Honouring a quiet hero

September 24, 2005

Dear Sir,

On a recent vacation trip, I came across a business card I had left in a travel bag from our annual fall trip to St. George's Club in Bermuda. I paused to reminisce about the circumstances around which I had come into possession of the card. My wife and I, approaching the end of a wonderful week at the St. George's Club, were on the moped to "scout-around" and enjoy the Island's flora.

We often head to Clearwater Beach as it is relatively close by and generally, lightly frequented. As we approached the park, I noticed a small panel van was parked just off the road, with the slide door slightly ajar. I further observed a person picking up trash and debris with a plastic trash bag in hand.

Continuing to the beach, we stopped briefly but decided not to stay. As we left the park, I once again noticed the gentleman on his round, diligently working to improve the area. The van, with signage reading D.A. Enterprises, made me wonder if the clean up effort might be contracted to a private vendor. I approached to inquire.

The gentleman, David Adcock, a personable fellow, explained that he regularly attends to the clean-up effort, that it was not government related and that he was doing it on his own time as a break from his work; house painting and repairs. After a few pleasantries, we moved along; for us, more of the Island to see, for him probably another half hour of clean up before moving on.

The following day we returned to the Park, again encountering the van and the gentleman his plastic trash bag in hand. Pulling up along side we exchanged the typical Bermuda 'good-morning'. This time we felt like we knew one another.

We spent time talking about his clean up effort, fishing and stateside travel, leaving open to possibility of continuing our conversation on our return trip in October of 2005. We love Bermuda; we would love it more if it were conspicuously clean. Surely it will require more than David's single handed effort, but we know he's made a spirited start.

RONALD HENRI ALBERT, AIA

Architect

Haverhill, Massachusetts

Changing for the worse

September 26, 2005

Dear Sir,

My wife and I love Bermuda at least as it used to be and we have been visiting Bermuda regularly (bi-annually at least) since 1977. We just returned from a Celebrity Cruise which docked at St. George's and Hamilton and we also visited Somerset by your ferry system. I am appalled at what I saw and experienced this visit. Both Smith's and Trimingham's are closed and they were two very fine department stores that had a British flavour that greatly appealed to us and many other Americans.

We have many great American department stores which we can visit every day in the USA, but we looked forward to visiting Bermuda for a welcome change from our regular life in the USA. Your drugstores have also become far more American in products as well.

The appeal Bermuda formerly provided us has rapidly disappeared since our last visit in 2003. Unfortunately the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank (HSBC) has taken over the Bank of Bermuda and with the help of the current Bermuda Government both are rapidly destroying the Bermuda appeal which attracted so many of us Americans.

The remarks we read in your paper by former premier, Sir John Swan are right on target and Bermuda is rapidly deteriorating. If the people in Bermuda do not wake up immediately and remove the current inept PLP Government, Bermuda will soon slide into the Third World as Sir John stated.

Should Bermuda achieve total independence from Great Britain as currently proposed by the PLP leadership, there will be greatly reduced American tourism as there are far superior Caribbean tourism locations if the current British-type appeal is removed from Bermuda.

The majority of Bermuda residents do not qualify to be employed in the international businesses working in Bermuda and they depend upon tourism for their livelihoods. Should that Bermuda tourism business further decline a major depression will occur in Bermuda from which recovery will be very difficult.

I strongly urge The Royal Gazette to keep informing the citizens of Bermuda of the pending results of further planned decisions and actions by the current PLP leadership so that the required changes will be made to restore a proper tourism attitude in Bermuda.

One further point I would like to make is Bermuda needs to make major modifications to the infrastructure including businesses to better accommodate the handicapped as much of your island is totally unfriendly to people in wheelchairs.

ROBERT D. BEWICK, JR.

Dover, Delaware