One of the main priorities facing the new president of the Bermuda National Trust is to make Bermudians, especially young people, aware that the Trust belongs to them.

" It is their Trust! As part of that, I would like to see the National Trust become more user-friendly,'' says Hugh Davidson, who was elected to the top position at last month's Council meeting.

"One of my pet theories is for the development of a teaching facility for young people. I think we have to expose a greater number of people to traditional Bermuda -- its open spaces, agriculture, architecture, and our heritage and history in general.'' To illustrate his point, Mr. Davidson remarks that when he was at the Tucker House Museum in St. George's recently, a young Bermudian showed up and wanted to know if the tour of the historic old house was for tourists only.

"When I assured him it certainly was not, he took his mother through the house and, afterwards, put some money in the donation box. And last month, I was involved in a filming session at Verdmont and a young Bermudian man, about 25, who had been watching the proceedings, came up to me and said how much he had enjoyed it. Then he said, `I didn't know anything about all of this.' As I see it, it's the Trust's job to make sure that Bermudians do know all about it!'' Mr. Davidson, a founder member of the National Trust which was established in 1970, emphasises that there are many other important projects in which the organisation is currently involved. Through his own active involvement for the past six years, he admits that the work of the Museums Committee ranks high on the list.

"(Past-president) David White, did a wonderful job, chairing our capital campaign. This has been going on for about five years now, and although the campaigning is virtually complete, pledges are still coming in. This is a very major accomplishment, from my point of view, because it has enabled the Trust to undertake some of the things that desperately needed to be done.'' These have included major restorations of such buildings as Bridge House, Buckingham, Fanny Fox's cottage, as well as the Globe Hotel, all in St.

George's. Included in that, he says, was restoration of the Trust's art collection at Verdmont, with the Humann Foundation generously granting a specific gift for that project.

In the not-too-distant future, Mr. Davidson believes that tours of the Island's museums and nature reserves, as well as a greater understanding of the marine environment (especially the reef system) will form the core philosophy of long-term cultural tourism.

"This approach would give people far more to do. For instance, we would like to have a more organised approach to conducted tours through Spittal Pond and, one day, Paget Marsh. We do have a wonderful plan for a board-walk through the marsh -- but we need funding. They both contain plant life that is indigenous to Bermuda.

"We also envisage,'' he adds, "that the new National Trust Museum, housed in the old Globe Hotel in St. George's, and due to open next month, will be pivotal to this participatory concept. It will really become the flagship of the National Trust.'' He explains that the lower floor will be devoted to the Trust's history and achievements in such areas as the preservation of open spaces and museums.

"There will be a 12-minute video giving an interesting history of Bermuda and upstairs, we will have our `Rogues and Runners' exhibition, which traces Bermuda's role in the American Civil War. There will also be a museum shop.'' Perhaps the most challenging project for 1997, says Mr. Davidson, will be the restoration of, and finding a solution to the future of Springfield in Somerset.

"Although we have tenants there at the moment, we do need to find a meaningful use for this marvellous house and property. The ideal thing would be a visitors centre with a restaurant of some kind, and perhaps a gift shop, or some sort of complex that is visitor-related. So far, we have not been able to raise enough funding for this project, but when we do, we will try and get on-site events and input from the community on what the feeling is for its future use, and what could realistically be achieved there.

"Fortunately, Jay Bluck has just been appointed chairman of the Museums Committee, so the future of Springfield and the increased use of our other museums will be the main focus of his task.'' One of the aims is to have the Globe Hotel building open seven days a week, so that Bermudians can visit on weekends and, by 1997, to do the same with the Tucker House.

Mentioning that another urgent project is to finish the Green Garden (named for the late Mary-Jean Mitchell Green), so that the Trust can accommodate more people for receptions and other gatherings, Mr. Davidson reflects on the huge responsibilities that face the Trust today.

"They cover such a broad spectrum -- from military cemeteries, environmental issues, archaeological research, gardens and nature reserves.

"Another thing which I think people may not realise, is the number of books that we have always produced. Lefroy's Memorials and the Rich Papers, for instance, were brought out by the Trust and currently, of course, we are working on the parish architecture books. Another task is to re-publish `Bermuda's Delicate Balance'. This came out some years ago, and we are now trying to find an economical way of updating and issuing a new edition of this very important book.'' Mr. Davidson also feels that the Trust should address Bermuda's slave history.

"I have been talking about this for four or five years now. This is especially true of our museum at Verdmont, for example, as we know who the slaves were when Collector Smith and John Green lived there.'' He notes that the Trust has recently rented the Samaritans' Lodge in St.

George's to the Bermuda Heritage Association which was formed in 1994 to highlight the heritage and accomplishments of black Bermuda, with special focus on the `Friendly Societies'.

"We are very pleased that they are going to renovate and use this significant building for historical purposes. We are giving the Association our full support as we feel it will contribute to the overall interest of, and to the activities available in St. George's.'' Mr. Davidson says he is well aware that the National Trust has, over the years, attracted controversy.

"I do feel, though, that the overall organisation of the Trust has matured tremendously and is far better run these days. We have a wonderful committee of people who are very dedicated and knowledgeable in their own areas of expertise.

New Trust president From Page 23 "Henry Ming has been appointed Deputy President and Wayne Carey has joined the Council this year as chairman of the marine Environment Committee. David White was asked to stay on as an ex-officio member of the Council because of the valuable contribution he can make through his vast experience of Trust matters.'' Claiming the Trust now has a "much broader'' membership than ever before, Mr.

Davidson says it was "more or less inevitable'' that as the scope of the Trust grew, it would be drawn into controversy.

"In the days of the Historical Monuments Trust and the early days of the National Trust, both organisations were primarily involved with buildings, open space and preservation. Then, with the increasing rate of development through the 1970s and '80s, the Trust became actively involved in environmental issues. This,'' he emphasises, "was because we felt very strongly indeed that we should try to slow people down in this great rush to development, before an even greater quantity of unspoilt landscape disappeared forever under concrete! Once you become active in that field, of course, animosity is created. I believe that Bermuda has reached the stage of being over-developed -- and probably reached that stage some years ago. Had it not been for the National Trust, I think it may very well have been far worse than it is now! As it is, the Trust has to do its best to safeguard Bermuda's heritage, for all the generations to come.''