White Hill Field's clubhouse — built for the community, by the community, four decades ago — stood for years as a symbol of what can be achieved when people get together to do something good.

Yet since the building's demolition in October 2008,the land has lain bare — leaving sports players with nowhere to drink, residents complaining of broken promises and young people saying they're running out of places to hang out.

According to club president Marc Bean, the empty space where White Hill clubhouse used to stand represents more than just a frustrating gap in the local resources.

He believes White Hill's demise is a reflection of today's Bermuda, where the yesteryear spirit to make things better has been replaced by a reluctance to roll up the sleeves and get involved.

"People who describe what's happened at White Hill as sad are the ones that don't participate in the community," Government Senator Bean told The Royal Gazette.

When this newspaper visited Sandys South as part of its Up Your Street series, White Hill topped the issue list for many residents.

They told the tale of the working class families who got tired of having nowhere to gather and socialise, so decided to create their own place from scratch, building it themselves block by block.

"I remember when it was just a little shack and then they built it up," said one man.

Legendary White Hill sportsman Harry Hunt referred to the field as his playground.

"I used to be down there kicking the football around all the time," he said.

"I was finished playing when they built the club and I wasn't involved. I'm sorry now — I should have been. It was nice, really nice. It's a shame when you look at it now. I hope they build another one."

The lack of bathroom facilities has forced spectators into using those at nearby Maximart. One passer-by pointed at the field, which also has fencing in serious need of repair, and said: "It used to be a really good place, but look at it now. They said they were going to build a new facility but I don't see anything."

The clubhouse was demolished in October 2008, with then-Sports Minister Elvin James promising the development of a multipurpose complex good enough to host international cricket.

Progress has since been seemingly non-existent. While nobody expects revamping a sports facility to assume number one priority in the current economic climate, some suspect Mr. James' promise was mere words in the run-up to a by-election in nearby Southampton West Central.

Even if work finally does take place, residents seemed split over whether a new clubhouse would be what the area needs.

One man said: "It was good to get the boys off the street. Now they just hang around outside instead. It used to have a good social atmosphere as well."

But another said: "Some of us were happy that it did get knocked down. It used to attract all sorts of trouble."

Sen. Bean, the Somerset Bridge Recreational Club president, said: "It was a source of pride, as is the case with any club. A lot of influential persons participated. There's no doubt that Somerset Bridge Recreation Club is a shell of its former self.

"Those today keeping the club going forward are trying to ensure that we can leave a heritage and inheritance of our own for the next generation.

"When it does get rebuilt, it will be a new entity; hopefully it can help us focus on our family."

White Hill was in the news in the summer of 2008, when an alleged gang from the area was mentioned in connection with the Kellon Hill murder.

Sen. Bean said since then the area seems to have escaped the gun violence which has rocked the rest of the Island. Some argue the gang members disappeared with the clubhouse.

Other issues affecting Constituency 33 mentioned to this newspaper included poor road surfaces, particularly on some of the narrow winding sections around Scaur Lane, and a huge pile of rubble near Morgan's Bay Park, dumped after construction work at Dockyard.

l Next week's Up Your Street features St. George's West. Residents from that constituency who want to comment on local issues should e-mail tsmith@royalgazette.bm