Eight outstanding members from the community have been honoured in the Queen's 2008 New Year's Honours List, with former Commissioner of Prisons, Hubert Dean and philanthropist Cummings Zuill, topping the list.

Mr. Dean and Mr. Zuill have been each made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) stemming from their significant years of service in their respective fields. When Mr. Dean joined HM Prisons in 1974, he wanted to make a difference in the lives of people less fortunate than himself.

And over a 28-year span, he rose through the ranks to the role of Assistant Commissioner of Prisons before his retirement in 2002. When he was persuaded from retirement in 2004 to serve as Commissioner of Corrections for two years, Mr. Dean fulfilled a vital role in a difficult transitional phase within Corrections.

And he selflessly performed his duties in preparation for a substantive Commissioner's appointment. Mr. Dean is a father of two, is currently an assistant pastor at Rehoboth Church in Khyber Pass, in Warwick, where his wife of 34 years, Deborah, is a minister.

Equally, and at considerable personal sacrifice, Mr. Zuill has championed the development of the thriving philanthropic sector in Bermuda.

He has served as a Charity Commissioner for 22 years and through this he has helped to regularise the work of the Charities Commission by providing advice for amendments to relevant legislation.

"I'm humbled and pleased," Mr. Zuill reacted to news of his recognition last night, "I'm honoured and I feel that there are many others who do wonderful work in the community.

"So if I've been selected to be honoured, that's wonderful, but I really feel it is only because of others who've worked equally hard or harder for the community over the years.

"I agreed to accept this on their behalf – I like to think of it that way."

Mr. Zuill said he had been given the option to accept the recognition either in Bermuda or in the UK, but he's still undecided.

Most notably, Mr. Zuill founded the Centre on Philanthropy, secured its premises and set it on its operational model for success.

Currently, the organisation is chaired by Brian Duperreault.

In addition to assisting innumerable charities administratively, Mr. Zuill is a consistent donor and has personally advanced the causes of many entities locally.

He founded the Diversity Institute with a view of enabling a genuine reconciliation in Bermuda and globally. He is married to Katherine Zuill and resides in Warwick.

An educator for more than 37 years, Dr. Melvyn Bassett recently retired after 14 years as the Principal of Sandys Secondary Middle School.

He is still actively involved in a number of local and international committees and organisations including the Bermuda National Youth Jazz Ensemble and the Bermuda National Education Council (BNEC).

As a past president of the Association of School Principals and vice-chairman of the Bermuda Middle School Association, Dr. Bassett helped to raise the professional development levels of educators by organising numerous, professional development and leadership conferences.

He has served as a member of Bermuda's National Education Planning Team (EPT); Bermuda's Education Strategic Team (BEST); the Tumin Commission into Bermuda's criminal justice system; the Archibald Drug Commission; the Police Advisory Committee, Western Division Police Consultative Committee; ACE Foundation's Career Initiative Committee and the Steering Committee of the National Drug Commission.

He is a director of the International Learning Styles Network Board; a founding member of the Bermuda Affiliate of the National Alliance of Black School Educators headquartered in Washington, DC.

Dr. Bassett has also served as a member of the Advisory Board of the Bermuda College's Discovery Programme; the College's Strategic Direction Initiative; and he also coordinated Bermuda's first on-Island doctoral programme which was affiliated with St. John's University, New York.

He is a contributing editor of two recently published text books, written by Mr. Mychal Wynn, that have been adopted in some of Bermuda's schools titled, A Middle School Plan for Bermudian Students With College Bound Dreams and A Senior School Plan for Bermudian Students With college Bound Dreams.

Mr. Bassett is married with one adult daughter.

Warrant Officer, Class Two Walter Brangman EM is currently the Bermuda Regiment Support Company Sergeant Major – a position he has held since April 2005.

Prior to that, he was the Senior Non-Commissioned Officer of the Medic Section.

He is a valuable member of the Bermuda Regiment's training team to the Bermuda Cadet Corps and he has attended numerous Cadet annual camps.

He was promoted Warrant Officer Class Two on 18 November 1996.

He attained his third Bar to his Efficiency Medal in December 2004 and he is a holder of the Queen's Jubilee Medal.

Similarly, Mr. Shirley Hunt has dedicated his life to Bermuda's hotel industry.

With 50 years of service under his belt, he has one of the longest serving members of staff at the Elbow Beach Hotel where he is currently employed as a bell captain.

Before joining the Elbow Beach in the late 1950s as a night man and relief switchboard operator, he was employed at the Harmony Club.

He has been the bell captain since 1968. Mr. Hunt lives in Paget with Aloma, his wife of 36 years. The couple has three children.

Mrs. Valeria Burgess Tucker joined the Civil Service as an executive secretary in 1976 and after more than 30 years of service, she retired in August 2007.

Throughout her career as an administrative professional, Mrs. Burgess Tucker demonstrated a commitment to excellence, service and continuous professional development.

She was organised, self-motivated and deployed a firm, no-nonsense approach to great effect

She always displayed a keen interest to learn and upgrade her skills and as such, she served periods in that Attorney General's Chambers and the Department of Personnel Services before joining the Ministry of Finance as an Administrative Assistant – a post she held for 23 years.

Mrs. Burgess Tucker is also active in the community and has served on the Women's Committee of the BPSU and held executive committee posts at Elliott Primary School and Wolves Sports Club. In 2001, she won the government category as Administrative Professional of the Year, awarded by the Business and Professional Women's Association of Bermuda.

Mrs. Millicent Grace Louise Washington personified the essence of nursing through her caring and concern for others in a long and distinguished career as a nurse and midwife.

Her career began at the Cottage Hospital Nursing Home in Happy Valley in 1943 and throughout the years her example inspired and encouraged many other Bermudians to pursue nursing careers.

Mrs. Burgess Tucker earned her Nursing degree from the Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx, New York and worked as a midwife and private nurse for various Bermuda families and volunteered for the Red Cross Nursing Reserve and St. John Ambulance.

She also worked at the old Kindley Base Hospital and was an early member of the Bermuda Nurses Association.

In 1949 Mrs. Washington married the late Eugene Sinclair Washington and the union produced two children.

Although retired, Mrs. Washington continues to actively volunteer at various establishments including the National Office for Seniors and the Physically Challenged, Agape House, Mid Atlantic Wellness Institute, Red Cross, Caring Place, AA, the Dyslexic Association and she also assists in Bereavement Counselling.

She has travelled to Russia, India and in November 2007, to South Africa as a delegate and guest with the People to People Citizens' Ambassador Programme.

Volunteer for the deaf Virginia Wilson pioneered the establishment of signing for the hearing impaired, first at St. Paul AME Church and at other churches locally and overseas.