On Monday, retired educator and community volunteer Frances Burch, MBE has been appointed Grand Marshall of the Heritage Day parade by the Department of Cultural Affairs, and will be waving to the crowds from a horse and carriage - an experience far removed from how May 24 was marked in her early years. Back then, Queen Victoria's birthday was also known as Empire Day, and Bermudians celebrated the official start of the swimming season with family picnics. Mrs. Burch shares some of those early memories with Lifestyle's Nancy Acton. She also recalls other aspects of Bermudian life in those gentler, less materialistic times, and expresses what she feels can be done to improve society

Preparing for the May 24 holiday began right after the Easter break, when schools reopened for the summer term.

"Immediately teachers began teaching the children patriotic songs and poems. `Rule Britannia' was one song particularly taught and lustily sung," Mrs. Burch says. "Then the jingle, `If we don't get a holiday we'll all run away' was sung repeatedly."

On May 22, two members of the Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire (IODE) organisation visited every school, dispensing information and literature about the Empire as well as a Union flag and/or an IODE button.

"We were told that the Empire was so vast that the sun never set on it because it had possessions in all five continents: Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and America," Mrs. Burch remembers. "Each child had to sit on a bench, or on the floor (very uncomfortable), which made us very restless. Occasionally we would snicker or giggle because the talk was so boring. If spied by the teacher we were punished. We had to wear all white on Empire Day.

"Then, as now, May 24 was the beginning of all summer activities, including cricket, croquet tennis, and of course the beach and swimming.

"There were picnics galore. Our parents and families began cooking and baking in their brick ovens days before the 24th. There was food like fricassee chicken, fried chicken, homemade rolls, gingerbread, cookies (not shortbread!) that were at times very hard.

"Fresh lemonade was made and put into bottles, and there was also homemade pulled candy, coconut cakes and chocolate fudge.

On the morning of May 24 there was great excitement as the great picnic baskets were filled with all the food and drink, as well as the china plates, cups and glasses, cutlery, utensils, and damask table cloths and napkins.

There were no disposables in those days!"

At the appointed time, the families set off on foot for the day's outing armed with their picnic baskets, homemade bathing sits, and towels.

"They walked to the nearest beach, or the closest spot to it, and everybody took to the sea. It was the beginning of the summer frolic," Mrs. Burch says.

Unlike weekdays, Sundays were very special. The Sabbath was a day of rest, and as such required advance preparation on Saturdays. This included household chores and sweeping the yard.

Sunday was a day of rest with Sunday school and church attendance being compulsory. When the children came home, they took off their Sunday best and donned play clothes instead. They were not, however, allowed to run around making any noise to disturb the neighbours.

There was always a roast for Sunday lunch, with everything being cooked in the brick oven. Special treats, such as ice cream and pineapple sherbet, were also made. Mrs. Burch's family would buy a block of ice, chip it up, combine it with rock salt, and line the ice cream bucket with that.

The creamy custard mixture, prepared in advance, would then be put into an inner container, and the children would take turns churning it until it was set as ice cream. Then the container would be rinsed, and pineapple sherbert would prepared in similar fashion.

Comparing "the good old days" with life today, Mrs. Burch says "there has been a marked deterioration all over the world" in everything from personal faith to behaviour patterns, discipline, etiquette and even climatic conditions, all of which must be addressed if things, and citizens, are to change - a process in which older, wiser folk can play an important role.

"(These issues) must be discussed constantly, in our churches, in our clubs and organisations, and Sunday schools and schools. Conduct, etiquette, speech, language - all should be part of the school curriculum. Good diction should be used more than it is.

"Parents should be firm disciplinarians, and teach with much love because we are products of our environment. These are the prerequisites of good citizenship.

"There has to be a unified effort. We must realise that our generation is deteriorating, and we must also remember that when God made this world he made it beautiful, but unfortunately sin entered and that must not be fostered today."

Meanwhile, Mrs. Burch is greatly looking forward to being Grand Marshall of Monday's Bermuda Day parade. "What an honour!" she says. "My heart is skipping a beat."