This is the continuation of coverage of a special sitting of the House of Assembly on Wednesday to pay tribute to Nelson Bascome and Julian Hall.

Former Education Minister Randolph Horton evoked the words of American abolitionist Frederick Douglass to pay tribute to Julian Hall.

"Frederick Douglass said, you can't get rain without thunder and lightning, you can't have crops without ploughing the fields," said Mr. Horton.

"When one thinks of Julian Hall and the kind of contribution he made in this community in his short life in terms of the improvement of the social standing of all of the people in this community, we have to be proud.

"We know that Julian had a rough time but in that rough time he ploughed a lot of ground that has made it much better for those who come along and follow him.

"I'll never forget the letter Julian wrote to the Bank of Bermuda when they tried to take my house. We became very tight."

Mr. Horton went on to say Mr. Hall was a man of "absolute brilliance" who was on a par with "any lawyer in the world".

PLP Senator Walton Brown said of Mr. Bascome: "Bermuda has lost a good shepherd."

Describing Mr. Hall, he said: "No one was a finer orator than him. His intellect was always engaging, devastatingly insightful and typically stunned his adversaries into silence.

"He maintained the clarion call for social and economic justice for all."

Culture Minister Neletha Butterfield then spoke of a recent senior citizens' event where Mr. Bascome told a risque joke about cowboys, Indians and a posse.

"How those seniors roared," she laughed.

"He was very special. I wonder how he found the time to think of so many people and see how they were doing. His heart was in the community."

PLP MP El James said: "He was a man for all seasons. His presence was felt in every corner of the community. He let his light shine everywhere he went.

"Nelson was an intelligent, caring individual who loved his country, his party and his family. I will greatly miss him.

"Nelson was always referred to as 'the golf coach'. We have heard how his students were the honourable Premier and the Deputy Premier's husband," he joked.

"There were very few who could match the slice that Nelson had."

As for Mr. Hall, Mr. James said: "I was stunned by his brilliance as a lawyer and orator."

Shadow Immigration Minister Shawn Crockwell said Mr. Bascome could always alleviate any tension in the House with "his smile and laughter".

As for Mr. Hall, he described him as "mesmerising".

He said that in 1994, during "a difficult period in my life", the lawyer contacted him out of the blue to gave him words of encouragement.

"He said something which will always be with me. He said, 'Shawn, great and good achievements are ahead for you in life, irrespective of your mistakes'. It was those words which have sustained me through difficult times," said Mr. Crockwell.

<*t(0,0," ")>"He was a man before his time. He was a giant of a man and he has left his mark on our community."

<*t(0,0," ")>Acting Health Minister Walter Roban described Mr. Bascome, his cousin, as a "joyful person".

"Nelson is part of an eminent class. 1989 is such a strong and noble year for the PLP, providing ministers and leaders who have shaped the country and Nelson is a part of that history.

"I am currently acting in the Ministry he held. It is an honour to have to carry that baton."

He said: "The success we have had in improving health care for the people of Bermuda, our seniors, our young, is a legacy Nelson leaves behind."

Mr. Roban described Mr. Hall as: "Brilliant, eloquent, fierce, sensitive and courageous."

"He was an international figure of intellect and clear ability."

Mr. Roban said when he met Cherie Booth QC, wife of former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, in London, "her eyes just lit up" when he said he was from Bermuda.

"'Oh, please pass on my regards to Julian', she said. "He was clearly a friend of hers from law school who had made an impression on her," said Mr. Roban.

"We should always remember the Fisher case as his international contribution to law. It was a clear indication of this man's gargantuan talent."

Former Premier and Government MP Alex Scott joked that Mr. Bascome was "very close to being one of the worst joke tellers I have known".

He added: "He has made his mark. He has fought the good fight and we will miss him very dearly."

Mr. Scott said Mr. Hall was "a life that burned brightly and flashed across the skies".

"We will not see his like again," he said. "He has changed this country and made us richer for the time he was with us".

Michael Scott, Minister of Energy, Telecommunications and E-Commerce, said that despite Mr. Bascome's "comic" nature, he was also a "very serious man about his politics and his country".

He described Mr. Hall as "an agent of change and a humanitarian".

Meanwhile Environment and Sports Minister Glenn Blakeney paid tribute to Mr. Bascome as "the humblest politician I've known in my life".

"Some of the best times with Nelson were spent on the golf course," he said.

As for Mr. Hall, Mr. DeSilva said the lawyer had told him: "There's so many injustices in our Bermuda home. We must undo these injustices as best we can."

The MP said: "I think he saw the vision of the Progressive Labour Party and how we are slowly breaking down the barriers which have held us in the past. He was happy we were on our way."

Government backbencher Ashfield DeVent, who grew up with Mr. Bascome in the Friswells Hill community, said: "He was truly a Friswells Hill boy and Friswells Hill man. Friswells Hill was Nelson and Nelson was Friswells Hill. He will certainly be missed."

Fellow backbencher Wayne Perinchief then paid tribute to the two men. He said: "Julian Hall burst upon this country like a comet in all of its brilliance, leaving behind him luminescence.

"But comets, as they give light and brilliance, are also consumed by the exercise. So Julian shone brightly in politics and law and personal enjoyment of life, and then when his personal energy expended, he just went from our sight.

"As comets shine brightly in the heavens, so shall Julian return to shine brightly in our memories."

Shadow Environment Minister Cole Simons recounted a memorable trip to Africa with Mr. Bascome, during which the pair became "good friends". He recalled Mr. Bascome jumping up to play the drums at a tribal reception, the pair sharing a meal of alligator and zebra, and then driving a dune buggy over sand dunes.

"Nelson ran off to the drums, he was banging those drums and was there for the rest of the evening. He did Bermuda proud. He was open enough to accept the spirit of Africa in the African spirit."

Senator David Burch said he referred to Mr. Bascome as the "Prince of Peace", as he was a politician who avoided confrontation and making enemies.

It was the Speaker of the House, Stanley Lowe, who rounded off yesterday's tributes.

He described Mr. Bascome as a "good Parliamentarian" who respected House rules and protocol.

"We loved the Minister, we shall forever miss him," he said. "And he was a consummate Parliamentarian in this House."

Mr. Lowe said: "Nelson Bascome and Julian Hall were members for all seasons and surely their mantra was this [EmDash] 'If I can help somebody today then my living will not be in vain'.

"I say to the families, that their living has not been in vain. They made their contribution in their short time here on Earth and we shall never forget them. They are now on their heavenly journey to the Holy City and we extend to both families our sincere condolences."

Independent MP Wayne Furbert then sang a song in tribute to Mr. Bascome and Mr. Hall. It contained the lyrics: "Like a comet blazing across the evening sky, gone too soon".

"Nelson, Julian, gone too soon," he said.