Dame Lois Browne Evans will be honoured on Bermuda's National Hero Day for the third year running.

Former Culture Minister Dale Butler said yesterday that until the House of Assembly agrees on criteria for how a national hero is selected, Dame Lois will most likely retain the title.

He suggested United Bermuda Party founder Sir Henry Tucker, who also brought the bill to Parliament to allow women the vote, or E.F. Gordon, who championed equal rights for black Bermudians and was the first president of the Bermuda Workers Association, could be next in line for honours.

Dame Lois, who died in 2007, produced many firsts including becoming Bermuda's first female lawyer, the first black woman elected to Parliament, the first female Attorney General and first leader of the Opposition.

Not only did she break Bermuda's records she also became the first female Opposition leader in the Commonwealth.

The Country will celebrate her achievements on the June 21 national holiday.

Mr. Butler, who brought National Heroes Day to the Island, said it was important to realise it was never intended for national heroes to be picked every year.

"When it was announced the United Bermuda Party verbally asked for Sir Henry Tucker, but then said they wanted criteria," he added. "I was working on criteria to bring to the House for discussion. I left it with [current Culture] Minister Neletha Butterfield to complete [when I resigned as Minister]."

Since then Mr. Butler said he has written to the Minister recommending Sir Henry and Dr. Gordon be named national heroes.

"I suspect until the criteria is approved nothing will be done," he said. "Picking national heroes is not a music or sports hall of fame event and while many have made a contribution it is usually those who have sacrificed and gone way beyond. It is more than being the first black person to play in a World Cup.

"So we celebrate one person until the debate and until the acceptance of a another and we should stop demeaning the process as criteria are important."

Historian Meredith Ebbin said she believed national heroes should be chosen by a bipartisan committee.

She added that the committee should not include sitting Members of Parliament in order to avoid the appearance that they are political appointments.

"I also believe that Dame Lois was chosen as the first national hero purely for political reasons," she added. "It was an attempt to placate Dame Lois' supporters, who include Dame Jennifer Smith and Deputy Premier Paula Cox within the PLP.

"This is not meant to suggest Dame Lois is not deserving of the honour but whether she should have been the first national hero is another matter."

Ms Ebbin, who wrote 'Bermuda 1609-2000, Four Hundred Years, 400 Portraits', a publication produced by the Bermuda 400th anniversary committee, gave The Royal Gazette several suggestions on who could receive the honour adding:

"A national hero is someone whose achievements have had a far-reaching effect on his or her community and often exacted a personal toll."

She suggested former slave Mary Prince, who was the first black woman to publish a book about her experience. The book was significant in the UK abolition movement.

She also suggested Sir Henry and Dr. Gordon as well as Roosevelt Brown and Wesley Leroy Tucker. The latter two men were instrumental in the adult suffrage movement.

In the run up to the 2007 election Premier Ewart Brown announced at a Progressive Labour Party rally his Government would set aside a day to honour Dame Lois, a trailblazing politician. That September it was announced May 24, Bermuda Day, would become National Heroes Day and Dame Lois would be the first recipient. However, the public heavily opposed the idea of losing one of Bermuda's most culturally significant days of the year.

In 2008 Government then moved it to October and axed the June Queen's Birthday holiday. The date coincided with the first day of the PGA Grand Slam. That too was opposed by the public, some who complained of missing a holiday during the summer months while others said it was disrespectful towards Bermuda's monarch.

Last year Government decided to move National Heroes Day to June, but instead of holding it on the second Monday of June when the Queen's Birthday used to be observed they chose the third Monday of June.

Yesterday, the Ministry of Culture confirmed that Dame Lois would again be honoured but did not respond to questions about why a new national hero had not been selected, what the criteria was and who selected them.

• Who would you like Bermuda's next national hero to be? E-mail roklynch@royalgazette.bm.