Protect our heritage

September 15, 2005

Dear Sir,

The recent article by Dr. Harris in the Mid Ocean News titled ?Washing away our Heritage? in which he claims that ?Since the early 1950?s a man-made underwater tsunami has swept through the historic shipwrecks of Bermuda, leaving little in its wake? has really left me shaking my head. Having been actively working on historic shipwrecks over the last twenty five years, I have a very different perspective on what has taken place. In reality, Bermuda has one of the largest inventories of underwater cultural assets per square mile in the world.

During its heyday as a seafaring island in the 17th and 18th centuries, Bermuda was a the epicentre for maritime trade in the western Atlantic. Add that to the fact that it straddled two heavily used trade routes and it is easy to understand how literally hundreds of ships came to be wrecked on our extended coral reef. As a result we have a wealth of cultural material (including the remains of the ships themselves and a vast assortment of items associated with them) from every major Atlantic trading nation of the time.

Notwithstanding the fact that an unknown number of wreck sites were completely washed away and destroyed along with over thirty percent of our offshore sea grass beds during hurricane Fabian, we are still left with the mammoth task of locating and mapping the remaining sites in order to create the first ever comprehensive archaeological record of our underwater cultural assets. The Custodian of Historic Wrecks working under the Department of Conservation Services has made a good start but he has many years of work left ahead of him before the process is anywhere near complete and he will need the cooperation of all those with an active interest in the resource in order to succeed.

Unlike the destructive forces of nature, the result of human activity on Bermuda?s shipwrecks over the last fifty years, for the most part by responsible local divers under licence by the Government, has resulted in a very important collection of mobile antiquities (artefacts) some of it publicly owned and some of it privately owned. In its entirety, this collection is the Bermuda National Collection. Under the new Act, steps are being taken to create a central registry of all the artefacts in the form of an online ?virtual data base? designed to make the entire National Collection accessible to the public for recreational, educational and scientific purposes.

Artefacts currently owned by the Government, which comprise a significant part of the National Collection, have been housed at the Bermuda Maritime Museum since 1975 and as Executive Director Dr. Harris is responsible for safeguarding this valuable cultural material. By his own admission, his primary focus has been the ten million dollar renovation of the Commissioner?s House. The fact that the Museum has now prepared a plan for moving the Tucker Treasure to another building and for it to be housed in brand new security arrangements does little to compensate for the loss of Bermudian cultural treasures taken from the Museum earlier this summer.

It is important to examine how well Government owned shipwreck material is being cared for because the new Act eliminates the possibility of future private ownership. This may turn out to be an ineffective and costly approach to underwater cultural resource management since it will seriously reduce incentive for privately funded participation. This will ultimately land the taxpayer with the bill for all the conservation and display of shipwreck material.

Readers are fortunate to in a position to judge for themselves how well things are being managed by viewing the privately owned shipwreck artefacts on exhibit at the BUEI and comparing their condition to the publicly owned shipwreck artefacts at the Bermuda Maritime Museum. I think it will be obvious that the private sector has performed at least as well as the public sector in this regard and that it has done so not for personal gain but out of a genuine interest in Bermuda?s maritime history. It is clear to me that no-one is perfect or has all the answers.

However, to be most effective we must work towards fostering respect and mutual cooperation, both of which are necessary for developing sound underwater cultural asset management strategies. The debate over how to best manage our underwater cultural resources is important but it needs to be elevated to an issue orientated debate. Continued use of broad, unsubstantiated and divisive statements, creating the illusion of wrong doing will, in my opinion, ultimately work to the disadvantage of the resources and all Bermudians.

Sandys

Independence will mean...

September 22, 2005

Dear Sir,

A nice big smack from Papa Bear. That?s what the Swan speech was. I hate fatherly speeches from politicians, but we needed this one. I always thought Swan looked a little like Winnie the Pooh. Well he?s no teddy bear now. All the children needed some corporal punishment and he gave it. Not that he isn?t guilty of a few of the sins he mentions himself. We have all had our issues with John Swan. But never mind about that!

