As 2009 draws to an end, Conchita Ming, the organiser of Bermuda's 400th anniversary celebrations, looks back at what she admits was the best time of her life. Chris Spencer reports.

It started with a huge party on Front Street and ended with a fantastic display by scores of participants in the Christmas Boat Parade and in between there was a small matter of a visit from the Queen.

There have also been a multitude of events across the Island all with one aim: to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the permanent settlement of Bermuda.

As head of the Bermuda 2009 Steering Committee, Conchita Ming was in charge of a 22-member team tasked with arranging the celebrations and they had the daunting task of putting together more than 150 events.

They included 'Wrecked on the Rock', a play about the first settlers in Bermuda, putting together a book called '400 Years, 400 Portraits' and helping with the visit of Tall Ships during the summer, one of the highlights of the celebrations.

And, while this has been a busy, hectic year for her, Ms Ming says: "It has probably been the best time of my life. It has been just phenomenal."

Setbacks along the way included shortfalls in the budget, but she credited the community with making the 400th anniversary a success.

"The whole community has embraced this celebration," she said. "It was not our job to just arrange every aspect of the 400th anniversary but to encourage the community to do their part as well. The community response was amazing and we really couldn't have done this if they hadn't fully embraced it."

She said she first knew that the year was going to be a success when a launch party for the 400th anniversary was held on Front Street. She said thousands of people lined the street for the event and the celebration was so popular that Premier Ewart Brown urged everyone not to burn themselves out so early in the year.

Thankfully, energy remained high within the 2009 Steering Committee and Ms Ming and her crew continued to make it a year to remember.

She cited documentary films, school projects, a mural depicting 400 years of Bermuda painted by Graham Foster at the Maritime Museum, Bermuda art displayed at the Bermuda National Gallery and "general enthusiasm" as ways the Island has "celebrated who we are in so many different ways".

The opening of an exhibit at the centuries-old Bermuda house, Verdmont, titled 'The House and Its People' and the celebration of the 1959 Theatre Boycott were, according to Ms Ming, examples of how the community "celebrated Bermuda and her people" in 2009.

Not disregarding the hard work that she and her committee have put into the anniversary, Ms Ming said the fact that the community put so much effort into recognising "this important milestone in our history", was the most satisfying part of the whole experience.

"A lot of people have asked me how has the year gone?" she said. "But, I always turn it around ask them how has it been for you? It really isn't about me.

"Thankfully, everyone tells me that they have really enjoyed everything that is what really matters.

"This was all about Bermuda embracing our heritage and having a chance to show off a little bit.

"We got to show the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh what Bermuda was all about during their timely visit.

"More importantly, we were able to have our heads held high and celebrate this Island's amazing history."