PLANS to honour Bermuda's first recognised 'national hero', Dame Lois Browne Evans, with a statue have been put on hold thanks to the current economic downturn.

According to Culture Minister Dale Butler, a bust of Dame Lois ¿ who will be formally fêted on Monday, National Heroes' Day ¿ may be put up in the as-yet-unfinished court building. However, any plans for a statue of the late Attorney General and PLP leader have fallen by the wayside thanks to the credit crunch.

Premier Ewart Brown had announced plans to build a statue or bust of Dame Lois just over a year ago, when Bermuda Day was renamed National Heroes' Day.

Mr. Butler told the Mid-Ocean News this week that there had be no further discussion of a permanent memorial since then.

"We have not advanced the discussion any further other than to say there is a small possibility of a bust being put up in the new court building when it is completed," Mr. Butler said.

"As for a statue, I doubt if it will come this budget year. Perhaps in the future when the economic climate changes."

Mr. Butler this week detailed plans to celebrate Dame Lois' life and legacy, including what the Minister called an "awesome display" at the National Stadium this coming Sunday.

The celebration will include the presentation of a posthumous medal to Dame Lois' family by the Premier, in what Mr. Butler said would be "a first for Bermuda".

The Minister also used the occasion of the upcoming National Heroes' Day to hit out at critics of a plan to rename the island's public schools after historical figures. In particular, Mr. Butler said he was "appalled by the level of discussion" surrounding the possible renaming of St. David's Primary School.

This week, furious St. David's islanders signed a petition and took to the radio airwaves, railing against the renaming of their only primary school after former principal Hilton C. Richardson.

Prominent St. David's residents, including former MP Suzann Roberts-Holshouser, have called on the Government to leave the name of St. David's only primary school alone out of respect for the island's locals, who she said had been "historically ridiculed".

Mr. Butler (pictured) said he was "appalled" by this response from St. David's residents, adding that critics of school renaming should "read widely" in order to appreciate the island's heritage.

During a press conference on Tuesday, he called those who question the honouring of 'national heroes' "reluctant and ungrateful". He went on to compare Dame Lois to those who have spoken out against the renaming process in the press.

"Dame Lois went further," he said, "when the rest of us go behind pseudonyms in Letters to the Editor."

The Minister and prolific author this week assured the public that the next 'national hero' would be chosen carefully ¿ a process that may take years. He called the role "ten times bigger than a national sports star, or someone who gets an Olympic medal".

"You may not see another one for another five or ten years," Mr. Butler said.

While a statue of first 'national hero' Dame Lois may not materialise for some time, a monument dedicated to another historical figure ¿ Sally Bassett ¿ is nearing completion.

The Mid-Ocean News last week revealed that the "larger than life" statue depicting murdered slave Ms Bassett outside the Cabinet Building will be 15 feet tall ¿ over twice the size of Desmond Fountain's bronze sculpture of Johnny Barnes.