Bermuda Maritime Museum curator, Charlotte Andrews, advises that the Azores Room at Commissioner's House will be the first-ever permanent showcase of Portuguese-Bermudian connections and culture.

Ms Andrews explained: "With the Portuguese Room we are trying to involve the Portuguese community.

"We are always looking for historical items and oral histories related to Bermuda's Portuguese history.'' Due to open to the public in 2000, it is one of more than a dozen new exhibit rooms in the House dedicated to the Island's multi-cultural history.

The Bermuda Maritime Museum is working closely with the Portuguese Cultural Association and The Vasco da Gama Club and individuals to make the project a broad community effort.

Ms Andrews said: "We are gathering Azorean memorabilia and artefacts to display, as well as interviewing Portuguese residents about their lives and ancestry.'' "November is the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the first Portuguese from Madeira, and we plan to hold a special dedication ceremony for the Azores Room to mark this occasion on the evening of Friday, November 26.'' The Azores Room exhibit will trace Bermuda's connections to Portugal and its Atlantic islands from the 15th-Century "Age of Discovery'' to the present day.

The exhibit will record the first landings by Portuguese seafarers, who were shipwrecked on the "Isle of Devils'' during their homeward journeys in merchant fleets from the Caribbean.

Ms Andrews explained: "The exhibit will also describe the arrival of the first farmers from Madeira in 1849 aboard the ship Golden Rule , and the later emigration of Azoreans to Bermuda throughout this century.

"We will celebrate the stories of modern-day Portuguese residents, including the community's festivals, cuisine, and the historic maritime parallels between both our islands.

"In doing so, we celebrate Bermuda's link to the diaspora of Portuguese communities around the world.'' In their search for artefacts, they hope to locate items that will help tell the story of the Portuguese in Bermuda.

They hope to learn about their past in the Azores or elsewhere, their trans-Atlantic journey to Bermuda, their occupations, daily lives and celebrations, their faith, families, religion, and accomplishments.

Members of the local Portuguese community have already come forward to donate or lend items that paint a colourful picture of their rich heritage.

The curator said the following types of items will be required: old photographs depicting family generations and the lifestyle of Portuguese immigrants; the tools they used in their work in local agriculture and other trades; religious icons, both Protestant and Catholic; letters to and from relatives back in the Azores; figurines, plates, paintings, crochet, ceramics,and passports.

These are the sort of things which will give the museum visitors a real sense of how Portuguese people lived, what they hoped for and the many successes they achieved.

"Working with the local community on this project is enjoyable and important and reflects our overall intention for Commissioner's House,'' she said.

Ms Andrews explained that the Commissioner's House was constructed during the 1820s and it is internationally significant as the world's first prefabricated cast iron structure.

In the late 1980s the Maritime Museum began its project to restore the House which had been neglected since 1951.

The restoration is being funded by private, corporate and government donations and will open to the public next year.

The House will feature numerous new exhibits on Bermuda's maritime and multi-cultural history and will be available for rental for special events.

Charlotte Andrews may be contacted at the Maritime Museum by phone: 234-1333, fax 234-1735 or via e-mail (marmuse yibl.bm).

PHPOTO (Maritime Museum Curator: Charlotte Andrews outside the Commissioner's House, Dockyard.