Heritage important for helping young people
with their heritage.
Speaking at the Hamilton Lions Club's luncheon at Pier Six nightclub last week, Mr. Butler also called for a Sir Stanley Burgess Day -- something he said he has been lobbying for the last three years.
Mr. Burgess was born on September 10, 1901, and was the winner of ten Marathon Derbys as the race was called.
He also finished second 14 times, third five times, fourth three times, and ran the marathon a grand total of 54 consecutive years until his death in June of 1984 at the age of 83.
He was noted for his trademark white handkerchief that always adorned his head and the fact that he always bathed in a mixture of port wine, honey, beet tops, and rum before every race.
"Sir Stanley'' ran his last race in 1983 at the age of 82, earning himself the nickname "The Iron Horse''. And though he never received an official knighthood from the Queen, he is commonly given the title out of respect for his accomplishments in running the Marathon.
Mr. Butler -- who plans to represent the Progressive Labour Party in the next General Election -- stressed the need for Bermudian youth to learn of such feats achieved by Bermudians throughout the history of the Island.
He stated that the youth of today, often referred to as "the lost generation'', can only be regarded as lost if they have been given up on.
And Mr. Butler said many of the problems of today were directly related to the way lifestyles in Bermuda had changed. For example, he said, the youth did not go to church in the numbers that children did when he was a child.
He also said there were no heritage celebrations until after the riots in 1977, and that he hoped it would not take another sort of uprising to wake Bermudians up to the fact that the youth were in trouble and needed help.