All agreed it was a fitting send off for a man who served his country with Herculean efforts and energy.

David Allen, the Progressive Labour Party's (PLP) first Tourism Minister, was laid to rest yesterday after a week of tributes and hours of ceremony on a beautiful, sunny day.

Hundreds lined Court Street and Church Street to watch the funeral procession with the Bermuda Regiment Band and Police outriders leading the way to the Anglican Cathedral.

The parade, which started shortly after 10.30 at Alaska Hall, the headquarters of the party Mr. Allen devoted his life to, included practically every Government Member, officials of the Tourism Department, and party functionaries of every level.

A horsedrawn hearse carried Mr. Allen's casket to the Anglican Cathedral on Church Street for what turned out to be a two hour service filled with tributes and laced at times with humour and reflections on the milestones of Mr. Allen's political and professional life.

The day was to end as it began - an odd mix of formality, sadness and celebration - with the deceased surrounded by hundreds of people of a different race but who nonetheless considered him family. Moments after the coffin was lowered into the grave at St. James Church in Somerset, bagpipers struck up a rendition of 'Amazing Grace' and were joined by the Bermuda Regiment Band.

Then the tears started to flow. Mr. Allen's niece, Lisa Windhorst, was comforted by Reverend Trevor Woolridge who had delivered a stirring eulogy at the service just an hour earlier. Shirley Rose Higgins, the longtime companion of Mr. Allen, was comforted by her brother James Higgins who also could not hold back the tears.

Premier Jennifer Smith stood a short distance away dabbing away her own tears.

"I believe it was a good send off for a true champion of Bermuda," said party spokesman Walter Roban.

"He was certainly a loyal party member and someone who gave his all to be sure that Bermuda would be the best it could be at tourism, and for all her citizens.

"It could be noticed from the tributes that he was certainly appreciated by not only those who ran the industry but also those who worked in the industry. Mr. Allen was a good example of someone who was able to bridge all types of barriers in Bermuda on the basis of primarily his work and his commitment and his contribution. That is the true measure of how important he was to Bermuda. and I believe that history will reflect the impact that he has made as a politician and a Minister of Tourism."

The service itself went off with clockwork precision. Members of the Regiment acted as pallbearers and marched the coffin, draped with the national flag, into the church. The mourners followed and within minutes the main hall was left with standing room only. The heat was stifling and many in the congregation fanned themselves furiously. Drenched with sweat, PLP backbencher El James immediately whipped off his jacket and medics were later called to attend to two women who had fainted from the heat. Gita Blakeney warmed the hearts of many by singing 'Don't Cry for Me Bermuda' a variation on the well known 'Don't Cry for Me, Argentina'.

With that the theme was set: the hymns chosen reflected the ultimate hope of the Christian faith - it had been mentioned more than a few times in the last few days, and again during the service, that Mr. Allen had "made his peace with Christ".

So it was that the congregation sang with gusto songs like 'Amazing Grace', 'How Great Thou Art', and 'When We All Get to Heaven'.

But the steady flow of tributes also guaranteed Mr. Allen a form of immortality on the secular plane. Eight people, starting with Premier Jennifer Smith, stood up and delivered accolades and personal reflections. All of them centred on Mr. Allen's life's work, his passion for social justice, his love for the people of Bermuda and his mission to resurrect tourism.

The torrent of accolades had started just moments after his death from abdominal cancer last week was made public.

"It is a peculiarity of our adversarial system of politics, and the sometimes excessively polarising nature of party politics, that tributes and compliments like these tend not to be heard by the person to whom they are directed," noted Works and Engineering Minister Alex Scott.

"They don't come in our lifetimes."

Still, Mr. Scott expressed gratitude for the recognition on behalf of his close friend and the PLP before continuing on with his tribute which spanned in a remarkably short time all the major milestones of Mr. Allen's life - from his birth, his travels in Africa (which left him "well placed to examine the similarities between Bermuda and colonial Africa" and "determined to make a change"), to his journalistic career and some highlights of his work in tourism. Rev Woolridge picked up on the theme of belated recognition in a light-hearted way when he delivered the eulogy.

"David, people are saying nice things about you - today," he said looking directly at the casket.

"Don't read the papers in 30 days."

Among his audience were representatives from the widest social and political spectrum possible in Bermuda including former Tourism Minister Jim Woolridge had been Mr. Allen's longtime political nemesis during his lifetime.

"This is the first meeting in which David Allen said nothing but we ain't finished yet," continued Rev. Woolridge referring to Mr. Allen's famous verbosity.

Also present to pay respects with a tribute were Opposition Leader Grant Gibbons, Norman Mastalir, president of the Bermuda Hotel Association, Neville Tyrell chairman of the PLP, Jean Holder, the secretary general of the Caribbean Tourism Association and labour union leader Derrick Burgess.

For those most intimately acquainted with Mr. Allen's journey through life, the Minister was a giant who, like the founders of the party and early labour leaders, had more than earned his place in history.

Mr. Burgess compared Mr. Allen with the biblical David.

"And as this same David slew Goliath, our Brother David Allen worked tirelessly to slay the giants of industry that tried to keep the workers of Bermuda weak and impoverished," he said.

"Brother David Allen became a friend to the workers of Bermuda as a young man when it was unpopular for many blacks, let alone whites, to be associated with the cause of the rights of the workers. He proved this in 1967 when he joined the Bermuda Progressive Labour Party and unlike others of his race and class who came, were tested and left, Brother David stayed the course and suffered in spite of ridicule and condemnation."

Mr. Tyrell would immediately after punctuate those sentiments with: "David Allen was a member of the PLP family and in good and proper standing. David Allen clearly understood at a very young age that the Bermuda of his birth, an idyllic and happy place during his early years where he grew up with wise and caring parents, was not the same Bermuda for others who did not enjoy the opportunity and freedoms he cherished. It was this understanding that drew a young, intelligent and energetic David Allen to the PLP in 1967."

He added : "We today can only imagine the pressure, the scrutiny and loss of opportunity he faced by being aligned with the PLP for David never alluded to it."

After offering her condolences to the family and acknowledging the many expressions of sympathy extended to her and the Government, Premier Jennifer Smith recounted some aspects of her 30 year relationship with Mr. Allen who she described as "an eloquent, erudite, flamboyant, provocative, forceful and legendary man. A man whose life and career exemplify the characteristics which we would most want to emulate".

She added :" I stand here in humble recognition of the debt we owe David for the tremendous contribution he so selflessly made to the Bermuda Progressive Labour Party, to this Government and to this country."