future of the Corporation as it celebrates its bicentennial.

But for the city to succeed, Hamiltonians must work together for a common goal and not waste time criticising, Mr. Gibbons said.

The recent row over the proposed development of East Broadway reminds Mr.

Gibbons of the controversy over the new City Hall when he sat on the Corporation.

"It had its critics,'' Mr. Gibbons said of the building that is a widely-admired Hamilton landmark. "After it was opened, even some of its critics admitted that it was a very handsome building.'' The chairman of Gibbons Company Ltd., who stepped down as Mayor in 1988 after 39 years on the Corporation, said despite the long hours and absence of remuneration, he found his 16 years as Mayor "very rewarding,'' and "intensely interesting.'' While he was Mayor, Prince Charles, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, and Princess Margaret were among the visitors he welcomed to Hamilton. Aside from royalty, "there were lots of fascinating people who came and called, either officially or if they were on holidays in Bermuda,'' he said.

Mr. Gibbons attended boarding school in Canada and the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He served with the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.

Mr. Gibbons has a son Grant, and a daughter Tracy. His wife Ida died in 1988.

A keen golfer, Mr. Gibbons also enjoys travelling.

Shortly after Mr. Gibbons received the chain of office in 1972, Number 8 container terminal was built. "The late alderman Mr. Henry Masters was the driving force behind that, with the complete support of the Corporation,'' he said.

Also under Mr. Gibbons, the Corporation in 1980-81 acquired the two-acre Willows property, which became the city plant nursery, and the BAS property on Laffan Street, which adjoins the Dundonald Street workshop and yard.

Mr. Gibbons, who has high praise for Corporation horticulturalist Mr. George Ogden, recalls that many women's groups and others loved to visit the nursery after it opened. -- Paul Egan HAMILTON BY NIGHT -- This time-lapse phograph by Peter Perinchief shows the effect of vehicle lights along Front Street around 1951. -- Bermuda Archives Collection.