space and realised that there was a very bad moisture problem as it was under the road. Also, the shed roof of the kitchen was too low for most people so I decided to raise the roof up in the main working area of the kitchen (by the sink, range and serving area). We did not pitch a roof but rather created a parapet roof with a skylight.”

“For a small kitchen, the high ceiling in the work space makes it feel quite spacious. Travis custom built the cabinets and Aptech installed the countertop. It’s a great ‘working’ kitchen for entertaining. Guests can hang out in the main room but the chef can feel part of the group because of the large openings into the space.”

Creating living spaces on the exterior of the house was another important aspect of the renovation. A closed-in porch off the main cottage was opened back up into a traditional verandah at the suggestion of Westport and has since become Carol’s favourite spot. “I call it my grey room,” she said. It is a favourite of Tripp’s too. www.thebermudian.com

“My favourite space is probably the verandah because I know Carol loves it,” he said. “This was not accepted originally until I pointed out that the space was original and closed in years before. A verandah is the best part of a Bermuda house and unfortunately so many people close them in for extra space when, in fact, they don’t work well once they become interior. Furniture doesn’t fit and feels awkward. The proportions are wrong.

We opened up the space and extended it and although it’s not huge, it’s an intimate space that is the main focal point of that side of the house.”

The collaboration and complete trust between the owner, architects and contractors was equally impressive. At every opportunity they praised each other for their innovative solutions to the difficult challenges for a renovation on such a unique site.

“Travis and Frank Lewis were amazing on this project,” said Tripp. “Everywhere was a building site and we had so little room to work. Their team would demolish an old section of the house and drive the equipment and machinery into that space and set up shop. Once they built a building around it, they would back out and seal up. I remember Travis created a window that isn’t there today for everyone to enter the house from the road.

That was just created for access and once he backed out of the site, it was blocked up. Very smart, simple solutions that made the project run flawlessly.”

Equally impressive was the time line: the entire renovation was completed inside of six months. Of course, having the perfect client helps. “The client was amazing. She trusted us to do our job,” said Tripp. “Carol was quick to make quick and good decisions and the relationship between the architect, client and contractor was excellent. Such a pleasure to work on this project and it will go down as one of our favourites.”

It was certainly our judges’ favourite, too.

“Bees Nest nailed it with the spatial relationships where everything flowed together and everything was in the right place,” commented one of our judges. “Space planning is always underappreciated because when it is done right you don’t notice it except that everything feels comfortable. This is what put Bees Nest first over the line for me.”

AtlAntic Building consultAnts ltd. is proud to have assisted the owners with this outstanding development and would like to congratulate BotelhoWood on this award-winning and exceptional piece of architecture.

P.o. Box HM 1790, Hamilton HM HX www.thebermudian.com

441-292-1718

timberry.abc@logic.bm SPRING 2014 | 55

Residential

Runner-Up

Spindrift

by CTX Ltd.

Spectacular Vernacular Using traditional Bermuda elements, a fabulous high design, multi-unit resort-style vacation home is born.

56 | The Bermudian

www.thebermudian.com

Left: Creating a harmonious relationship between the landscape and the buildings was one of the most important parts of the design of Spindrift. The “clubhouse�, as it has been dubbed, is the main living area for the property and features the kitchen, dining room, sitting room and extensive porch overlooking the south shore. Above, Top: The master bedroom suite has glass walls facing the ocean.

Above: Above the guest cottage is an open lookout area featuring spectacular 360-degree views.

www.thebermudian.com

SPRING 2014 | 57

O

ur judges declared it the “finest example of the successful merging of the Bermuda vernacular with international high design.” Spindrift, a spectacular vacation home set deep within Tucker’s Town, features all the island motifs you would expect—chimneys, buttresses, a revealed wall plate at the junction of the roof and wall, eyebrows on the gables, cement wash finishes—and all the ultramodern interiors you wouldn’t.

Achieving the striking contrast between the traditional exterior and the starkly modern interior was no easy task for Jacob Hocking of CTX, who admits this is the most complicated project he has worked on to date—a project spanning three years from initial design to completion.

The owner, who generally resides in New York, had a unique vision for the project: instead of one large house in the middle of the property, he wanted five separate cottages—each with a distinct function and all with a specific relation to the surrounding landscape and view.

“The owner has a keen interest in architecture and was very focused on making sure that the cottages were part of the landscape, that they both worked together,” said Hocking. “He did not want to build one large house in the centre of the lot—he wanted buildings that engaged with various natural features on the site.”

“The owner had spent time at Coral Beach in the past and liked the way the roofs of the different cottages framed the views to the ocean.

The design started from there.”

