successful, with thousands of people turning out in Dockyard, St. George's and Hamilton to bid farewell to 1999 and to welcome in 2000.

The Salute to the Stars concert, in Hamilton on New Year's night, was the perfect ending of one era and the beginning of another. It once again proved that this small Island possesses a wealth of talent and its people can achieve anything when they work together.

Hundreds of hours of work went into making the parties a success, and the bonhomie and good nature of all concerned was a testament to that.

For events like these, it shows how the whole community can join together to enjoy its shared values and to celebrate its diversity. It is a shame that Bermuda cannot show this degree of tolerance throughout the year.

Credit should also go to all the people who worked through the last couple of years to ensure the Island's computer systems were Y2K-compliant. By all appearances, the transition was completely smooth, to the point that people are wondering what all the fuss was about.

Nonetheless, the Y2K bug has to be approached like a hurricane; you must prepare for the worst and hope for the best, and in this case, the best seems to have occurred. Still, the worst would have been very bad indeed and Government, concerned companies and individuals deserve credit for ensuring that Bermuda maintained its reputation for professionalism and having an advanced and trouble-free infrastructure.

There was one blot on Bermuda's Millennium copybook and that was the management of ferry services to and from Dockyard.

Many people, relying on the promise of ample ferry services and wisely opting not to drive, chose to use the ferries which were laid on and as a result, they were overwhelmed with passengers.

This is not the first time this has happened. Jazz Fest has been similarly overwhelmed and Government and the West End Development Corporation must learn from this and ensure that adequate water transport is laid on.

If anything positive did come out of this, it showed that Bermudians will use the ferry service if it runs at the hours when it is needed and adequate services are provided; this is something that Transport Minister Ewart Brown should keep in mind as he draws up plans for the new fast ferry service.

But overall, Bermuda's Millennium weekend has proven to be a great success.

Bermuda should be proud of itself.