dream that has today become an imposing reality.

Mrs. Berniece Cann, Mrs. Ida J. Smith, Miss Hellena Williams and Mrs. Isabell Ratteray were chatting away at Mrs. Ratteray's home when the concept of a home for the elderly came to them.

Filled with enthusiasm, they approached the trustees of St. Paul's AME Church on February 10, 1957 and, speaking on behalf of the Conference Branch Missionaries, told of their attempts to acquire property to run a seniors' home.

As luck would have it, the trustees had available a modest property on Union Street which had been bequeathed to them through the will of Matilda Iridel Smith Williams. It would, however, require a great deal of work to become suitable for the purpose envisaged.

The women gladly took the challenge, and, with a great deal of faith and under the able leadership of Dr. Thomas C. Stowe, their dream became reality on May 2, 1963 when the Matilda Smith Williams home opened to its first residents.

So successful was the home that by the early '70s the little cottage could no longer keep up with the residency demands, so in 1971 a Devonshire property, then known as Ashford, was acquired.

Nestled in a quiet garden off Kent Avenue, the larger premises, owned by St.

Paul's AME Church, provides accommodation and 24-hour care for 15 senior men and women under the supervision of a matron, a nurse's aide and other staff.

Additionally, thanks to the efforts of the Matilda Smith Williams Home Ladies' Auxiliary, which was formed in 1972 under the guidance of Mrs. Iris Mae DeShield, the deeds to an additional roadside property bordering the home were presented to the trustees of St. Paul's in 1977. The Auxiliary continues to raise funds for the Home's operation.

More fund-raising will take place Saturday night when the Home's executive committee holds a harambee (African celebration) at St. Paul's Centennial Hall to celebrate the Home's 30th anniversary.

"Harambee is an African word meaning `coming together' and `celebration','' the pastor of St. Paul's AME Church, Rev. Silvester Beaman, explained. "We thought that 30 years was reason to celebrate.'' As to why the celebration should take the form of a harambee, Rev. Beaman explained: "The African community worldwide, of which the blacks in Bermuda are part, is becoming aware of its heritage and its connection to Africa and Africans. With people of colour around the world, celebration plays a big role in the tradition of the culture. So the context of the harambee is again going back to the Afro-centric idea, and it is a time when people come together.'' Saturday's celebration will be "a formal affair'', Rev. Beaman said. "We are asking people to come dressed in traditional African or Caribbean dress, old time Bermuda dress, black tie or evening gowns.'' Participants will have much to look forward to, as the programme will include a steel band, a calypso singer, a dramatic reading and a skit on the home's history.

Also, there will be a sing-along of African folk songs and hymns in African dialect led by missionary Miss Winona Jennings.

"It is something new, something different,'' Rev. Beaman promised.

So, too, is the future of the Home.

Although the Devonshire property is owned by St. Paul's AME Church and was run by the Women's Missionary Society, responsibility has now been broadened to encompass all of the Island's AME churches.

"We are creating a new kind of structure whereby the entire AME church is represented in the development, administration and running of the Home,'' Rev.

Beaman explained. "Like the Salvation Army, which has its shelters, we see the Home as a ministry to the elderly of the AME church Island-wide.'' The new, broader-based board's task will be to shepherd through its revamped plans.

"The Home is being restructured and reorganised to eventually deal with rebuilding, but more immediately the administrative side will be strengthened to provide greater care for the residents. We are upgrading the quality of care by enhancing the nursing skills of our staff,'' Rev. Beaman confirmed.

Viewed overall, the pastor said the new executive committee aims "to create an environment when all 11 of the AME churches in Bermuda will play a greater role in the support and direction that the Home will be taking''.

Rev. Beaman said the church was enormously proud of the Home's 30-year history, and noted that it was due in no small part to the "stellar leadership of people like Dr. Stowe, Mrs. DeShield and Mr. Calvin Christopher''.

"And of course we do have to give a lot of the credit to the four founding women and the sensitivity of Miss Smith Williams in order to build on the very good foundation that the women laid.

"It is a beautiful home. We just have to make it more beautiful,'' he concluded.

Part of this goal will be achieved by placing greater emphasis on the "home from home'' image, the pastor noted.

"It is not a senior citizens' rest home, it is a residence,'' Rev. Beaman stressed. "We are trying to move away from the traditional image of a seniors' rest home. In fact, we are changing the name from Matilda Smith Williams Senior Citizens' Home to the Matilda Smith Williams Seniors' Residence. It gives a kinder flavour.'' Long-range plans include upgrading the groomed grounds, and connecting the now-separate male dormitory to the main building.

For information on Saturday's harambee event, see the Bermuda Calendar.

HOME FROM HOME -- Resident Mr. Allan Russell enjoys the flower-filled garden of the Matilda Smith Williams Home for seniors on Kent Avenue in Devonshire.