St. David's Islanders will be happy to know that new Member of Parliament, Suzann Roberts Holshouser, has vowed to continue the fight to have St. David's become the Island's tenth parish.

It isn't the first time that the residents of the east end community have pushed for St. David's to become a parish, in fact there were at least three other attempts. “The only difference is I've picked it up and won't let it go,” Mrs. Roberts Holshouser promised.

“Three times before people have tried this but they just never took it to an MP. The only difference here is, when I was canvassing, I was asked would I and so I have. Someone is just continuing on what other people have tried in the past.”

Mrs. Roberts Holhouser has circulated a petition in St. David's that has 300 signatures on it so far and is encouraged by the response she has received. Only two people have been negative.

“One person looked at it as being segregated and they thought Bermuda needed to be inclusive, not segregated, not understanding we're looking for recognition and not to be separated,” the MP explained.

“The other person really didn't care. Understand - if you're not a St. David's Islander and it is not in your heart it doesn't really matter to you.

“There was one young person whose house I was at with the petition, last year there was a debate in her class (at CedarBridge) and the topic of the debate was should St. David's be a parish.

“I asked her how did it go and she said ‘well, we won hands down'. I thought it was interesting that they are taking it into the schools.”

Added Mrs. Roberts Holshouser, whose grandmother was a member of the Fox family in St. David's: “It means an awful lot to the indigenous St. David's Islander. It's a sentiment, about an emotion. I've even had long distance phone calls.

“One young lady, years ago when she was in school, their project was to tell how many parishes there were. She had St. David's in as a parish and of course she got it wrong, there were not ten parishes, and she argued with the teacher.

“She is in university right now and her mother contacted her and told her ‘your fight continues'. I can ask (as an MP) for the motion be put forward that St. David's be recognised as a parish but because I'm not Government I can't ask for anything that costs money.

“So it has to be in the hands of Government in the end and I have had positive feedback.

“It's not going to go away. I want to make sure that before the old-timers pass away I want to give them something that will mean more than anything you can purchase. My grandmother would be so tickled that I'm doing this.”

Certainly the community has become self sustainable with little reliance on the town of St. George's. Where once they shopped in St. George's, bought gas there and even went to the movies on Saturday night when a late bus was put on take the residents back into St. David's.

But now they have two schools, a post office, gas station, fire station, restaurant and, since the development of Southside, a movie theatre, bowling alley, grocery store and beach which have all become major attractions to Bermudians from other parts of the island.

“St. George's is the only parish in Bermuda that actually has two post offices,” Mrs. Robert Holshouser pointed out.

Ronnie Chameau hasn't lived in St. David's for 40 years but is still a proud St. David's Islander.

“Years ago we were always on our own and nobody cared about us,” she said in response to St. David's becoming a parish.

“When we were connected to the mainland and then had other people coming over there to live, there are hardly any St. David's Islanders left. I don't know the people living there feel, but I really don't care about it becoming a parish of its own.

“With Southside building up, maybe it should become a parish. I still have an auntie down there - she's 89 - and I still go and see her. Plus my brother still lives there and all my cousins. That is home.

“We are still trying to hang onto our roots, traditions and culture.

“I am a part of the St. David's Island Historical Society and have been working on Carter House, gathering photographs of Carter House and doing research on the families of St. David's.

“I am also on the St. David's Island Indian Committee, I took my mother up to see the Pequot Tribe and she was honoured as one of the oldest elders of the Pequot Nation.”

In the last few years a concentrated effort has gone on in St. David's to trace their ancestry, bringing about a sense of renewed pride in the community.

“We always thought we were Mohawks but Mohawks hardly came to Bermuda at all,” Mrs. Chameau pointed out.

St. David's resident, St. Clair (Brinky) Tucker thinks the parish idea is an excellent one. Except for a hospital, he says St. David's has just about everything else.

“The first question I asked myself when it was put to me by Suzann is why not,” said Mr. Tucker.

“I can't see anything negative about it. I think it will assist the community in getting together, even though they are very close now. I can't say anything negative about it.

“St. David's has been its own entity since time immemorial and the culture there is different because of their ancestral background. They have one of everything except a hospital and if we had a hospital we could be completely independent.

“Even when receiving mail you would never find someone writing Cashew City, St. George's or Texas Road, St. George's.”

Mr. Tucker's mother was born in St. David's and he moved there over 20 years ago.

“I grew up in (Spanish) Point but my mother always took me to St. David's because we had a lot of family down there. When I was younger I always wanted to live there and have been there 20-odd years. I remember travelling to St. David's when they had the trains.”

Mr. Tucker has been able to trace his roots in St. David's back to 1783 and has been very involved in the community. He helped to form the St. David's Island Indian Committee.

“You can go back to ten or 15 years ago when PM Foggo was prominent in writing letters to the editor. He always said St. David's and Bermuda,” said Mr. Tucker.

“I would say 98 percent of St. David's Islanders classify themselves as different, a part of but also an offshoot of Bermuda. If you ask them where they are from they always say St. David's.

“They are very clan-ish and very strong in their beliefs. Even now if you go down to the club you'll see St. David's Islanders sitting at one end of the bar and Southside people sitting at the other end.

“I think eventually it (becoming a parish) will happen. It's not going to cost Government much money and it will be a fantastic idea.”

Bermuda Regiment Commanding Officer, Eddie Lamb, is St. David's Islander through and through, but has his reservations about becoming a parish.

“I think there are far more important issues going on in this country than worrying about whether St. David's should be a parish or not,” said Col. Lamb.

“I would have to know what the demographics of being a separate parish are. The older folks feel very strongly about it, and I'm sure even some people in my generation, but as for Eddie Lamb I don't have to be called a separate parish to have a deep sense of my own heritage and uniqueness.

“Being a born and bred die-hard gold and blue boy myself, I'm not bothered either way, to be honest. I don't need to be a separate parish to feel unique as a St. David's Islander. Those roots will never be taken from me.”

He added: “I grew up between St. David's and St. George's, my ventures were mostly over to St. George's as a young man. I went to movies over St. George's, shopped with my grandparents and parents over St. George's, so St. George's and St. David's were the centre of my universe.”

Despite - or because of - being in the same parish, there was a fierce rivalry between St. George's and St. David's, especially in cricket and football.

In fact, while many of the older St. David's Islanders support Somerset in Cup Match, even now when about half the St. George's team is made up of St. David's players.

“It was a healthy rivalry and sometimes tempers flared up a bit, but never to the point where there was mass chaos,” said Col. Lamb.

“Some of my best friends come from St. George's. St. David's and St. George's byes are very tight, but the previous generations weren't so close. Bear in mind a lot of St. Georgians and St. David's Islanders are very closely related - the Foggos and Carlingtons.

“The rivalry lends itself to the whole atmosphere. On the field there is a very strong rivalry but off the field we are the best of mates.”