This section of our website is intended for you to keep in touch with all of your fellow colleagues who have served in the Bermuda Police. We started this column by putting all entries on one post but soon realized that it would stretch for far too long so we are doing it by each year- and this one is for 2024.
We welcome news, however brief, and would also encourage you to send us recent photos. Sadly we sometimes have to report "bad" news such as illnesses - or worse - but we are always delighted to receive positive news! We can be contacted through our email address at info@expobermuda.com or through the comments column at the bottom of each article, including this one.
We are starting this year's "Keeping in Touch" column with an entry about those 30 men and women, many of whom will hopefully be celebrating their 50th Anniversary Year since joining the Bermuda Police back in 1974. Scroll down to our first entry of the year on 1st January regarding the 50th Anniversary.
Members of the Burke Family visit Bermuda - I’d recently been meaning to make contact with our old friend and colleague, retired Inspector Mike Burke and his wife Carolyn “Cam” who left Bermuda in 1982 after Mike retired and they settled in Jersey, in the Channel Islands, where Mike was born and raised.
Roger with Mark and Joanne on their moped
So, it was a very pleasant surprise to receive a call completely out of the blue from Mike’s son, Mark, who had arrived here on vacation with his lovely wife Joanne. Mark was born in Bermuda in 1968 and his sister, Sally was born 2 years later. The Burke family lived on Alexandra Road, Prospect, at a time when lots of the young married policemen and their wives were living at Prospect and raising children.
Mark bumped into Michael Sheehy, John Joe Sheehey’s son, at Divots Restaurant while doing something he could only have dreamed of doing when living here! Mark was 15 when his family moved to Jersey so he never had the opportunity to own and ride a Moby! He more than made up for it on this trip when he rented a moped and toured from one end of the Island to the other with Joanne as his pillion passenger. Bermuda traffic is infinitely more congested these days than it was in the 1960’s and 1970’s, but Mark and Joanne thoroughly enjoyed doing their sightseeing on two wheels although I should mention that Mark is an experienced motor cyclist on bikes far more powerful than those seen in Bermuda, such as his Kawasaki GPS 600 Ninga!
Acting Supt Arthur Glasford
Mark and Joanne also had a chance meeting with Acting Supt Arthur Glasford when they visited the Police Rec Club. Arthur introduced himself and then went on to give them a tour of the officer's club and museum. He then took them to the Police Memorial in the Prospect Cemetery, all in his own time. This was very emotional for Mark, seeing his old homes, Camp Lodge and 16 Alexandra Rd. and then visiting John Joe Sheehy's final resting place and seeing the names of others who he knew commemorated there. Mark says a better example of Bermuda hospitality would be hard to find and he is very grateful to Arthur for his time.
Mark and Joanne ready to hit the road
Mark had followed his father into the police profession and served in the Jersey Police for some 28 years before retiring as a Sergeant 6 years ago and becoming a funeral director. His sister Sally works in the Governor's Office as their Admin and Engagements Officer.
Mark and Joanne visited my wife and I at our home in Flatts Village and it was great to catch up on how the Burke family is doing in Jersey. Mike has really slowed down these days, but Cam keeps busy, and both are actively involved with their lovely grandchildren.
Mark has been back to the Island several times over the years, and we understand that his sister Sally will probably be the next family member to pay us a visit.
You can read more about Mike and Cam in an excellent article in the “Then and Now” column of our website. CLICK HERE to view it.
20th March
Hanging Out at Divots - This group of "oldies" was spotted last week having lunch together at Divots restaurant located at Belmont Hills Golf Club. Bill Butterworth, Keith Cassidy and Moby Pett are all regular golfers and play together every week. They might also be found on Thursday afternoons getting together in the bar at the Police Club with some of our other old colleagues. The odd man out in the photo is Paul Field who has never been seen on a golf course although he used to be handy with bat and ball on the cricket field in the 1960's.
