Dear Sir,

I’m writing to your column again after a long absence. Not because there’s nothing to write about. Always fodder to be found.

I would be wrong not to pick up my pen to mention a special day in time. That day was yesterday. I attended the funeral of a good friend of mine.

Howard Webster Peter Woolridge, now that’s a mouthful of names. All these years gone by I only knew him as Peter. What a special character he was.

Peter was one of nine children, also the youngest. Like his other brothers, he loved his place of birth, and wasn’t shy about telling people all the special reasons why. Especially our tourists. Like his older brothers, Stanley and Hadley, who both were spokesmen for our treasured pearl, Bermuda.

These true older Bermudians were the very reason our tourists returned each year. To see them and be among all of us, in and around Bermuda.

Peter had such a way with people — they could not help but smile with his laughable enthusiasm about all things related to life in general. Turning something that might be sad or boring and making everyone happy.

Somehow, we need to reinvent the wheel again. We must train our people involved in the tourist industry, and all related businesses, hotels, restaurants, retail, etc.

It’s a no-brainer. We are all born with that little extra something. Especially that wonderful Bermuda smile we all carry each day, going that extra mile for our tourists.

Which in a big way, affects all of us who live on the Pearl. Nothing compares to Bermuda. Hey I’m biased.

What beats me, we all do something special for our tourists all year round. We never think about it, we just do it. Our tourists are blown away with our kindness.

So, Bermuda let us all make the likes of Stanley, Hadley, Peter — also our voice of summer Jim Woolridge — be proud of all us, in this special year of the America’s Cup.

We have the chance to shine like the sun. Hopefully, we can show the world what a little big island we have. And the amazing life we all share in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. So, don’t just think about it. Let’s all do it!

Proud to be a Bermudian.

H. GORDY GIBBONS