With Coral Beach in mind, the team designed separate buildings for the living spaces, bedrooms and guest cottage, all interconnected by graceful paths through the undulating landscape. The main living area, nicknamed the clubhouse, is accessed through a trellised pathway from the entrance. “Various early developments of the project had covered connections between the cottages,” explained Hocking. “As the project evolved these were removed but we retained the main entrance trellis as an interesting way to first experience the property. The vine is to grow and 58 | The Bermudian

Top: The second bedroom suite and guest cottage are linked with trellises that will soon be covered with vines. Middle: The “clubhouse” features a 35-foot wall of glass that disappears into the floor.

Bottom: A long dining table fills the expansive space. www.thebermudian.com

Above: The master bathroom has both an inside and outdoor shower area.

Right: The living area of the second bedroom features the raised glass wall which completely opens the room up to the south shore view beyond.

cover the trellis creating a tunnel to the clubhouse door. From there the property explodes into expansive views of the south shore.”

Encompassing the kitchen, main dining room and a sitting area with two glass walls, the clubhouse faces west and features one showstopper of a wall designed to appreciate that view—35 feet of glass that disappears into the floor when open to the expansive porch area outside.

“The owners built the house to entertain friends and family, and when they are at the property, the clubhouse was designed as the space that everyone gravitates towards during the day,” said Hocking. “Because the entire wall of 35 feet disappears into the ground, this room becomes an extension of the porch and connects to the garden and the surrounding cottages.”

“The owner wanted the different parts of the house to have a strong connection to the landscape. We wanted a seamless transition from interior to exterior space and we looked at many different door options that would provide large enough openings to create the connection we were seeking. Glass walls that disappear into the floor were initially introduced jokingly, but the idea had merits.

We found a company—Hirt who worked through Tischler—that had made something similar before and worked with them to completely develop the system that is installed at Spindrift.”

Following the path down towards the shoreline one finds the master suite. With walls of glass facing south, the suite features a sparsely decorated master bedroom, sitting area and small kitchenette, along with an indoor and outdoor bath area. With its white, cream and www.thebermudian.com

441.232.6038

ctx@logic.bm

Building Design | Interior Design | Landscape Design | Planning | Project Management

Spindrift

Waterloo House

We are pleased to be on the Green Team for these award-winning projects.

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SPRING 2014 | 59

light wood colour palette, the suite’s subtle textures and natural materials allow the exterior landscape and views to be the focal point of each room. “The master bedroom looks down into a natural gorge on the ocean side,” said Hocking. “It was the natural features of the coastline that attracted the owners to the property to begin with.”

On the northern side of the sitting room is a Zen garden with a trickling water feature.

The walls are designed to open on either side to take advantage of, or shelter from, the prevailing winds, as desired.

Further up the hill are the guest cottage and the second bedroom suite, connected by a trellised outdoor sitting area and fire pit.

Above the guest cottage is a covered roof deck with enviable 360-degree views of Castle Harbour and the south shore. Overlooking the landscape and pitched roofs of the master bedroom and through to the ocean beyond, the second bedroom suite features a bedroom and sitting room with smaller versions of the same raised glass “walls” as the clubhouse, as well as a generous bathroom discreetly hidden in the middle.

The fifth cottage on the property belongs to the caretaker and was designed to be the first stop for unexpected visitors to the property.

“Part of the programme requirement was

that the caretaker’s house be positioned to conveniently deal with the day-to-day running of the property,” said Hocking. “Its location and surrounding dense planting also form a natural threshold into the rest of the property.

If you are an expected guest you likely know where to go. If not, you are drawn towards the caretaker’s cottage which affords additional privacy for the owner.”

While the property is vast and the cottages are numerous, the scale of the entire development is not what you would expect to find in the famous neighbourhood in which the house is located. “We started the project with the goal of keeping the buildings to a more modest scale and proportion than is typical for Tucker’s Town,” Hocking said. “We wanted the form to be that of a more traditional Bermudian house which meant that the eve needed to be low and to mimic that built on a wooden wall plate.” But of course, this brought on several challenges—a major one of which was solved with the use of stainless steel. “One of the openings is nearly 50 feet and we could not span that with lumber so we used marine grade stainless steel because of the exposed location. The slender stainless steel deflected too much and did not meet the tolerances required for the raising windows, so we worked with Entech and devised some

The sitting room in the clubhouse features three glass walls.

Spindrift contractors & suppliers Project Manager Bermuda Project Managers | Contractor Greymane Mechanical Engineer BAC | Electrical Engineer Jim Jackson | Structural Engineer Entech Landscape Consultant Wirtz International | Landscaping Landscape Consultants Ltd. Electrical Contractor Universal Electric | Masonry Contractor SJ Construction Glass Glasstec | Paint Pinnacle Painting | Appliances Joshua Bate | Tiling Eminence Landscape Contractor Horsfield Landscape & Design Ltd.

60 | The Bermudian

quite complicated concrete structures to reduce the spans and stiffen the beam.

