The process for choosing candidates to be designated a National Hero must have the confidence of the public, Owen Darrell, the Government Senate Leader said yesterday.

Mr Darrell spoke before the Senate gave the green light to the National Heroes Bill 2024, which stops living Bermudians being made National Heroes, and allows for the removal of anyone bringing the role into dispute.

Mr Darrell said the designation was a “lifetime honour”, intended to be “rare”, with the Department of Culture holding responsibility for National Hero nominations.

He said the department “emphasise that National Heroes should have made a significant and lasting contribution to Bermuda, have enriched the lives of others and have a legacy that will stand the test of time and have continued relevance in the future”.

The nominee must have “contributed to the quality of life and destiny of Bermuda” and should be considered “outstanding in their area of service”.

He said the nominee should be recognised by their profession or organisation and must reflect the island’s cultural heritage and diversity.

Among other qualities, he said, the nominee should have been dedicated, ethical, committed, self-sacrificing, must have been a risk-taker and demonstrated consistency and passion.

Mr Darrell said the Bill sought to “codify the nomination process”, with the selection “driven by established standards and attributes rather than being influenced by any set of current events or political circumstances, which may not stand the test of time”.

He added: “Public confidence in the National Hero selection process is essential to successfully maintain the order of the heroes as a symbol of exceptional excellence selected for the purpose of engendering national pride.”

Independent senator Kiernan Bell gave her support for the Bill, saying it ensured “having National Heroes that we can recognise, their role in history, and have it clear who should be recognised in this way”.

She added that it would help “members of the public and amateur historians and historians”, ensuring that “the names of Bermudians are not lost to history” but were “adequately recognised”.

The Reverend Emily Gail Dill, the Junior Minister of National Security and Transport, said the legislation meant that the island’s history would be maintained.

Dr Dill said she looked forward to “all of the many ways that our young people would be able to celebrate the history of our people and certainly walk in the footsteps of those who have gone before us”.

The passage of the Bill allows posthumous nominations only, making Sir John Swan, the former premier, the first and last living National Hero.

The legislation opens the door for the honour to be revoked if it were determined that a National Hero had brought the honour into disrepute, or cases where “a significant failing or tarnishing of a hero’s legacy surfaces belatedly”.

Under the Bill, a Naming and Recognition Committee would be established to investigate potential recipients and ways to celebrate them through “tokens of recognition”, including renaming parks, buildings or places, as well as the commissioning of statues, monuments or plaques.

The seven-member committee would include a committee head, three members recommended by the minister, one member recommended by the Opposition leader and two from the general public recommended by the head of the committee.

The nomination process would begin with an announcement from the minister on or before October 1 this year, and every ten years thereafter.

The National Heroes scheme was launched in 2008, with the first National Heroes Day holiday held on October 13 that year.

Dame Lois Browne-Evans, a barrier-breaking lawyer, politician and civil rights advocate, was the first to receive the honour.

In 2009, the holiday was moved to June to replace the King’s Birthday Holiday.

Dame Lois remained the only National Hero until 2011, when she was joined by Edgar Fitzgerald Gordon, a founding father of Bermuda’s labour movement.

They were followed by Pauulu Kamarakafego, a civil rights leader and political activist, and Sir Henry Tucker, a founder of Bermuda’s international business sector.

Mary Prince, a Bermudian-born enslaved woman and abolitionist, who played a critical role in the end of slavery in British colonies, was honoured in 2012.

Gladys Misick Morrell, a champion for the island’s suffrage movement, joined the list in 2015, alongside Sir Edward Trenton “E.T.” Richards, the island’s first Black premier.