Few years have been as eventful as the one that ends today.

A close General Election, the overthrow of a Premier and the arrival of Hurricane Fabian in September all made for an extraordinarily eventful year locally ? and even took local minds off the astonishing international events of the last 12 months.

Even the days before Christmas were filled with controversy as the long festering dispute over the appointment of a new Chief Justice broke out into the public arena and made relations between the Government and Government House as sour as they have been in recent memory.

In time, 2003 may well be remembered for the extraordinary community spirit that arose in Fabian's aftermath, when public service workers, the Bermuda Regiment, utility workers and neighbours and friends came together to help those most hurt by the storm and to repair the damage it wrought.

But that will be contrasted with the divisions that arose throughout the year.

Divisions between ruling party Ministers and MPs. Divisions between the Cabinet Office and Government House. Divisions between workers and employers. Divisions between businesses and Government over work permits. Divisions and resentments between Bermudians and non-Bermudians are stoked by often misguided statements from both groups. And, under the surface, but always threatening to boil over, divisions over race.

At the same time, problems of concern to all Bermuda residents continue.

The shortage of affordable housing has forced families to live in cars or to squat.

Concern over crime, recidivism and the lack of rehabilitation continues to grow. And still Bermuda cannot seem to solve its ever-growing drugs problem.

Lack of confidence in public education continues, in spite of some improvement in standardised test scores.

Worries over health care grow, even as its cost rises. The elderly remain at risk as pensioners on low fixed incomes face greater expenses every day.

All of this makes for a challenging 2004.

When Alex Scot became Premier in the wake of Jennifer Smith's unceremonious ouster, he made it his mission to bring the community together. He has succeeded in restoring stability to Government, but the larger goal remains only partially fulfilled.

Yet it should still be an article of faith that if any community can overcome its problems and create a society at ease with itself where opportunity and security exist for all, it is Bermuda.

This is an Island that has always had to live by its wits and has had to overcome greater challenges than it faces now. It has done so in spite of internal differences and through a recognition that everyone who lives on this Island, black and white, rich and poor, young and old, rises and falls together.

Bermuda is too small, and Bermudians have too much in common, for it to be any other way.

For Bermuda to succeed, tolerance and a willingness to listen to opinions that differ from one's own are essential. Accepting that no one has a monopoly on good ideas is vital. And being willing to sit down and listen, rather than walk away is key.

If Bermuda can do that, in Parliament, in boardrooms and over bargaining tables, then the Island can move forward and solve the problems that it faces.