Eventually stainless steel became a logical theme throughout the structural elements on the cottages and we used it in place of wood for all exposed beams and columns.”

Spindrift’s landscaping was as carefully designed as the cottages themselves. “Wirtz International was the landscape consultant on the project and they worked with us to create the relationship between the landscape and the buildings,” explained Hocking. “They developed the initial landscape scheme and then Bob Duffy (of Landscape Consultants Ltd.) used his local knowledge to determine what plants would survive on the exposed site and coordinated their installation.”

Hocking also cited other contractors for their exceptional work on this award-winning project. “Some of the things that were going on behind the scenes are not typical of residential design in Bermuda,” he said. “Steven Whitecross was the drafting technician on the project and he played a critical role in ensuring that all of the different elements would work when they came together. Some of the biggest challenges came with the design of the raising windows, to achieve the hurricane and impact standard that the owner was adamant should be met. We worked with Bermuda Project Managers Ltd. (BPML) and Tischler and Son, the window supplier, to develop a unique product for this project. BPML played a critical role in both project development and management during the construction process.

The project would not have achieved its level of perfection without their input. Similarly, Greymane Construction put together a skilled team of subcontractors and executed the project to the highest standards.”

Personally, Hocking is proud of some of the smaller items he designed for the project—including the concealed security lights in the mouldings on the chimneys and self-latching doorstops that release when pressed with your foot.

Our judges were most impressed with his incredible detailing throughout the project, such as the perfectly aligned tiles in the clubhouse. “It was important that all of the tile joints aligned perfectly in all directions, floors and walls, so each tile had to be individually cut,” explained Hocking. “In the clubhouse the floors are large stone slabs, each intentionally www.thebermudian.com

The intricate pathways were designed by Wirtz International and created by Horsfield Landscaping. Using an old-fashioned European method, they painstakingly laid down a total of 375,000 hand-cut, two-inch Kandala limestone pavers from India to give an oldworld cobbling look with a local twist.

randomly sized to create a pattern. The tilers at Eminence did an excellent job here.”

The excellence all around was appreciated by our judging team. One judge noted that “high design was followed through to the nth degree on absolutely everything,” and another commented, “In terms of technical excellence, the detailing is exceptional.”

A project like this is a dream job for any firm, and certainly a substantial feather in the proverbial cap for CTX.

www.thebermudian.com

SPRING 2014 | 61

Residential Honourable Mention

Rosemont

by Benevides & Associates

Everything Old & New A grand old Paget house is updated.

62 | The Bermudian

www.thebermudian.com

T

he thing about 200-yearold houses is that, while beautiful and naturally very charming, the actual living spaces rarely function well by today’s standards. Maintaining classic Bermuda architectural styles and seamlessly integrating contemporary features that end up looking as www.thebermudian.com

Left: Benevides and Associates added on a beautiful new portico and charming path vastly improving the entrance to the house.

Right: The spectacular back verandah features large rafters and old-world lookng brick floors to give the new additon a feeling as if it had been there since the house was built around 1801.

if they were designed that way from the beginning has become a trademark of Benevides and Associates—and Rosemont is a perfect example of their award-winning expertise.

With the oldest part of the property dating back to around 1801, Rosemont was a grand old house desperately in need of some updating. Having engaged Benevides and Associates for previous renovations, the owners turned

to architect Georgia Benevides to rework the bedroom wing and den, update the master bath, add a wine cellar, redo the pool deck, create a new entrance into the house and add on a substantial verandah in the back. While not a huge renovation overall, the exquisite detailing and seamless integration of the new with the old earned Benevides kudos with our judges.

SPRING 2014 | 63

Rosemont Contractors & Suppliers General Contractor Stonewood | Engineer Pereira Engineering | HVAC AirPro Windows & Doors E&G Craft Shop | Pool Deck, Wood Floors & Bricks Bermuda Brickyard Wine Racks Wine Innovations

Left: The architect converted an old water tank and crawl space into a stunning new wine cellar to hold 3,000 bottles. Right: The pool deck was updated to flow well with the new porch in the back of the house.

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64 | The Bermudian

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Above and right: The renovated guest room and bath.

“The craftsmanship on the porch is just beautiful,” observed one, while another commented, “Not one room feels ‘done’—they did a great job tying it seamlessly into the original home.”

Before the renovations, there was a small and rather unimpressive porch off the back of the kitchen that served as the main entrance for the house. Benevides replaced it with a larger portico and added a charming new path and gate. “The lattice porch is a variation on a Bermuda porch I came up with using a combination of a porch I saw in the southern United States and a typical Bermuda porch,” said Benevides. “I had the parts made in Canada with the company sending me several samples before the proportions were perfect.”

