Former and sitting MPs and senators reflected on the “meritorious service” and example set by Sir John Swan at a special joint session of the legislature on Tuesday afternoon.

Parliamentarians reminisced and offered condolences to the family of Bermuda’s longest-serving premier at a gathering convened by the island’s branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association in the House of Assembly chamber.

Sir John, who passed away at the age of 90 this month, was praised across the political spectrum.

Those who spoke told of his work ethic, knowledge, friendliness, and, above all, love for Bermuda

Dale Butler, a former government minister, said: “He listened to the fisherman the same as he listened to the diplomat. Race, creed, colour — none of it mattered, only whether you were willing to work for Bermuda.

“His charisma was real, because he was rooted in respect. That’s why leaders half the world away knew his name.”

When Norma Cox Astwood was Vice-President of the Senate, she and Sir John did not always agree politically but they maintained a positive relationship.

She said: “He worked long and he worked hard, in politics and outside. He cared. He led by example.

“We’ve lost a statesman, a long-serving politician who has rendered meritorious service to our people and to our country.

“Nicholas, Amanda and Alison, you have our sympathy. We loved your father too and we’re going to miss him, not as much as you will. But thank you for sharing him with us. May he rest in peace and rise in glory.”

Walter Lister, a former Cabinet minister and Deputy Speaker, knew Sir John before he was in politics. The pair proceeded to bond over something that neither allowed to limit them.

Mr Lister reflected on something the two “talked about away from the lights and the cameras”.

“I suffered from dyslexia, the same as he did, and we could understand each other in a very special way.”

Glenn Blakeney, another former Cabinet minister, called Sir John “the ultimate entrepreneur” and praised his courage for being the only premier to date to take the country to a referendum on independence.

Craig Cannonier, himself a former premier, highlighted the significance of taking on the role of leading the country.

“No one really understands the sacrifice and the weight of that position until you’re in it,” he said.

“It is difficult to bottle up what he was and encompassed. If there ever was a parliamentarian that we could bottle up and use as an example, undoubtedly the first name that would come forward is Sir John Swan.”

Noting the presence at the sitting of Sir John’s family, Mr Cannonier added: “We say thank you. It is not easy being the family of a premier.

“The sacrifice that is made, the challenges and the victories that come along with it can take a great toll but you as a family and close friends have been the example for all of us to follow.”

Mr Cannonier said: “This is a former parliamentarian who, at 89, decided to shake up the house and almost win a by-election by a few votes. I’m not sure anyone else in this room is capable of that, quite frankly. So, his political weight will reign on.”

Paula Cox, also a former premier, told the session: “Democracy requires balance and free-flowing discussion, even with those who are not political allies.

“Love him or not, one thing is true — a man of his ilk will not walk this way again.”

Wayne Furbert, the Junior Minister of Finance, recalled that he and Dennis Lister, the Speaker of the House, were the only sitting MPs who were also members at the same time as Sir John.

In 1993, he was welcomed to Parliament by the statesman, who led the United Bermuda Party in three subsequent elections.

Mr Furbert said: “I rise now, not simply as a member of this Parliament but as a man who was shaped, guided and inspired by someone who walked these very halls with purpose, principle and an unshakeable love for his country.

“Rest now Sir John, you have earned it.”

Kim Wilkerson, the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, praised the Sir John’s work in the mid-1980s that helped lead to the Bermuda Tax Convention Act 1986.

She said: “We value, we recognise and we remember him for the service he gave in that one act that has enabled so much more of the infrastructure of Bermuda, you have our deepest condolences.”

David Burt, the Premier and Minister of Finance, led the tributes.

He said: “No one in this room can claim to have agreed with everything Sir John Swan said or did in politics, that would be abnormal.

“But there is unanimity in one thing, that he loved this island and its people, and from the day he entered public service until the day he breathed his last, Bermuda was forever on his lips.”

Sir John was the godfather of Ben Smith, the Leader of the Opposition.

Mr Smith said: “Like so many Bermudians, I benefited from his encouragement, wisdom and belief that Bermuda could always achieve more than others thought possible.

“Personally, I will miss him. As Leader of the Opposition, I honour him. As a Bermudian, I thank him.”

Scott Pearman, the deputy opposition leader, added: “It is interesting that in private he was the very same person that the public had come to know and love.

“For most of his life, Sir John lived in the public eye. For so many Bermudians he also lived in the public heart, and now, and for ever, he will abide in the public soul.”