RODERIC Scott Pearman of Spanish Point and his Trinidadian-born bride, the former Janice Julie Edwards, returned to their jobs this week following their celebrity-studded wedding and reception in Port of Spain, Trinidad and a honeymoon cruise to several Caribbean islands.

Scott is the Director of Human Resources of the Bermuda Hospitals Board as well as CEO of Hott 1075 Radio Station. Janice is the daughter of Mrs. Eula Edwards. She came to Bermuda nearly four years ago to be music teacher at Paget Primary and Heron Bay Primary.

One of the first things she did was to organise choirs in the schools and reintroduce Pan Music at Paget.

The 'upside-down' Hilton Hotel in the Trinidadian capital was abuzz with rounds of overlapping social events during that New Year's Eve weekend which attracted nearly a half-a-plane load of Bermudians to Trinidad for the wedding as well as for the fabulous 50th wedding anniversary celebrations of Gerald and Izola Harvey of Scaur Hill, Somerset. A report on that event will follow later.

Scott is the son of Shirley and Roderick Pearman. The latter was one of two Bermudians who topped the Queen's New Year Honours 2006 list, being awarded the OBE for his services as an educator and insurance company executive.

Among the wedding guests were Scott's godfather Ken Robinson, Sir Frank and Lady Blackburn from Barbados (the latter, former Senator Norma Astwood is the groom's godmother); his cousins from Martinique, Dianne and Oliver Moraeau and son Max; Dr. Victor Scott and wife Dr. Helen Scott from Washington; Dr. Leonard Astwood and wife Dr. Cindy Astwood, Asquith and Veronica Phillips, Judy Ratteray, Mary and Charlie Thompson.

Also attending from Bermuda were Malika Snaith Taylor and husband Ryan Taylor; Shane Kelly and wife; Dr. Gareth Titus; Wendell (Shine) Hayward; Delroy O'Brien, Orlando Taylor; family from St. Lucia, Dr. June Baynes Payne and son Justin. The latter is a LIAT pilot, who flew the groom's parents and some of the wedding party to Tobago.

Janice was given in marriage by her brother Lester Nicholas. There were 17 attendants in her bridal party, including the five flower girls and page boy. Only one bridesmaid was from Bermuda, Shelly Astwood.

The groom was attended by his brother Michael Pearman as best man, cousin Mike Andrews, Paul Astwood, Jamie Harvey and Michael Wellman.

The bride's gown was of white satin with re-embroidered lace, crystal beading with a scooped strapless neckline. The bodice was princess lined with a draped waist line; a full a-line skirt had a built-in semi-cathedral train. Her bouquet comprised white lilies, and white frangipani, held together with pastel ribbons matching the dresses of the maids.

Her maid of honour was Dianne McQueen of Rio Claro. The attendants' dresses were especially designed to reflect pastel Bermudian colours.

The marriage was in the Roman Catholic Church of The Assumption in Maraval. The celebrants were Fr. Roger Pascal and Fr. Garfield Rochard. Traditional Trinidadian marriage customs were maintained throughout the ceremony and afterwards, with some modification for incorporation of Bermudian traditions.

The Trinidad culture, for the entire bridal party to sit throughout the marriage, is different to Bermuda's where all stand around the altar. In this case Janice and Scott sat together with a couple of the attendants, while the others stood.

Soloist Shine Hayward provided the instrumental music for the entrance processional and for the recessional. As a special tribute to the bride, a choir rendered a steel band selection.

The church still had its Christmas decorations in place. They were enhanced for the ceremony by a seashell motif. The wedding party drove from the church to the Kapok Hotel in cars with ribbons flying Bermuda-style.

Two hundred invitations went out for the wedding. At the reception there was a blend of Trinidadian and Bermudian delicacies, including a la Herbie Bascome fish cakes, chowder and cassava pie. There was also Horton's rum cake and black rum from Bermuda.

Janice arranged a rehearsal dinner the evening before the Friday wedding, with a Parang Band, Los Almumnos de San Juan, providing the entertainment for the visitors; and there was a similar event at the Hilton, the night after the wedding, which was New Year's Eve.

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Businessman Keith pulls off a Masonic coup

KEITH DeSilva had every reason to smile broadly (see photo below). He had just been installed as Worshipful Master of one of the most prestigious Masonic lodges in the hemisphere, Atlantic Phoenix Lodge No. 224 on the Grand Registry of England. Its history dates back to the early 1800s.

Wor. Master Keith pulled off a sort of Masonic coup. It was anticipated he above many others would have a grand event. But the turnout of brethren exceeded all expectations, having what veteran old-timers in his lodge openly stated was the largest installation assemblage they could recall.