On the other side of the property, Benevides created a spectacular verandah which, while only a few months old, looks as if it has been there since the beginning. “I used larger timbers for the rafters and spaced them farther apart to give more of an older house feel,” said Benevides. The architect had E&G Craft Shop replicate existing doors and windows for the new openings to the verandah and used classic bricks from Bermuda Brickyard for the flooring. As the new verandah leads directly to the pool deck, the owners decided it needed an update, too.

“I had designed the pool and pool house quite a few years ago and the deck had not held up well,” said Benevides. “We redid the tile in the pool and the pool deck and replaced the fountains with larger ones. I was using the Mexican architect Luis Barragan as an influence here. www.thebermudian.com

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www.brickyard.bm SPRING 2014 | 65

The master bathroom

66 | The Bermudian

“Originally the pool house was the same colour as the house which I felt clashed with the columns under the pergola, which we had left natural grey, so the owners agreed to paint the whole pool house and walls to match these columns giving it the look of an even older part of the property. We also increased the size of the pool deck to make it flow well with the new porch.”

Just off the kitchen and accessed via a new spiral staircase, the architect created an impressive wine cellar for the client, who is something of a connoisseur. “I did a wine cel-

lar for him about 10 years ago and he wanted something larger to hold 3,000 bottles,” explained Benevides. “The new wine cellar was an old water tank and a crawl space where the stairs are. We formed a vaulted roof with plywood then placed the bricks on it and poured the concrete above that. We raised the shelves on a concrete base and put a drain in the floor in case any water got in. Wine Innovations provided the shelving, with a corner in the room for the owner’s homemade jams and jellies.”

From the wine cellar to the completely redone master bath, the renovations transform the house tremendously, yet they are almost impossible to detect. As one judge commented, “The project is exceptionally well crafted and cohesive—it all came together remarkably well.” And for a family that enjoys entertaining, Rosemont is now their ideal house.

“All in all I think the family of five, who entertain often, now use this space much more than before,” said Benevides. “It came out looking as if it had been there 200 years like the main house, and for that I’m very happy.”

www.thebermudian.com

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City Limits

Business News Around Town

Headline | Headline | Headline | Headline | Headline | Headline Membership Has Its Privileges, pg 70 | Island Trading @ Home, pg 71 | Bermuda Weather App, pg| 72 | Got Wings?, Pg 73

Tourism 2014 The BTA discusses two new divisions to tackle tourism in Bermuda

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here has been much buzz about the new Bermuda Tourism Authority (BTA), and the transition from a government department to a private enterprise has moved along swiftly. The Bermuda Tourism Authority Act 2013 has become law, BTA board members have been named and a new chief executive officer has been appointed.

The BTA is an independent, dynamic and collaborative organization, whose primary objectives are to grow tourism and jobs in Bermuda by developing creative and innovative ways to make Bermuda an attractive destination for visitors and tourism investors.

Two key components to help boost Bermuda tourism, as outlined in the National Tourism Plan, include bringing investment to

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the island for new development and improvement to the existing infrastructure, as well as offering experiences that make Bermuda a truly memorable destination. To address these crucial points, the BTA has created two new divisions—investment and product & experience development.

Investment Division To compete globally, Bermuda needs new hotels and new infrastructure, as well as improvements and updates to existing tourism facilities. It’s essential, therefore, that Bermuda has a dedicated team of professionals communicating the new vision of Bermuda to the global investment community, including international and private equity ventures, hospital-

ity funds and high net worth individuals.

The investment division is responsible for attracting investors by identifying and marketing feasible tourism investment opportunities.

To ensure maximum exposure of Bermuda’s investment opportunities and manage investor relations, the division will attend investor and tourism conferences to build on existing relationships, develop new ones and learn from the experiences of other countries.

This new division will serve as an “investment concierge” to foreign investors and assist them in navigating local investment regulations and identifying available government incentives. The goal is to make doing business in Bermuda seamless—welcoming investors as if they were royalty.

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City Limits Product & Experience Development Division Over the last couple of decades, the world has opened up for travellers, who now are able to choose from a myriad of destinations.

Bermuda must change with the times and raise its competitive edge by improving its tourism product to offer unique and memorable experiences for visitors.

The product & experience development division will assess Bermuda’s current inventory of offerings, compare them to what research has shown the target visitor is seeking in a destination and devise ways to fulfill these aspirations through the enhancement of Bermuda’s current offerings and the creation of new visitor experiences.

The division will develop core products, including cultural tourism, sports tourism and business tourism, along with complementary offerings focused on nautical tourism,

leisure and entertainment, cruise tourism and ecotourism, in order to strengthen tourism demand and reduce seasonality. In addition, the division will develop a quality management system, in which every interaction with visitors will be held to a certain standard, and will develop a tourism training plan to help Bermuda to improve its service levels. We know our target market will pay high prices, but only if they believe they are getting value.

