Solid as a rock — that was the message last night for hundreds of Progressive Labour Party supporters at a pre-election rally.

Green t-shirts, banners, balloons and placards flooded the grounds of West Pembroke School, turning it into a “sea of green”.

While Government MPs took to the stage to introduce their candidates, this was a constant reference along with tributes to the “shining stars” of former Party stalwarts such as Dame Lois Browne Evans.

The three hour rally saw speeches from Wayne Perinchief, Neletha Butterfield, Jamahl Simmons, Laverne Furbert (Constituency 20), as well as Dame Lois’s son Donald Evans.

Premier Dr. Ewart Brown proved ‘The Main Event’, issuing a rallying cry to supporters with his closing speech. The other key moment of the night was the introduction of pollster Walton Brown as the PLP candidate for Constituency 19.

Drawing on the Party’s legacy, Mr. Brown said: “We are here tonight because shining stars in the past have laid the foundation stones.”

Referencing social justice, trade union rights and an end to racial segregation, Mr. Brown said Dame Lois and other Party leaders had “set out the battles we have to fight.”

“I stand before you tonight on the very grounds where I had an excellent education, the best primary school, taught by caring teachers. I stand within 100 metres of the house where I was born, and more importantly as a candidate for the PLP in Pembroke West,” he said.

“I am committed to extend this quest for social justice, for economic growth and stability. I want to see a Bermuda where the colour of a man or a woman’s skin is no more significant than the colour of their eyes. I want to see a Bermuda where young people leave school with a solid education.”I want to see a Bermuda where our seniors who have given their entire adult life to improve our country are respected far into their retirement. I want to see a criminal justice system that understands why people get caught up in crime but which has zero tolerance for violence.”

A video tribute to Dame Lois, the “grande dame of Bermuda’s politics” was played out to supporters while Gombeys and local artists also kept the crowds entertained.

Music was a major feature of the night, with speeches punctuated with the campaign theme song ‘Solid as a Rock’. Community and Cultural Affairs Minister Mr. Perinchief arrived on stage to the theme from ‘Rocky’, while Environment Minister Neletha Butterfield chose Sister Sledge’s ‘We Are Family’.

Premier Dr. Ewart Brown sang along to Bob Marley and the Wailers’ ‘Get Up, Stand Up’ before making his closing speech.

“We must continue to move this country forward.”