Solve this mystery

November 27, 2009

Dear Sir,

Perhaps one of your readers can help me with a question I have been trying to get an answer to for years: who are the owners of the small chain of islets at Two Rock Passage, southwest of Agars Island, which go by the delightfully imaginative and honour-bestowing names of Mowbray, Lefroy, Beebe, Verrill and Agassiz?

I am embarrassed to have to say it, but in some respects, like PATI legislation and the establishment of a Land Registry, Bermuda is still extraordinarily behind the times. I have been trying for over a year now to obtain Government assistance on this through the Land Valuation Department and Lands and Surveys division of Works and Engineering and I have to give their staff full credit for supreme effort on my behalf, but either the past records are in such disarray or the work towards that end is still so far behind that I have not

been able to get a definitive reply.

I am well aware that many of the old Bermuda families retain ownership of most of the islands in Hamilton Harbour but some church groups and Government itself owns some as well, such as Darrell's, Port's and Nellie's.

My guess would be that Government is also the most likely owner of the Two Rock chain if only because the names imply a common ownership and some kind of central authority to name them the way they were named. They may also have been acquired originally from private ownership in connection with the widening and dredging of the Two Rock passage channel or even earlier for military defence purposes (although no fortifications were ever built on them excepting on Agar's Island).

I can recall that in the late 1950s volunteers were organised by the Jaycees and Government, when J. Hubert Jones was president and Government Horticulturalist respectively, to re-forest the islets and beautify them again following the death of the cedars. Since that time they have generally benefited from benign neglect and their treescape greatly enhances the seaward approach to Hamilton, although a few of the species planted have since become recognised as invasive or problematical and ought to be gradually phased out. The Two Rock chain, in particular has also become important as a nesting sanctuary for Longtails, Yellow-crowned night herons and the now rare Barn owl and Common tern.

In view of this and in the absence of any definite outcome to the ownership question I would respectfully suggest that there would be a lot of public support for the idea of The Bermuda National Trust or the Bermuda Audubon Society filing claim to them as nature reserves.

The latter conservation charity already owns and manages two of the Hamilton Harbour islets as sanctuaries for the Common tern thanks to a bequest and gift, respectively from previous private owners. I can be contacted directly at 292-1920 or at the mailing address below.

DAVID B. WINGATE

P.O.Box CR 86

Crawl

Hamilton Parish CRBX

Praise for doctor

November 28, 2009

Dear Sir,

I would like to tell Bermuda about a wonderful doctor I know. I have been going to the emergency department at King Edward over the past few years and had the great pleasure to be taken care of by Dr. Schultz.

He is an exceptional doctor, not only providing excellent medical care, but he is a kind and caring individual who treats you more than a number sitting in a waiting room. I hate to admit it but over the past years my own doctor has become too busy to care about me any more. When I go to be seen she doesn't properly examine me. I have several friends who say the same things about their doctors, that they are just being "guessed at" and aren't satisfied with their doctors any more. My doctor just listens to my complaints and diagnoses it without even touching me to examine me. This frustrates me more and more because though my symptoms may be similar to others she has diagnosed, everyone is different. I call this "guess diagnosing" and it really makes me disgusted that doctors today seem to be going this way.

It seems no doctors are taking any new patients so I now go to emergency because I am sick and my doctor is not doing a proper job. And this is where I found "wonderful" Dr. Schultz. He needs to go into private practice but I think he prefers the variety of the emergency department. I guess if he went into private practice his wife would never see him any more because he would have so many patients because of his reputation and, being the doctor that he is, that he would have to see them all before he went home ending up working much longer than a regular day. Many know about Dr. Schultz because when I talk about this good Doctor who I see at the Hospital they say before I can say his name: "Oh, that must be Dr. Schultz!"

Dr. Schultz is a very busy Doctor in Emergency but he always has time to see me. His kindess and easy manner make it easy to tell him what's bothering you. He takes the time to listen to your description of ailments and then examines and then diagnoses or asks more questitons and then sends you for some tests so he can confirm his diagnoses.

I have seen other doctors over the years before I found Dr. Schultz at the Emergency department and yes they are extremely busy there, but I am sick too ... and they rush me through like I am on some kind of fast turning turnstile. I have to honestly say most of the doctors that I have seen rarely touch me. By this touch word I mean, look in my ears, down my throat, take my temperature, listen to my heart, feel my stomach ect....

So this is to thank Dr. Schultz for being such a good doctor, for being the kind of doctor doctors used to be. He is a wonderful doctor and deserves some kind of recognition for the wonderful work he does for the people of Bermuda.

I think he should be honoured with an award of some kind for his good work. My thanks don't seem enough. I think Bermuda should honour Dr. Schultz with The Queen's badge or even an MBE? I dont know who arranges these honours or who chooses the recipients but you are missing someone very deserving Dr. Schultz. We should recognize him for his care of Bermudians.

He doesn't know I am writing and would not want a fuss made over him but he is so deserving so I hope the Governor is reading this and Dr. Brown and maybe even the Queen.

ONE OF DR. SCHULTZ'S PATIENTS

Pembroke

Principled stand

November 28, 2009

Dear Sir,

In the RG today (and the Bermuda Sun of November 27) there is a picture and story about the National Trust buying the Lighthouse Hill Nature Reserve. There is also a sign that indicates that some entity (name obscured) is the "principle" sponsor.

Whilst that entity may well be sponsoring some sort of "principle" or fundamental idea, I suspect they were actually the "principal" or the primary, main sponsor!