Finally, the product & experience development division is tasked with assessing co-funding options, grants or new financial models to encourage Bermudian entrepreneurs to develop new products and experiences in Bermuda.

David Dodwell, chairman of BTA, offers this challenge: “The Bermuda Tourism Authority aims to enhance what Bermuda already has and to create new attractions and experiences for visitors, thereby providing jobs

and investment opportunities for Bermudians.

It will take a great deal of work and we need everyone to be involved. Team Bermuda…is everybody.”

What an exciting future Bermuda tourism has!

Beaches Resort & Spa and a 10 percent discount on the local room rate.

Finally, Port Royal members can now take advantage of reciprocal arrangements with Belmont Hills Golf Club in Bermuda and Lambton Golf & Country Club in Toronto, Canada.

Ranked among the world’s best public golf courses by Golf Digest and named Bermuda’s finest course by the New York Times, Port Royal is striving to provide a private club experience at Bermuda’s premier public facility. For more information, visit www.portroyalgolf.bm.

David Dodwell

MEMBERSHIP HAS ITS PRIVILEGES

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ig changes are happening at Port Royal Golf Course for club members.

Not only is there a new fleet of golf carts (and improved playing conditions as a result of the recently implemented 90-degree rule for golf-cart riders), but there’s also an enhanced social atmosphere with more than 25 complimentary member tournaments scheduled for the 2014-15 season.

The clubhouse is now home to Bella Vista Bar & Grill, which overlooks the golf course and the south shore, and features Mediterranean and local fusion dishes by renowned chef Livio Ferigo, a wine cellar and an expert “mixologist” behind the bar.

Along with an official club handicap and membership in the Bermuda Golf Association, Port Royal members receive free passes to the PGA Grand Slam of Golf, 2014. Port Royal members automatically receive affiliate membership at sister course, Ocean View, and enjoy 10 percent off in the golf shops at both courses, as well as a 10 percent discount at Bella Vista Bar & Grill, Bone Fish Bar & Grill and Cafe Amici Ristorante. In addition, Port Royal members receive access to Cambridge 70 | The Bermudian

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ISLAND TRADING @ HOME Island Trading may be best known for transforming outdoor spaces, but it is also turning its attention inwards with a new collection of hand-picked items for the home. Owners Gill and Laura Farge are excited about introducing their new range, which includes indoor furniture pieces, pillows and throws and even organic cotton bedding and bamboo robes.

“We are seeing a convergence in the indoor and outdoor furniture industries,” explains Laura Farge-Lowe, “More and more they are trading ideas and getting inspiration from each other; themes and colours flow from indoors to out. Our objective when we are buying is to choose items that will spark our customers’ imaginations about how to make their homes more beautiful.”

Gill continues, “We know how important it is for our customers to be able to feel the quality of the pieces they choose for their homes— which is why we offer one of the island’s largest inventories, as well as the opportunity to custom-order pieces both large and small.”

MJM AWARDED

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YOUR ROOM WITH A VIEW CableVision current subscribers now have the option to view Hamilton Harbour live on Channel 97 via a special camera installed on the rooftop of the 10-storey building at 141 Front Street. The camera shows Hamilton Harbour during the day and will feature music and a fireplace in the evening.

Bermuda real estate developer Sir John Swan says: “I am very pleased to partner with Bermuda CableVision on this initiative. Bermudian residents will now be able to watch the activity in the harbour on their home televisions—with the service eventually being provided on-line.”

ello, Jones & Martin was recently awarded “Best Corporate and Commercial Team, Bermuda 2013” by Capital Finance International (www.

CFI.co). MJM was chosen based on the firm’s high level of personal attention and ability to cover all aspects of client requirements, as determined by comments and endorsements from clients and lawyers in several jurisdictions.

Three MJM lawyers have been recognised by Chambers Global as “Leaders in their Field” for 2014. Alan Dunch and Andrew Martin were named for Dispute Resolution, and Andrew Martin Peter Martin for Corporate & Finance. Chambers Guides have been ranking the best lawyers and law firms since 1990, covering 185 jurisdictions around the world.

The International Financial Law Review’s “IFLR1000” (an annual guide to the world’s leading financial and corporate law firms) has ranked MJM as a “Leading Law Firm” for M&A and Capital Markets in Bermuda, and Peter Martin, as a “Leading Lawyer” for 2014.

In addition, the “IFLR1000” listed MJM as a 2014 “Recommended Firm.”

Director Andrew Martin says: “These latest awards reflect the diligence and dedication of a talented team. We are honoured to receive these accolades and look forward to further success in 2014.”

FAST FLOWERS DEMCO To Go is the only professionally designed “ready to purchase” flower shop in Bermuda, featuring beautiful floral creations, from “modest mums” to “opulent orchids,” in vases or bouquets. And the arrangements are already prepared and ready to go when you walk into the shop!