It was a good speech. Certainly one of the most articulate speeches given by a Bermudian politician ? which granted, is not saying much ? but it got to the points and nailed them in way that was uniquely Swan. What he said needed very badly to be said. What he said represented Bermuda as a sophisticated jurisdiction capable of making subtle decisions about its future based on pragmatism.

You want Bermudian national identity? ? start there. We don?t do pragmatism anymore. We do emotions and feelings and ?what about me? and ?what about right now?. We needed a little of the old school. The printed speech was a much more engaging and useful document than the whimsical and occasionally unreadable BIC report. Whatever good could be culled from the report has already been deliberated. I am not sure what use it can be put to now. Shelf filler in the archives? That?s where all the other useless expensive reports have gone over the years. Sir John correctly pointed out that education is actually a more important issue than Independence. With hilarious confidence the BIC report seems to associate bad education with British sovereignty. Well, governance in Bermuda is all about finding someone to blame and the BIC report follows that noble tradition.

Bermuda has had the right to make up its own mind about education for decades. We have simply botched it. We have ignored it. We are the ones that let the UBP muck it up. We are calmly watching while the PLP do the same. Independence has nothing to do with racism either. You can go through the BIC report and cross out any sections that deal with it because it is not relevant. If we can?t deal with that problem now, there is no reason why we will be able to deal with it after Independence.

We have all the political powers to deal with it now. Name one country which has dealt with its race problem by going independent? There aren?t any that I can think of. We are ready and capable of dealing with racism right now. But we avoid it. We already have responsibility for ourselves. Independence will not make us any more or less responsible. We will just be paying more taxes. That will be the only difference. And when it comes to responsibilities like dealing with our race problems, we will go on being the secretive, weak and aggressive little creatures we are. Good going Mr. Swan. Obviously, that last comment doesn?t apply to you.

A note of thanks

September 16, 2005

Dear Sir,

I would just like to publicly thank Hannover Veterinary Hospital on North Street, Hamilton for the goodwill shown by them in taking in and caring for the injured wild pigeon I brought in recently. I found the scared, injured pigeon on my way to work one morning, which as obviously just ignored and left to die on the roadside. I had no doubt who to call and, without hesitation, Hannover told me to bring him in right away. Having had personal dealings with this animal hospital through my daughter and her cats I have been very impressed. Tucked away in a small hidden, ?no-frills? kind of place, Hannover offers the personal touch and special attention anyone would want for their pets, and all at a reasonable price. Thanks again for doing a good deed!

Saluting candystripers

September 20, 2005

Dear Sir,

Please allow me to use to express my thanks to a special group of young people. During these times when negative behaviour creates the majority of headlines, it is a pleasure to cast a spotlight on some positives. Summer time is always challenging for volunteer organisations. As regular volunteers take their holidays, there are gaps in normal service provision.

The Hospitals Auxiliary of Bermuda is fortunate to have the service of school age volunteers in the candystripers who rise to the challenge especially during the summer and school holidays. The Hospitals Auxiliary of Bermuda would like to thank the candystripers who worked this summer so diligently at keeping our enterprises and commitments to the Hospitals running smoothly. These young people, who give their free time voluntarily to help others, are an example to us all. They were efficient and cheerful and we cannot thank them enough. With appreciation,

Whither the UBP?

September 22, 2005

Dear Sir,

Sir John was applauded when he entered the Red Carpet restaurant the day following his speech to Rotary. Three major points emerged from his talk: the total ineptitude of the current government; the contribution of guest workers; and perhaps most importantly the leadership gap within the UBP. Grant Gibbons is an honest and honourable man and a great financial mind but Bermuda needs great leadership more than technical excellence.

Unfortunately Dr. Gibbons cannot shed his Front Street heritage. He could therefore make his greatest contribution to the country by stepping aside and allowing any one of many within the party with the leadership skills and the charisma to draw the electorate. Sir John, care to step forward?