There were a total of 87 Past Masters alone, including the Provincial Grand and Grand Lodge officers from the three constitutions that make up the craft in Bermuda, Scottish, English and Irish. In all, 225 Masons packed the lodge.

Keith's initiation into Atlantic Phoenix was itself an historic event. It was in 1996 when dignitaries from the John J. Smith Lodge of the Most Wor. Prince Hall Grand Lodge made their first official visit to Bermuda in a salute to Atlantic Phoenix for the role the latter played in breaking the racial gridlock that existed between the powerful black Prince Hall lodges and the no less powerful white lodges under the United Grand Lodge of England.

Prince Hall was a self-educated Negro born in Barbados in 1738. As a free man he migrated to Boston where he gained prominence as one of the first great civil rights champions, with his strong denunciations of the African slave trade.

He fought in the American Revolutionary War, but his application to join a white American Masonic lodge was turned down because of his colour. On March 6, 1775 before the American Declaration of Independence, Prince Hall and 14 other black Americans were initiated as Freemasons in a British Army Lodge of Irish registry.

The British were forced to retreat from Boston, but not before Prince Hall was given a "permit" to meet as a Lodge. African Lodge No. 1 became the first for men of African descent, which ballooned into a Grand Lodge that was not recognised by the mainline white lodges.

In Masonic terms, the two distinct powers were definitely not in friendly communication for 211 years. It was not exactly a state of war existing between the two. It was, rather, a subtle love-hate conundrum that grew in intensity with each new generation of masons. Each side was steeped in rich tradition, and careful not to besmirch the honour and dignity of the other.

Almost like a bolt out of the blue, the black and white sides decided to bury the hatchet. The Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of England and the then reigning Prince Hall Grand Master Nicholas B. Locker met at a hotel in Boston.

Their diplomatic efforts to open the door for negotiation culminated in a resolution for recognition being approved by England on December 14, 1994. Within a year similar recognition was forthcoming from the no less powerful Grand Lodges of Scotland and Ireland.

But, and it's a big but, as we recorded in this Island Notebook column before, the first actual brother-to-brother, man-to-man, eyeball-to-eyeball contact occurred when well-known Bermudian Charles W. Kemp, Jr., in his capacity as the Grand Inspector of the English Group of Lodges in Bermuda, and a delegation of Bermudian Masons paid an official visit to John J. Smith Lodge No. 14 in Boston.

In return the Prince Hall Masons on April 2, 1996 paid a fraternal visit to Bermuda. On that occasion Keith O. DeSilva was initiated into Atlantic Phoenix.

Keith is a self-employed businessman. He and his wife Elaine for the past 21 years have operated a mobile fast food breakfast and lunch service known as Keith's Kitchen. It has been more recently stationed at the BAA Field. He routinely gets it rolling from his Smith's Parish home at five in the morning. Keith learned his craft as a chef at Ariel Sands and Pink Beach and perfected it while serving in the Bermuda Regiment, where he gained the rank of Colour Sergeant.

He seems to work best at the grass-roots level. From the time of his initiation a decade ago, he made a point of visiting every Masonic lodge in Bermuda, some on frequent occasions, cementing genuine friendships; and in addition he has frequently visited with other Bermudian brethren, Mt. Zion Lodge of the M.W. Prince Hall Grand Lodge in Boston.

At his installation banquet, he was toasted as "a good brother, who walked the walk". And he also knew and did exactly what was required of him to gain ascendancy in the Masonic pecking order.

The Installing Master at the meeting was Wor. Bro. Denis A. Brooks, SOGR. At the banquet the toast to the Three Grand Lodges was by Wor. Bro. Dudley R. Cottingham; to the Wor. Master, Wor. Bro. Michael E. Smith and to the other newly-installed officers, Wor. Bro Ian D. MacIntire, OGR.

I am constrained to mention here as being of historical importance that Keith succeeded as Master of the lodge Bro. Dueane S. Dill. A year ago Dueane had the distinction of being the first black Wor. Master in the two-centuries-plus history of Atlantic Phoenix.

Other officers installed at the meeting included the Master's two Wardens, Wor. Bro. David Ashurst, Senior; and Wor. Bro. Richard D. Kempe, Junior. Also Senior and Junior Deacons Bro. Benjamin Frith and Andrew Carne respectively.

The new Wor. Master did not cook for his own sumptuous four-course Installation dinner. He took the night off as far as that was concerned, and had it catered. However, Keith catered for the hearty after-dinner night cap for some 50 brethren who ventured to his club at the BBA to unwind immediately after the lodge closed.

Wor. Brother DeSilva is father to three daughters, Julie Evans, who is married and lives in Wisconsin; Sarah Jane, who is studying in Boston; and Robin, a student in Toronto.