The atmosphere at DEMCO To Go is elegant, but relaxed. Rustic wood and rope www.thebermudian.com

accents combine with sleek glass—and a flat-screen monitor displaying the most beautiful blooms in the world—to create a decor that is as eclectic and exciting as the floral creations they showcase.

DEMCO To Go is located at 26 Church Street in the Pickle Barrel Building. Tel 441-293-3626, e-mail demco@northrock.bm, www.demco.bm

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City Limits BERMUDA WEATHER APP

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ermudian app developer David Zuill is releasing version 2.0 of his app Bermuda Radar this March. The app

uses weather data from the Bermuda Weather Service (BWS) to provide a quick and easy reference for weather information on your

iPhone. “Using the available information on the small screen of a smart phone can be a challenge,” said Zuill. “This app makes it very accessible wherever you have a data connection, and you can review the information even if you’re off-line. You can’t do that with the web browsers available for the iPhone.”

The new version of Bermuda Radar brings new features to the app including the muchrequested marine forecast, weather trend graphs and sun and moon information. The biggest improvement, though, is in the allnew interface. Thanks to input from many of Bermuda Radar’s users, the interface has been completely redesigned. The radar zooms in deeper, the forecasts are more accessible and the whole app has been upgraded to Apple’s new iOS 7 with a clean modern design. The app also takes advantage of the new background update feature in iOS 7, so even if you are not looking at the app it keeps track of the latest information.

The March release will bring Bermuda Radar 2.0 to users just in time for spring. Users of the current version will receive the new version as a free upgrade. Bermuda Radar is designed for Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch and will also run on the iPad. The app is optimised for iOS 7 and is backward compatible for devices running iOS 5.1.

BODY ART Body Canvas Tattoo Parlour was opened in March by Brazilian tattoo artist Vinicius (Vinny) Caldas and his Bermudian wife, Abbie Caldas. Body Canvas offers custom or “offthe-wall” tattoos in a range of styles for customers wishing to tell their stories on their skin.

Vinny brings 10 years of experience in London and Brazil to the new business, and already a loyal following of regulars demonstrates the quality of the work and the friendly service. In the first few months, the business has welcomed numerous clients, ranging in age from 18 to 70. “Previously,” Vinny and Abbie explain, “many people got work done off the island, and we hope to fill that market locally by providing Bermudians and visitors with a quality service they trust and enjoy.”

Vinny’s work encompasses everything from very simple to detailed and complex designs.

Customers can browse through the shop’s supply of images, art books and magazines, and Vinny is available to discuss the clients’ needs and help them choose the best style and placement. Body Canvas seeks to redefine and re-energize what it means to have one’s body as a canvas.

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GOT WINGS? While chicken wings are nothing new to the island they have been resurfacing in a new way at Dae & Night Catering. Dae & Night Catering is owned by 26-year- old, up-and-coming chef Dakia O’Brien. This Johnson & Wales graduate, formerly of Greg’s Steakhouse, Port O’Call and Taste 141, has developed a new concept called “Wild Wing Wednesdays” to showcase her special wings. According to O’Brien, “If you have not gotten these wings yet, I suggest you jump on the wing train—and get winged!”

Wild Wing Wednesday’s wings are

SUGAR SUGAR

available with eight different sauces: honey

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ugar Hill’z is a new home bakery in Somerset, specialising in desserts and pastries from Asia, the Caribbean—and Bermuda.

When Richard Gibbons, Jr., took his first bite of an Asian rice cake, also known as a Filipino puto, he fell in love with the dessert. As a result, he was eager to taste, and learn more about, the new foods being brought into the island. As Bermuda becomes more culturally diverse, he says, Bermudian cuisine is also changing: “New flavours are being introduced and Bermudians are really embracing these exotic new delights!”

Trained as an arboriculturalist, Gibbons’s love for sweets came at an early age, and he learned to bake from his aunts and his Nana, Mary. His favourite sweet as a child? “Chocolate chip cookies from my Nana,” Gibbons replies, “which means Sugar Hill’z cookies definitely take inspiration from my family’s cooking!”

Sugar Hill’z offers a variety of desserts and snacks, including Filipino putos, Thai coconut desserts, Jamaican festivals, traditional Bermudian gingerbread and Sugar Hill’z special fudge.

Most of Sugar Hill’z products are gluten free, with some desserts even vegan, egg and dairy free. Customers may place special orders 48 hours before pickup, Monday—Saturday, 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Visit Sugar Hill’z website www.SugarHillz.com for a list of their desserts and pastries.

BBQ, sweet & spicy, teriyaki, buffalo, lemon pepper, curry & mango, “special sauce” and Caribbean breeze—the current favourite.

Customers may pre-order on Tuesday, and delivery is available in the Hamilton/Pembroke area! Platters can be ordered any day with 24 hours’ notice.

WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER Melanie Fiander, of Fiander Foto, is now offering Bermuda a fresh new twist on wedding, engagement and event photography that meets both the “photojournalistic” and “traditional” styles.

Trained as a documentary photographer, Fiander bases her shooting philosophy around the “decisive moment” and strives to capture unique, honest moments with her camera. Fiander’s images have been published on blogs and in newspapers and magazines, including The Blue Room, On Tap Magazine www.thebermudian.com

and National Geographic’s Photo Contest.

Fiander is currently booking for the summer and fall seasons. Learn more about her work at www.fianderfoto.com or e-mail info@fianderfoto.com.

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Afternoon & Evening

Stephanie Richardson, Diane Skinner & Corrine Fiocca

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photography by Jill Rubinchak

Arliss Francis & Verna Dickinson

David Orbina, Andre, Deborah, Melissa & William Gillitt

Project 100’s Arabian Nights Ball The Project 100 held their Arabian Nights Ball at Fairmont Southampton Resort on November 23, 2013. The funds raised from the ball have gone towards purchasing their fourth home for the developmentally challenged. There were 260 people in attendance, of which 38 were special needs friends. It was a fun evening and they danced to the music of the David Skinner Band, “The Sultans of Swing”.

Norma Nottingham, Dame Jennifer Smith, Michael Scott & Paula Cox

Judy White & Sonia Clarke

Lynda Leader, Pauline Richards & Cathy Lord

Calais Lynch, Charlene Simons, Karon Wolffe & Shawn Griffin

Glenn Franklin, Belinda & John Tartaglia, Megan Franklin

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Mike & Donna Moniz, Don & Betty Moroz

Charles, Karen & Reg Rawlins

Jonathan & Nicole Carter, Melody & Ross Johnson

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DISCOVER THE UNIVERSAL FRAGRANCE

F R E SH,

C R I S P,

C I T RUS

BE AU T Y

Afternoon & Evening

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photography by Jill Rubinchak

Malcolm Sutherland, Stacey Dorush, Liz & Herbie Adderley

Evelyn Gregor & Ian Hind

Michael Hamilon, Clare & Vernon Pemberton

Sara Willats & Graham Kirk

Burns supper

Andrew & Heln Muir

Chris Chick, Lisa Mallon, David Mallon, Jennifer Hind, Allison Chick

Chris Carter, Emma Law & Ian Mummery

Vincent Roberts, James Thic & Tony Bean

The life and poetry of Scotland’s national bard, Robert Burns, was celebrated at the Caledonian Society of Bermuda’s Annual Burns Supper at Rosewood Tucker’s Point on Saturday, January 25th. In addition to the island’s Scottish community, including Governor George Fergusson, the many attendees of various nationalities enjoyed a delicious five-course dinner with entertaining toasts and speeches. Last year’s Burns Supper was filmed for a BBC documentary and was screened in the UK that same evening, giving great exposure to Bermuda.

Kris Dakin & Clifford Powell Mark & Pamela Lavery

Carol & Gordon Ness

Debbie & Jim Butterfield, Mike Charles

Jose Miranda, Tamika Williams & Lauren Haggans

Niklas Travis & Colin Campbell

Mayberline Black & Cal Steede

Bermuda Marathon Weekend Sponsors’ Cocktail Party The Bermuda Marathon Weekend Sponsors’ Cocktail Party was held at the Bacardi Headquarters on January 16 as a thank-you from the Bermuda National Athletic Association to the sponsors who support Bermuda Marathon Weekend. Bacardi generously hosted the event at their prestigious headquarters for the BNAA and the sponsors and guests met the elite international and local athletes who are invited to race. The evening was attended by the Deputy Governor Ginny Ferson together with Minister of Tourism, Shawn Crockwell, and Minister for Sports, Wayne Scott. The elite athletes were from countries such as Zambia, Kenya, USA, UK, Ukraine, Ethiopia and Bermuda.

Pat Morgan, Melanie Claude, Sheryl Richardson & Sarah Johnston

Catherine Sheridan & Mark Lavery Richard & Kathy Moseley

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Mel Ferson, Mark Lavery, Mike Charles & Ginny Ferson

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photography by Jill Rubinchak

Bernella Williams, Ann Smith Gordon, Amy Adderley & Dolly Pitcher

Governor & Mrs. Fergusson, Terry Roberson

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Afternoon & Evening

Pauline & Bob Richards

Kyrah Scraders & Jacquline Nathan

Leading Ladies Bermuda CableVision made 10 award presentations to a selection of ‘“Leading Ladies” who have made special contributions to the Bermuda community at its ninth annual Salute to Service Banquet held at The Fairmont Southampton on Saturday, January 11, 2014. Former premiers Dame Jennifer Smith, Dame Pamela Gordon and The Hon. Paula Cox were also honoured at the evening gala. In addition, Lady Jacqueline Swan, Lady Lully Gibbons, Lady Eileen Sharpe, Mrs Olga Scott, Mrs Christine Saul and Mrs Henton-Brown were recognised.

