A special place

July 18, 2004

Dear Sir,

As a United States Air Force couple, we had the good fortune to be assigned to Kindley Air Force Base in 1954. We arrived on the Queen of Bermuda and departed three years later on the Ocean Monarch. My luck continued finding a wonderful Bermudian couple looking to rent out part of their home while their son attended college in Canada. My wife and I were married only a few months, so this was a delayed honeymoon. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the home for the first time. It was a gorgeous Bermudian home, on a bluff overlooking Harrington Sound, named ‘Harringcliff' owned by Brian and Eleanor Gibbons. They had a beautiful daughter named Faith and their son Richard was a college student. My wife and I were very young and were taken in as practically a member of their family.

I have wonderful memories of such things as sailboat races on the sound, Guy Fawkes Day at Deep Deane Manor, Shelly Bay Race Track, eating lobster at the St. David's Lighthouse Restaurant plus Tom Moore's Tavern, celebrating Christmas Bermudian style with cassava pie and Boxing Day. Upon Richard's return, we moved to a small cottage at the Coral Island Club, in the Flatts, owned by Mr. Barber. We struck up a friendship with Al and Clara Perry, who owned a gift Shop in the Flatts. Al's parents owned a grocery store and his father was a great butcher and fisherman.

Another Bermudian named Campbell worked for the Aquarium and also had a fishing boat, so I had the best of both worlds because I loved to fish and both men would occasionally take me fishing. The fishing off the North Rock, on the Shoals, was unbelievable in those days. I never saw such a variety and quantity of fish. How I would love to have some Bermudian grouper or fish chowder. I miss the sounds of Bermuda at night. I imagine there are a lot of changes there now after 50 years. Bermuda will always be like a second home to me.

In later years I was stationed at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, and was excited to find a Bermudian named Clarence Smith assigned to my squadron. We had fun reminiscing about Bermuda. My wife worked for the television Station WFLA, and the manager was David Faber. He had married into the Outerbridge family, so again I connected with someone from your special Island.

In closing, I want to say, “Thank you Bermuda for being such a special place, with special people, you will always be in my thoughts.”

PHILLIP WALLING

Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire

Deforestation dilemma

The following letter was sent to Environment Minister Neletha Butterfield and copied to The Royal Gazette:

July 14, 2004

Madame Minister:

First, I gave thanks and praise to the Father of Creation for his many blessings. And as well, I take time to ask for guidance with the words that come forth upon this page. In the wake of Hurricane Fabian, and the resultant decimation of a great many trees, I am reliably informed that Bermuda's fauna and forestry will need considerable time to rebalance itself. Resilient as it may be, we must appreciate that the land, a mere ten months ago, was wounded by the blow inflicted by Hurricane Fabian, and accordingly needs time to heal.

It therefore staggers me that this Government and its electorate, in light of these common-sense agricultural dictums, has continued to issue and sought permit after permit for the continued deforestation of our Island home, and, in some of the richest acreages left. Two cases of note are the recent decision reversals as concerns that Fritholme Garden Estate adjoining Elbow Beach and the Cherokee and Sunset Trusts application on the land opposite Spur Hill.

Madame Minister, I appreciate a bit of greenery. More accurately, I enjoy much more than a bit. In this regard, I cite the words of His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie of Ethiopia when he stressed that: “...The forest resources ... constitute one of the most important elements of the wealth of our land ... If trees are not presently planted to replace those being cut down from time to time, our constant efforts to conserve and develop the wealth of our country for the welfare of present and future generations will be rendered ineffective and futile ... It is essential that steps he taken here and now to stop this wastage and to check this destruction ...It is our wish and our desire that each and every citizen of our country follow the example set ... in planting this tree, and himself plant as many trees as he can, for his own benefit as well as for the benefit of future generations.” (From a speech delivered on Arbour Day July 19, 1958)

Relevantly, if some of us would take but a moment, we would witness first-hand the plethora of bird and reptilian species that seemly abound everywhere now.

And while it might seem idyllic that an Island paradise would be the repository for so many exotic and interesting species of bird and wildlife, we must consider the reality that the majority of these animals have quite literally been displaced from their natural habitat, and their recent visibility attest only to that truth.

Madame Minister, as a courtesy to the authority of your Departments I submit this letter, with the expectation that there will be consideration of an even further reversal of your recent decision, and hereafter a review of policies which promote afforestation rather than deforestation.

Even so, let the Father's will be done.

RAS-I-MAN

Warwick