reetings to you all at this very special time of year. Judy and I hope that all of you, whether you are reading this message in the newspapers or watching it on television, are spending the holiday season, as we are, with family and friends, and in a festive spirit; and that we will not forget how fortunate we are to be doing so on this wonderful island. Nearly two hundred years ago, one of Bermuda's earliest poets wrote ?

"If ever nature formed a spot for brotherhood and bliss

nd all that renders earth a heaven, oh! surely it is this"

This year has certainly reminded us how fortunate we are to be living in Bermuda. As we have restored our island so impressively following hurricane Fabian, we have watched with shock the damage done to more vulnerable islands further south. It was good to see so many Bermudians responding so generously to the appeal for help for those who had lost homes and livelihoods.

The Bermuda Police Service and the Bermuda Regiment played their part, too, by helping out in Cayman ? a contribution that was much appreciated in our sister Overseas Territory, and provided valuable experience for our uniformed services.

Whether in the Caribbean after a disaster, or in everyday life here in Bermuda, how much more we can achieve by working together! I was delighted to be able to show Bermuda at its best to the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, when he visited in April ? and to see how much he and his family appreciated the warmth of the welcome and the freedom to relax.

At this season I want to say a special word of thanks to all the many Bermudians and residents who work tirelessly in our voluntary organisations ? such as for our seniors, for our physically challenged, in the arts, or to preserve our environment. As we work together, we will make ourselves stronger as a society.

Here in Government House, Governors from all the Overseas Territories have been working together, too. We used our annual conference, held this year in Bermuda at my invitation, to strengthen our collective commitment to maintain the peace and stability of our islands. And we marked the completion of our own symbol of the recovery from Fabian, Chesley Trott's and Dan Dempster's wonderful living sculpture made from cedar salvaged from the storm in our grounds. A symbol, perhaps, of hope and renewal.

Renewal ? starting again afresh ? is of course always on our thoughts at this time of year, with the season of goodwill preparing us for the New Year ahead. That same poem, by John Lee Lewis, has some good advice for us on that:

"May all discordance die away and vanish into air"

Well, maybe it's a little unrealistic to expect quite all discord to vanish into thin air, and it would certainly make the talk shows rather less interesting.

But we live in a small community on a small island.

We all have the same stake in its success. None of us can harm it and simply walk away from the consequences. And all of us gain from the contribution of each of us.

There's no better moment to dedicate ourselves to a genuine renewal than the turn of the year when we enter our Quincentennial ? the 500th anniversary of the discovery of Bermuda.

I hope that all Bermudians will join in celebrating the extraordinary path that has taken us from an uninhabited island to such great prosperity, in only a quarter of the time that has passed since the first Christmas two thousand years ago.

Judy and I send our very best wishes to you and your families for this holiday season and for a happy and fulfilling, and discord-free, New Year.