PEMBROKE DUMP BURNS

March came in with a roar when the Pembroke dump caught fire. Around 30 fire fighters and ten vehicles were bought in to tackle the blaze that sent flames ninety feet into the air and smoke across the island. Senior citizens at the Pembroke Rest Home were evacuated.

Eventually, firefighters decided to just let the blaze burn itself out, and simply wetted the area down instead. The fire burned for at least a week, and at one point students at nearby Victor Scott Primary School had to be sent home because of the smoke. In May, it was revealed that two insurance claims from people affected by the fire were paid.

BERMUDA IN THE WORLD CUP

It may have been a crushing defeat in March, but cricket fans all over the Island made the most of Bermuda's moment of World Cup history. Venues were full of hope for the early stages of the match, as Bermuda took a handful of wickets and gave a respectable show against some of the most revered batsmen on the planet.

By the end of the afternoon, supporters were generally relieved the Island's bats recovered from a nightmare collapse to smash a few late order runs. Bermuda's supporters made their presence felt at the Queen's Park Oval in Trinidad, despite watching their team suffer a predictably crushing defeat.

After surrendering 321 runs in the field, Bermuda's batsmen were mowed down for paltry 78 runs in 24.4 overs. Still, this did little to dampen the spirits of the team's loyal following who cheered and applauded the fall of each Sri Lankan wicket and were delirious every time Bermuda's batsmen hit a boundary.

Bermuda's fairytale World Cup journey ended in the same way it began, with a crushing defeat. A seven-wicket reverse to Bangladesh in the their final group match at the Queen's Park Oval followed equally demoralizing losses to Sri Lanka and India. But on a day when persistent rain showers played a huge role in shaping the result, Bermuda made life difficult for the Asian Test team, drawing praise from both their opponents and their army of supporters.

THE FUTURE OF –CLUB MED STILL–IN QUESTION

In March, Club Med squatters said they would not move and urged Government to help them fix the area up instead. Around 40 people lived in the former hotel occupying studio, one and two bedroom apartments. There was a suggestion of moving them to the staff quarters of the old Wyndham Hotel, but this was postponed because the quarters were not up to fire code.

Another month passed, and, the squatters hadn't moved. By May they were finally gone, but hadn't moved to the Wyndham Hotel quarters. As the summer heated up, Golf legend Nick Faldo and luxury hotel chain St. Regis were represented during a reconnaissance of the former Club Med resort in St. George's by developers Bazarian International.

A high-powered delegation toured the site in the company of Tourism Board chairman E. Michael Jones, as behind-the-scenes negotiations continue towards sealing a re-development deal that was anticipated to bring a prestigious St. Regis hotel resort to the East End. Late in the year, Premier Dr. Ewart Brown announced that Government was in the final stages of negotiations for a new luxury hotel to replace Club Med.

He said that plans to transform the old hotel were well on their way and that demolition work would begin before the end of the year. But the United Bermuda Party dismissed the announcement as "electioneering — pure and simple".

Shortly, before the election Premier Ewart Brown was staying tight-lipped over whether he was keeping earlier promises to begin construction work on a new hotel at Club Med before the end of 2007.

TAMERRY CASE

March 22: A couple convicted of killing their baby daughter had their names cleared by the Court of Appeal. Maatkari Tamerry, 39, and her husband Dr. Amenemhet Waset Amen-Ra Tamerry, 51, walked hand in hand to freedom after the appeal justices ruled they should not face a re-trial.

The couple was found guilty in 2004 of manslaughter, after prosecutors told a jury that ten-month-old A-Maya died of severe malnutrition and dehydration due to neglect at their hands. Mrs. Tamerry, from Somerset, had already completed a one-year prison sentence before her conviction was quashed. Her husband, a former dentist, was serving a five year sentence, but was immediately released from custody after the ruling.

RESIGNATION OF–WAYNE FURBERT

United Bermuda Party leader Wayne Furbert announced his resignation on March 30. In a tearful speech Mr. Furbert said he was disappointed by the situation but he urged his supporters not to be angry but instead to unite behind the party. And he said he would fight again in his Hamilton West seat at the next election.

Many party sources were correctly predicting deputy leader Michael Dunkley would run unopposed. At the beginning of April, Michael Dunkley was unveiled as the new leader of the United Bermuda Party.

He brought with him a new catch phrase 'The Milkman Delivers'. Mr. Dunkley was elected unopposed. Party finance spokesman Patricia Gordon-Pamplin became deputy opposition leader. During the December election Mr. Dunkley lost his seat.

Statistics

The costs of what Government described as an "ongoing" legal wrangle with Pro-Active Management, the contractor initially hired to build the new Berkeley Institute, hit $1.4 million.

$117 million was allocated to the Department of Education in the budget for the coming year for the Island's 38 public schools.

Just 34 percent of Bermudians had faith in the Bermuda Police Service.

Support for Bermuda's buoyant economy was at its highest point in more than two years. Nearly two thirds of people —- 65.6 percent — described the economy as either good or excellent in a Royal Gazette survey in March.

Another Royal Gazette opinion poll found that just one in five people backed Labour and Immigration Minister Derrick Burgess' claims that employees who spoke out against company policies should be fired. People were quizzed during the row over Dr. Catherine Wakely, who was forced to resign after publicly questioning the controversial closure of King Edward VII Memorial Hospital's Medical Clinic.