Good Evening Ministers of the Cabinet, Sir John Swan, a national hero and family members of some of our other heroes, Ms Gordon-Pamplin, Mr Dan Tucker, and Ms Thalia Bromby, members of the media and ladies and gentlemen in the audience.
I am honoured to welcome you to this year’s Premier’s Concert: Celebrating Our National Heroes. The Premier’s Concert was first introduced in December of 1985 by then Cultural Affairs Officer Miss
Ruth E. Thomas MBE and continues to be a significant event in Bermuda’s artistic community. This year for the first time, this event will also serve as a tribute to our National Heroes.
I am incredibly grateful that we can enjoy this concert in person again and experience some of the best of Bermudian creativity firsthand.
Tonight’s performances will feature artists who have received sponsorship either from the Department of Culture or the Bermuda Arts Council during the past year and gives us the opportunity and pleasure to experience the talented Bermudians in whom the Government is proud to invest.
These outstanding artists and creatives will help us to pay homage to eight persons who have left a lasting impression on the history and culture of our island:
Dame Lois Browne-Evans; Dr Pauulu Kamarakafego; Dr Edgar Fitzgerald Gordon; Sir Henry Tucker; Mary Prince; Gladys Missick Morrell; Sir John Swan, and Sir Edward Richards. These women and men helped to shape our society and led our country through historical changes and progress.
Thanks to their courage, determination and perseverance, Bermuda saw the abolishment of slavery; the end of segregation; labour laws and workers' rights become a reality; universal adult suffrage; women’s suffrage; the writing of Bermuda’s constitution.
These heroes embody the resilient Bermudian spirit, and we will never forget their contributions to our country.
I thank the Minister, the Hon. Dr Ernest Peets, Dr Dismont-Robinson, and the Department of Culture for their hard work and dedication in organising this annual event, which continues to be one of the most popular on our calendar. And thank you to all of tonight’s performers.
I hope that you all enjoy this celebration of Bermudian excellence, heroism, and creativity. Thank you.