Two have known power, two the frustration of decades in Opposition.

Together, they represent 120 years of experience in the House of Assembly.

Yesterday, to mark the 30th anniversary since their first elections, they set aside political differences, broke bread, and reminisced.

Bermuda's longest-serving Parliamentarians all belong to the Class of '63 -- Delegated and Legislative Affairs Minister the Hon. Sir John Sharpe, Transport Minister the Hon. Ralph Marshall, Mrs. Lois Browne Evans MP, and Deputy Opposition Leader Mr. Walter Roberts.

Before lunch in a suite at the Princess Hotel, they traded barbs and the men presented Mrs. Browne Evans with a colourful bouquet.

"We're not always at each other's throats,'' said Mrs. Browne Evans of the Progressive Labour Party.

While new MPs now regularly turn to them for advice, these four were once green too. Mr. Marshall showed up for his first regular day at the House of Assembly with bare knees.

"Nobody told me I couldn't wear Bermuda shorts,'' Mr. Marshall said. Deputy Speaker the Hon. J.C. Astwood took the rookie MP (then a Member of Colonial Parliament, or MCP) aside and told him he could remain, provided he did not rise or attempt to speak.

"I didn't want to, anyway,'' Mr. Marshall, 66, recalled.

In those days, new members remained silent while they watched, listened and learned the ropes. After an aggressive campaign, Mrs. Browne Evans waited months before she gave her first speech.

Times have changed and today's MPs are bolder. "I remember my present leader, Mr. (Frederick) Wade,'' Mr. Roberts, 59, said. After his election in 1968, "he immediately got up.'' But opinions differed on whether debate is less civilised today than in 1963.

"The original House of Parliament had a lot of what you might call establishment figures,'' recalled Sir John, who like Mr. Marshall was elected as an Independent but joined the United Bermuda Party when it was founded in 1964.

"Sir John Cox, Sir Henry Tucker, Sir James Pearman, Sir Henry Vesey, Mr. Vail Zuill, Sir Edward Richards, Mr. Walter Robinson -- all of these people I think probably appreciated the nuances of the House, the courtesies and the niceties of conduct rather more than many subsequent members have.

"But I wouldn't criticise my colleagues by saying the debate is any less useful than it was at the time.'' Mrs. Browne Evans, 65, remembers things differently, and while she does not recall her first speech, said she delivered her first "blast'' in response to an unfair personal attack on another member by Sir Henry Tucker. Though not yet Premier, "he was the titular head'' of Parliament, she said. "When he made jokes, others would laugh.'' But after Mrs. Browne Evans' speech, "they knew not to mess with me,'' she said. "I wasn't afraid of anybody.'' Back then, MPs received 24 shillings each time they sat in the House. There were fond memories, like the smell of Portuguese bean soup permeating the Sessions House on Budget Days in the 1970s. In a tradition recently restored by the Hon. Harry Soares MP, Mr. Marshall's wife Pat would prepare a meal for all Parliamentarians.

They remembered characters, like the late Mr. S.S. Toddings, who Sir John said would arrange to receive a telephone call at the time of a vote he wished to miss. "The party whip wouldn't like that in this day and time,'' he said.

They also remembered low points. For Mr. Marshall it was in the 1970s when Mr.

Roosevelt Brown MP was suspended after he "spoke to the House and Speaker in vile terms''.

Sir John, who represents Warwick West, was Premier from December of 1975 to August of 1977. He has also served as Minister of Finance, Transport, Home Affairs, and Delegated Affairs.

Mr. Marshall, who represents Southampton West, has served as Minister of Transport, Public Works, Agriculture and Fisheries, and Health and Social Services. He also was Minister without Portfolio and endured seven years as a backbencher from 1982 to 1989.

Mrs. Browne Evans, the first black woman elected to the House of Assembly, has been with the PLP from the start and served as party leader first from 1968 to 1972 and then from 1976 to 1985.

Mr. Roberts, who represents Sandys South, was elected as an Independent in 1963 but joined the PLP in 1968.

CLASS OF '63 -- Bermuda's longest-serving MPs gathered yesterday for a 30th anniversary lunch. They are Transport Minister the Hon. Ralph Marshall, Mrs.

Lois Browne Evans, Delegated Affairs Minister the Hon. Sir John Sharpe, and Mr. Walter Roberts.