The Bookmart Review- Bermudian Heroes
by Martin Buckley,department manager at The Bookmart At Brown & Co.
In June, Bermuda celebrates Heroes Weekend and remembers those who fought for the rights we enjoy today. It’s also a time for us to mark the achievements of our sporting heroes and of Bermudians who ‘made a difference’ whatever their chosen career.
Many Bermudian heroes have been the subject of biographies. Here are some of our favourites:
The History of Mary Prince
Mary Prince: ‘The History of Mary Prince’. Mary Prince was held in slavery here in Bermuda, and elsewhere in the West Indies. Whilst in London with her owner she escaped and met with abolitionists seeking to get the Emancipation Act through Parliament. The story of her life was written down and caused a sensation when it was published in 1831. It remains in print today and stands as a searing indictment of man’s inhumanity to man.
Dame Lois-Browne Evans
Dame Lois Browne-Evans: ‘Lois, Bermuda’s Grande Dame of Politics’, Randolf Williams. Dame Lois’ life was full of ‘firsts’; she was the first woman to be called to the Bermuda Bar, the first black woman to enter Parliament and the first woman leader of the Opposition party. A key member of Bermuda’s first PLP government, she was passionate about the rights of the man in the street and a tireless campaigner for social justice.
Dr. Barbara Ball
Dr Barbara B Ball: ‘Our Lady of Labour’, Ottiwell A Simmons. Born here in 1924, Dr Ball studied medicine in England before returning to her home in the 1950’s, where she became the Island’s first female GP. In a then unprecedented step, she accepted both white and black patients and became involved in the civil rights movement. She was active during the peaceful theatre boycott, which led to the end of overt racial segregation in these Islands and in the not so peaceful BELCO strike of 1965. She was a prominent member of the Bermuda Industrial Union and is remembered as a champion of the working classes.
Clyde Best
Clyde Best: ‘Acid Test’. Staying with the struggle for equality, Clyde Best’s story is one of triumph over prejudice. Best was just 18 when he travelled from Bermuda to London to play for West Ham. As one of the first black men to play in English football, he encountered racism both on and off the pitch. His determination carried him through a successful career as a player and manager.
Hubert ‘Sparky’ Lightbourne
Hubert ‘Sparky’ Lightbourne: ‘Light the Spark’, Andrea Lightbourne. Tourism has been a mainstay of the Bermuda economy for over a century and ‘Sparky’ was one of its leading lights for four decades. Sparky’s tours were the stuff of legend and today Hamilton’s bus terminal is named in his honour.
For more information on these or any of our large range of locally published titles, telephone 441-279-5443 or e-mail mbuckley@psl.bm.
