Island set for Royal Visit
By Chris Spencer
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Royal preparation: Corporation of St. George's employee Linda Dickenson gives the case to the Royal Mace a good buff inside the Town Hall in preparation for the Royal Visit today.
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Photo: Glenn Tucker
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The Queen arrives today, and after much preparation St. George's is ready.
Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh are to visit the Island with British Foreign Secretary David Miliband, for a whirlwind three-day tour.
Governor Sir Richard and Lady Gozney and Premier Ewart Brown and his wife Wanda Henton Brown, will welcome the group at L.F. Wade International Airport at 3 p.m.
A motorcade will then take the Royal party into St. George's where they will be greeted by local dignitaries, youth organisations and students.
Plans there include a Royal salute from the Bermuda Regiment and a short walking tour of the Old Town.
Youth organisations and schools have been busy in anticipation, rehearsing, planning and making sure their uniforms are in order.
Among those present at Ordnance Island will be the Boy Scouts of Bermuda.
"The Cub Scouts, whose average age is about nine, will be in King's Square in their uniforms and I can tell you that they are very excited," said Scout commissioner Larry Burchall.
Jean Marck Comet, leader of the 22nd Scout troupe out of Dellwood School said: "We will be positioned along the barricade while the Queen walks to Ordnance Island. We will be wearing our British explorer shirts for the occasion."
Girl Guides, Brownies and Sea Cadets will also witness the historic visit.
St. George's Alderman Kenneth Bascome will walk alongside the Queen and introduce her to people of note. "It is a privilege and something that I will be able to share with my grandchildren for years to come," he said.
A specially designed route will allow students to catch a glimpse of the Royal couple as they travel.
Primary schools created Union Jack and Bermuda flags to wave specifically for the event.
Bermuda High School primary two teacher Melissa Field said: "We have been busy practising our Royal wave and making flags for Her Majesty and His Royal Highness.
"The girls all seem to be very excited. Some of them brought it up to me before I had even mentioned it.
"They said, 'do you know who is coming to Bermuda? The Queen!'."
Corporation of St. George's secretary Nancy Hooper said: "There is a tremendous amount of work that goes into something like this.
"We are under strict orders not to divulge the details but I can say that we have been working for weeks to get things organised."
Added St. George's Mayor Mariea Caisey: "We are all ready. We have completed all of our rehearsals with the Regiment and Corporation of St. George's. We are definitely ready."
Opposition Leader and St. George's MP Kim Swan said the Island should better celebrate its British heritage.
"In my respectful opinion we have downplayed our British heritage to the detriment of our tourism identity developed and established over many years which today would separate us from our competitors in tourism around the world," he said.
"It is incumbent on the Old Town of St. George to fight now to preserve our British heritage and all the traditions and ceremony that go along with it.
"Economically, the challenge that we have in St. George's with our commercial viability can be improved and sustained by doing more to celebrate all of the history we have inherited.
"We look forward to receiving Her Majesty the Queen in St. George's as it is allowing us to refocus on all that we have been blessed with in St. George it is up to us to demand that we celebrate it."
The motorcade will arrive in St. George's at approximately 3.15 p.m., after which it will head to Government House.