Lady Gibbons, Lady Swan, Lady Sharpe, Antoinette Cannonier, Olga Scott

Premier & Mrs. Cannonier

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Molly Burgess, Patricia Gordon-Pamplin & Dr. Eva Hodgson

Sir John & Lady Jacquline Swan

Paula Cox, Dame Jennifer Smith, Dame Pamela Gordon

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That’s Life! A Letter from London | written by Winifred blackmore

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remember the first time I ate a burger in Britain. It was the summer of ‘69.

America had just put a man on the moon, but in England, nobody had figured out how to put an edible beef patty on a bun.

We were on holiday and Mom and Dad took us to a Wimpy Bar—Britain’s answer to McDonald’s. The sort of answer that gets you a D and a “Must try harder” on your exam paper, as it turns out.

The day was cold and grey— and so was the burger.

For someone raised on the offerings of Manny’s, the Paraquet and The Spot, redolent with bacon, cheese and Vitamin G (as my Uncle Skip used to call grease), it was a cruel shock, and I believe tears were shed (possibly by my parents, who soon realised they were going to have to shell out for a second lunch, somewhere else).

I told my daughter the story recently, and she laughed. “I don’t think Wimpy even exists anymore,” she said, reassuringly. But a few minutes later she e-mailed back to report that, incredibly, the franchise was still clinging to life.

“Apparently their motto is ‘The home of fresh cooked, nutritional meals,’” she said, disapprovingly. Not the catchiest slogan, but still better than “Home of the grey burger.”

Wimpy Bar aside, I am pleased to report that fast food—for grown-ups—has finally come of age in this country.

Last autumn, George Osborne was photographed tucking into a cheeseburger while making last-minute adjustments to the Budget Statement.

It was a Byron’s burger from London’s “posh” burger joint, as the newspapers pointed out. (The fact that both the Chancellor and his burger were posh was just too delicious for Fleet Street’s finest to resist.)

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By “posh,” incidentally, they mean that Byron’s burgers are relatively expensive (ranging from £6.75 for a Classic to £9.25 for the house special), and Prince Harry ate there once.

In addition to being a bit pricey, Byron’s burgers are also a bit juicy, so respect to George for daring to tackle his over the Budget. (“Is that a £30 million cut to the Ministry of Defence? Or £3 million and a grease blob?”)

If you’re not as brave as George, you can eat in. The restaurants are licensed, which means you can wash your cheeseburger and iceberg wedge down with a glass of cabernet sauvignon or a frosty mug of craft beer.

And it’s not just burgers getting a makeover.

Wahaca is a lively new chain specialising in Mexican street food. The fare—tortillas, tacos, empanadas—is imaginative, delicious and, by London standards, dirt cheap. Like Byron’s, they don’t take reservations—which is hard for old people like me, who get cranky when forced to stand in a doorway and watch others eat. The good news is that you can wait in the bar and distract yourself with a margarita until

they buzz for you. By which time I’m usually buzzing, too.

Even the humble hot dog is having a moment, as my daughter might say.

A new place called Dirty Bones, clearly angling to be the Byron’s of the wiener world, has opened near my workplace.

They have a tiny menu—just six hot dogs—and a small but impressive bar list that includes a dirty martini made with “olive oil washed Tanqueray.” What kind of genius thinks of pairing a hot dog with a dirty martini? I don’t know, but I’d like to shake that person’s hand.

To celebrate their launch, Dirty Bones gave away 700 hot dogs in an hour—699 of them to journalists working in my building.

It’s a little-known fact that, for suspicious people, hacks will eat absolutely anything, provided it’s free. A hot dog from a place you’ve never heard of ? Bring it on. Two hundred yogurt pots left for six hours in a cardboard box at reception? Get the spoons! Experimental, peri-peri-chicken-flavoured potato chips from Nando’s? I’ll take six bags! Forget legislation—if anyone ever really wanted to muzzle the press, all they need do is leave a pile of toxic food on the doorstep. And wait.

My friend, who is the exception to this rule and vehemently opposed to street food in principle (she comes from Ghana where apparently they can be quite creative about what they are prepared to pop on a grill), was somehow persuaded to join the queue and brought a dog back for me to try. Notice: me. Not her.

When, after five minutes, I was still alive, she had a bite, too. Delicious, we both agreed.

What all this means is that, for the first time in living memory, dinner for two in London is affordable. And fun.

So now I’m wondering: what next? A place specialising in curried mussel pies and Dark ‘n Stormies? Now that’s an idea… www.thebermudian.com

illustration by dana cooper

Cheap Eats

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