A former Member of Parliament wants to close the gap between Brazil and Bermuda by forming a new organisation.

George A. Scott, chief union organiser at the Bermuda Industrial Union (BIU) is starting 'Brazmuda' to promote Brazilian culture and provide support to Brazilian nationals living here.

One of the overall goals is to eventually use the group to set up an honorary Brazilian consul.

"We are going to send a letter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Brazil, Celso Amorim, to ask if this can be done," said Mr. Scott. "The Brazilian honorary consul will be just like other honorary consuls here.

"Hopefully, we will have a positive response."

He said there was never an honorary Brazilian consul here before, because there wasn't the corresponding association.

"Consuls bring together countries and get better relationships going," said Mr. Scott.

And he said the improved relationship could help Bermudians going in the opposite direction.

"Because Brazil has opened its market, I think there are 20 registered Bermudian companies setting up in Brazil," said Mr. Scott.

Mr. Scott has a special interest in Brazil, because he has roots there.

"My grandparents, Julio and Rita Reece Alban, landed here in 1928," said Mr. Scott. "He was from Brazil and she was from Dominica."

His grandfather was adopted and raised by a Dominican family, which is how he met Mr. Scott's grandmother.

"My grandfather worked at Belco and also on the Queen of Bermuda," said Mr. Scott.

"He left here back in the 1950s and pursued a career with a company that manufactured parts for ships." Mr. Scott lived for several years in the United States as a young person and saw his grandfather frequently.

"Every other Sunday he would pick me up and take me somewhere," said Mr. Scott.

Unfortunately, Mr. Scott's grandfather never talked much about Brazil.

"I wish I had had the opportunity to talk more about it when he was alive," said Mr. Scott. "I have met a lot of Brazilians while here. That is a piece of my past. I am going to take some time out to do some genealogy research. I would like to get the link to see what part of Brazil he came from. I do know he was a Brazilian Indian. You can see it in his photos."

He said you could also see it in the photos of his late mother, former Registrar General Valerie T. Scott.

"The parliamentary building on Reid Street is named after her," said Mr. Scott. "She had two sisters and one brother and she had nine children including myself."

Mr. Scott has visited Brazil several times to get a better feel for his past. "In the last 12 years I have tried to go to Brazil at least twice a year," said Mr. Scott. As a Member of Parliament, Mr. Scott befriended Brazilian Labour Minister Carlos Lupi. "Being involved in the union I have met the former Minister of Labour and also consultant to the president through a conference I went to last year," said Mr. Scott.

"In Brazil, they merged three trade unions. It was almost like a trade union consul."

Mr. Scott thought his grandfather may have been one of the first Brazilians in Bermuda; but in recent years the number of Brazilians on the Island has grown to more than 200.

"There have been attempts to start a group in the past by various Brazilians coming directly from Brazil, but nothing came of them," he said. "Since I have some experience in organising and there is space at the union, it is now coming to fruition."

Brazmuda will have a constitution and elected officers. While the group gets on its feet, there will be an interim committee.

"This will keep the culture alive for Brazilians coming here," said Mr. Scott.

"They do have cultural things just the way we have Gombeys here. They have Samba and a whole lot of food products that we don't have.

"For example, I didn't know that cashew nuts that are popular here, are actually the stems of a piece of fruit called a caju."

For more information about Brazmuda, contact Mr. Scott at 238-4447 or e-mail him at gascott1@gmail.com