More than 500 people recently joined in a fun-filled tribute to the Bermudiana Hotel when past employees, management, guests and friends gathered at its former sister hotel for a reunion.

The distinctive city property, built in 1959 to replace the original which had been virtually gutted in a fire the year before, has now razed to the ground to make way for the new ACE and EXEL office complex. The organising committee decided that the Belmont Hotel, where many employees found work after the Bermudiana's closure in 1989, would provide the best location. And so it proved.

"We were more than pleased,'' said Percy Paynter, spokesman for the 12-member organising committee. "The praise we received was almost overwhelming. People had such a great time and are now begging us to do it again!'' Noting that the oldest person to attend was 95-year old Mrs. Swan, who had worked in the housekeeping department and as a seamstress, Mr. Paynter said that people "of all ages and from all walks of life'' attended the event, many of them coming from abroad specially for the occasion.

Although Tourism Minister David Dodwell was unable to attend, he telephoned Mr. Paynter to express his disappointment that he would not be at "this joyous event.'' Opposition Tourism Minister David Allen was there, however, as was former president of the BIU Ottiwell Simmons, MP, along with Derrick Burgess and Molly Burgess.

Also enjoying themselves at the buffet dinner and dance were many former employees, including Toby Dillas, now Tourism's director of marketing, Edmund Tucker, managing director of Stonington Beach Hotel, and Michael Williams, managing director of Pink Beach. "We also received countless phone calls, faxes and letters from former staff members who, for various reasons, couldn't be there,'' said Mr. Paynter. "Lots of people people made speeches. We had a very good one from Elsbeth Gibson, who said she was thrilled to be part of the event and pointed out that she was already working at the Bermudiana before many of the attendees had been born.'' (Ms Gibson began her long Bermuda career as leading actress for the famed theatre company in the original Bermudiana Hotel and proceeded to stage revues and fashion shows when the new hotel opened.

Mr. Paynter and his committee are now hoping to form a permanent association and to keep the social momentum going with social evenings and, possibly, a cruise. "We had such a good night at the Belmont. I think we will probably aim to have another big dinner in dance in about three years. What we do want to do is to keep the sense of close contact between everyone who was associated with the hotel. It's now a part of our heritage.'' BERMUDIANA REUNION -- Former Bermudiana Hotel photographers Eddie Marshall (centre) and Gene Ray (pictured with his wife Candy) show off their commemorative Bermudiana T-shirts during the reunion dinner and dance.