POLLY

Southampton

Everyone's business

November 28, 2009

Dear Sir,

Everybody's talking about crime but we don't seem to be winning that battle. Maybe the political will is not there, just like it's probably not there when the Government tries to deal with education. Let's face it, this is not easy when the community clams up and the Police are clearly not up to the task. I don't know the answer but we'd better come up with one ... and fast.

Bermuda has an economy based primarily on hospitality, construction and international business. Most of us are employed in one sector or another with the majority of the rest being employees of the Government. Most of us rely on our jobs for our income and the other side of that coin is that, if the jobs go or the employer cannot afford to pay us, then we are going to have some serious issues paying bills.

The hospitality sector is already tanking and that's probably the area where the salaries are smallest. Despite Dr. Brown's claims that hotels are going to sprout throughout the land, if you believe that I want to sell you a bridge ... and even the most diehard PLP-er has to be beginning to have some doubts about Doc's ability to deliver (although he sure can talk pretty). The construction sector is months away from drying up completely.

Sure, the foreigners will be the first to go but what we will see is smaller construction firms going out of business. And the international business sector is shrinking significantly but struggling to stay alive.

So where does crime come into this. I suspect the construction industry won't feel it but Bermuda is getting some bad press in the international travel sectors and the local newspapers, just doing their jobs, have criminal activity all over their pages. Bermuda's reputation as a 'safe' destination is no more ... and I had that from a horse's mouth, the Editor of a well known travel magazine. Ask any retailer on Front Street to tell you how their business is when tourists don't show up.

But the biggest impact will be felt in the international business community. Until now the shootings, the muggings, the home invasions and the general criminal activity has targeted local homes and families. The first international business executive or member of his family to get hurt ... shot, beaten, mugged, raped ... this house of cards is going to come tumbling down. The only business that will prosper will be Bermuda Forwarders. ... moving people out.

All I can say is that either we need to get the PLP to find some competent people to run things or we need to find someone else to be the Government.

CRIME FIGHTER

Southampton

Leaders deserve blame

October 30, 2009

Dear Sir,

We, as a black community, are collectively responsible for our young black males, including the criminals. They are our values and our priorities and the leadership that we have chosen and the kind of leadership that we have accepted (even tolerated!) that has created our society and has created our social problems (as well as any successes we may have had).

We will solve our own problems, if they are ever solved, no matter how many thousands of dollars we pay foreigners to tell us what we already know, or should know – or merely to entertain us, since we will go to listen to a foreigner when we will pay no attention to another black Bermudian who has been telling us the same thing for decades.

I believe in the value of having the insights and experiences of others injected into our thinking and discussions but many of our greatest failures are the direct result of our total dependence on, and the accepting "hook, line and sinker" of, the advice of some short-lived foreigner who knew less about Bermuda and its people than we do.

Our "young black males" and our old black male (and female) leaders all demonstrate – even if in very different ways – the extent to which we have all internalised the contempt and lack of respect for our black selves and each other, which was modeled for us for so many centuries by our white masters and rulers. But we now know that. So we are now responsible. So let us begin by not only bestowing the obligatory respect, status, privilege and prestige on our leaders but by demanding that they, in return, demonstrate the same respect, consideration and concern for the black community which bestowed the honour on them, including the least and most alienated among the black community. When our leaders humble themselves enough to both have and show true concern and commitment to our alienated, often unrepresented and disenfranchised, Blacks on the margins of our society, we may do more to address the crime and alienation than anything that the Governor may do, no matter how many foreigners he may import to solve the crime.

As long as so many of our high profile leaders demonstrate the kind of lack of respect and a lack of a sense of value for the rest of us in the black community, we cannot be surprised when those who think that they have nothing, or less, to loose, if they show the same lack of respect for both themselves, each other and the rest of us and so are prepared to kill themselves and us.

Only we, collectively, can solve our own problem of crime and we may have to change some of our own values and priorities to do so. Those high profile public figures who create the ethos and values of our society must accept their own share of responsibility for the nature of our society.

DR. EVA N. HODGSON

Crawl

Stunning performance

November 29, 2009

Dear Sir,

Last night I was lucky enough to be in the audience at Warwick Academy for their final performance of "Blood Brothers".

What a stunning performance staged by an extremely talented cast and crew of students. The acting, singing, music and sets were all worthy of any professional production in the Bermuda Festival and the Festival organisers would be wise and fortunate to include them in a Festival line-up and soon!

Congratulations to Matthew McGowan and the entire cast for a memorable and moving evening.

Rest assured Bermuda, the future of theatre on the island is in good hands!

RICHARD FELL

Smith's Parish

A lasting memorial

November 28, 2009

Dear Sir,

At the time of the Remembrance Day holiday, it was announced that a decision had been made to record the names of every man and woman who had served Bermuda in the First and Second World Wars. This was to be on five individual walls forming a semi-circle around a fountain in the grounds of the Cabinet Office.

In this way, for the first time, nearly 2,000 Bermudians will be fittingly named and honoured.

It would also be possible to recognise and honour these Bermudian war veterans who had served their country faithfully, in a Remembrance Book of brief biographies (three or four biographies to a page). Copies of the book could be placed in the Public and other libraries and on the Internet. A genealogist Could use information from various sources to compile brief biographical outlines of the no longer living veterans. Such sources include direct and collateral descendants in addition to school, church, registry and other records.

Just a thought from a veteran (still living) who served five years in the Second World War.

OWEN H. DARRELL

Pembroke