Keith is a member of the Senior Golfer's who plays at Belmont on Tuesdays and I seem to recall that he and a partner won a recent tournamen with the Seniors. Keith probably knows the course better than anyone as a Past President of Belmont who still patrols the course on a regular basis and still works tirelessly to make sure it's kept in good shape. And on the same subject, all four of these old colleagues are in generally good shape and are all staying active. Great to see them out and about.
4th March
A pensive John McQuaid
John McQuaid returning “Home”! We hear that our good friend and former colleague, John McQuaid, is returning to his second “home” here in Bermuda for a 2 week holiday, arriving on Sunday 10th March, and he’ll be staying with his friend Edward Harris.
John has been yearning for a visit to Bermuda for some time and is hoping to meet up with as many of his old friends as possible, especially his Somerset crew and also members of the Police Drama Group. Sadly, he isn’t able to bring his wife, Lynn, due to the fact that she’s very ill and not able to travel. In fact their children have urged John to take a well-earned break and visit the Island he fell in love with over half a century ago.
John served here in the Bermuda Police from September 1963 – September 1969, serving first in St. George’s and then in Somerset where he met his lovely wife Lynn in Somerset.
CLICK HERE to read the story of John McQuaid taken from his article ‘THE SIXTIES’ in which he wrote "My stay in Bermuda left an indelible mark, a love of the island and its way of life, which I have retained ever since."
Young P..C. Dennis Gordon
20th January
8th January
"Celebration of Life" for Steve Dunleavy - The family of the Late retired Sgt. Steve Dunleavy held a “Celebration of Life” reception for Steve at the RHADC in Paget on Sunday afternoon 7th January 2024. CLICK HERE to review our Hall of Fame article about Steve which was written with the assistance of his family who also kindly supplied some of the photos.
Here in Bermuda, and elsewhere, it‘s been traditional to hold a funeral service, usually at a church or chapel, or occasionally at the Police cemetery at Prospect, but the times they are a’changing. I have to say from the outset that not only was Steve’s “Celebration of Life” reception packed with his family, friends and former colleagues in attendance, but it also felt like an actual “celebration” of his life. There were touching moments when his children, Christian, Sean and Katherine shared some of their highly personal reminiscences of good times and amusing times with their dad, as did grandson Jay and nephew John. It should also be mentioned that Steve's snooker partner for many years, fellow policeman, Andy Wright, flew in specially for the reception and also gave a personal tribute to his good friend.
Please note that in accordance with his family’s wishes, wearing bright colours were the order of the day – except for the colour red! But why? Typical of curmudgeonly Steve, it was explained that he wouldn’t have wanted anyone turning up in anything even remotely resembling Manchester United’s colours!
Ty Smith, Wayne Perinchief and Cal Smith
If you check out the photo of items on display in memory of Steve, you will see that not only was he proud of his time in the Bermuda Police, he was also a Bolton Wanderers fan all the way. Judging by the unanimous comments of our ExPo members present – Steve had a great send off!
1st January
HAPPY 50th ANNIVERSARY - For anyone who joined the Bermuda Police during the year 1974 and is still chugging along, we salute you and congratulate you on this the 50th anniversary year since you first joined the Bermuda Police.
It appears from our Police records, that 1974 was a rather lean year for new recruits. In all, we have found 30 names in the old police registers at Prospect, and looking through our Training School Course photos we could only find one Basic Training Course held during the year, and that was Course No. 18 held from May – July 1974.
Basic Training Course #18
Looking at the above photo we're aware that a few of these recruits either failed to make it through training school or left shortly after the course, while others stayed on, some for several years and some who made their careers as police officers. Those who stayed in the Police include Eddie Edwards, Kendrick Shillingford, John Lynch-Wade, Charlie Mooney, Cathy Dorrington, Charlie Dorrington, Coralie Trott, Tracy Armstrong, Peter Borland, and Frankie Foggo. The only Training School instructor still with us is retired Inspector John McConnie. Those we have lost include John Kandjiorka, Eric Ingemann, Terry Lee, and Matthew Lindo.
CLICK HERE for our article about the 30 men and women recruited during 1974 and listing all of their names.