Closure is ?calamitous?

March 20, 2005

Dear Sir,

It is hard to imagine in the run-up to the acquisition last year of Smith?s by Trimingham?s that there weren?t more checks and balances in place; that there weren?t any merger gurus on board to pave the way to the expectant winning conclusion: A better (if not bigger) Trimingham?s. How can something this big fall so flat on its face so soon? We have now ?lost? two major department stores within a very short period of time and Cooper?s rebuilding is expected to render reduced retail space, not more.

I for one, will seriously miss the advantage of what a department store offers. This is calamitous! It?s all very well to say this opens the door to the ?small businessman? and/or the boutique owner. Let?s be realistic: A great deal of what Trimingham?s/Smith?s sold is not for boutique retailing. The other dimension is that a department store offers up choices in one establishment. In addition, this is an establishment dating back far into Bermuda?s history and it just should never have been allowed to fall apart in this way.

And to hear two of the Government?s Ministers render up arms-length, if you will rebuttals: One was heard to say that a neighbouring retailer is buying up another, as if the situation could be compared; and another reported as saying words to the effect that we can now move forward. Certainly not the supportive comments that we would expect to hear from a country?s leaders, but then with the foreign-owned HSBC now becoming the owners of this Front Street property and I believe I may be correct in stating HSBC was the institution offering their (merger) expertise in the Smith?s/Trimingham merger/buyout one can?t help but feel, there has to be something ?rotten in Denmark?!

Notwithstanding how it touches on the other recently announced debacle... the saga of Bermuda property ownership and the speculation as to whether HSBC will take retail space in the ?new building? that is to replace Trimingham?s. Well, they now own the building, so it would appear that obtaining Government approval is not likely to be an obstacle for this non-Bermudian property owner!

For the rest of us (dismayed and disgusted) Bermudian property owners who have to abide by the rules, perhaps it would have made more sense for the legislators to have at least considered something like leasehold sales whereby at the end of a given period whether it be a 99-year leasehold or a 999-year leasehold such an arrangement could see a property revert to its original Bermudian ownership?

It happens elsewhere in the world and to some extent in Bermuda: Southdown Farm in Southampton comes to mind, and there are likely others. Instead, our elected officials weigh in with a big swipe of the proverbial sledgehammer and the nut has been turned into paste! How unpalatable is that? Tragically,

A note of thanks

March 21, 2005

Dear Sir,

Thank you to all those who were so thoughtful, gracious and kind to stop and help two visiting strangers on the South Shore Road. On March 18, at about 4 p.m., my wife and I were travelling on the South Shore bus, returning from a visit to the Dockyard. Somewhere on the South Shore I started to become ill and exited the bus. Once off the bus I lost consciousness and fell to the ground.

While my wife was trying to revive me, a very nice young woman (I wish I knew her name) with several children stopped her car to give assistance and call 911. Shortly after several more nice people stopped to offer aid and comfort to my wife and I while we waited for the police and EMT?s to arrive. When something like this happens when in familiar surroundings it is unpleasant enough, but when it happens in a distant place, away from the normal support it is more severe.

Fortunately, we were in Bermuda where people care about others in a special way. We will always remember the kindness and generosity of those who helped us on that difficult day. Thank you again.