Latest Interesting Article

Interesting Articles

 

This section features interesting articles written by former colleagues on a wide range of subjects related to the Bermuda Police Service or recounting personal experiences.   We are delighted to receive articles from anyone who wishes to put pen to paper, and will assist with editing where necessary.

 

 

 

Santa cools out on the beach in Bermuda
 
After so much sad news in the last few weeks I thought it was time to spread some Christmas spirit and invite our readers to write to us and let us know how you are spending this year's Festive Season.  You can do so either by adding your comments in the Comments section below or by sending an email either to myself or to info@expobermuda.com and please feel free to send photos of your holiday activities.
 
We would also be very interested to know about your memories of Christmas's Past in Bermuda.  I can still vividly recall my first Christmas here in 1964 when I was invited to the home of Sergeant Derek and Helen Fletcher on Mary Victoria Road, Prospect.  Helen cooked a delicious dinner, complete with roast turkey, ham, the best roast potato's I'd ever had, loads of vegetables - and a most peculiar "cake" full of chicken and meat, the likes of which I'd never seen before!  It was, of course, cassava pie!  Not too sure that I was a cassava fan for the first few years - it's an acquired taste -  but now I wouldn't miss it for the world.  I've since heard from many of our then recruits during the 60's and 70's about being invited into the homes of married policemen and their wives for Christmas dinner.   Would love to hear from you and all those who have spent time in Bermuda during this Festive Season.
 
From a personal point of view, Marian and I will be heading over to Gilbert Hill in Smith's Parish on Christmas morning to have breakfast with our daughter, Joanna, her husband and two children.  Not sure what is on the menu but it will not be the traditional Bermuda Sunday morning breakfast of cod fish and potatos!  We can only handle so much food, even on Christmas Day.
 
Later in the mornng the two of us will head out for a nice long walk.  Our usual preference would be to drive over to Elbow Beach,  but believe it or not,  Elbow Beach will be packed to capacity -  even more so than during the College Weeks of the 60's and 70's. That's because it has become a tradition for several thousand members of our expat community to spend the day there, especially those from colder climes such as Canada.  Our weather forecast today is for Bermudaful sunny weather and low winds so it will be almost impossible to find a parking space within a mile of the Elbow Beach tribe road.  Our walk will probably be around Spittal Pond,  Ferry Reach, or Southside (the former Kindley Air Force Base).
 
If you would like to view Elbow Beach today you can do so through Bernews who have already posted an article about the early morning arrivals at Elbow Beach and will no doubt be adding more photos during the day.  Just go to  http://bernews.com/2016/12/christmas-celebrations-on-elbow-beach-2/
 
We may not have cold weather and snow on Island but some folks go all out to decorate the outside of their homes with Christmas lights at this time of year.  Thanks to Bernews you can take a peek at some of the light decorations at http://bernews.com/2016/12/photos-christmas-light-displays-decorations-2/

And you can also view our annual  Christmas Messages from Her Majesty The Queen,  our new Governor H.E. John Rankin,  Premier Michael Dunkley, Oppositiion Leader David Burt, and Bishop Wes Spiewak, at http://bernews.com/2016/12/five-videos-2016-bermuda-christmas-messages/ 

This afternoon our daughter  and her husband will be hosting all the Bermuda Sherratts for gift opening, games, and the traditional Christmas dinner.  That includes our son Tommy and his wife and three children.  We are very fortunate to have our whole family here in Bermuda -  all living right here in Smith's Parish within a five minute drive.
All that remains is for me, on behalf of the Bermie ExPo, to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Healthy and Happy New Year.  
We look forward to hearing from you.
 
27th December
We received an email a few days ago from Ray Sousa who served in the BPS from January 1966 - May 1974 before moving out to Australia with his wife Pat.  Ray worked for many years near Perth in Western Australia, where he and Pat settled with their children, as a Ranger and became a Ranger and Emeregency Services Coordinator for many years with primary responsibility for Disaster Prevention especially bush fires   He is supposed to be retired but anyone who know Ray will know for sure that he could never stand still for 2 minutes!  He still keeps active as a volunteer.  Ray wrote a fascinating article in our 'Then and Now' column which gives a unique insight into his life in Bermuda,  in the BPS, and in Australia.  The article can be found at http://expobermuda.com/index.php/tan/40-rsousa
Ray and Pat with their family

"Hello Folks,

I hope you are all happy and in the best of health.  

During the year despite some health issues Pat has been busy co-coordinating music for church choirs, and St. Vincent de Paul Society welfare call outs for 2 conferences.  Her big project in recent months has been co-coordinating Christmas Hampers and children's presents for our clients in the Armadale district.  We got 30 hampers from Headquarters and with food donated from the Parish and 4 Catholic Schools in the area made up a further 80 Christmas Hampers; making a total of 110 hampers.  

We also got enough presents donated to give to each child on the family hamper list.  As you can imagine this was a major project and Pat spent a lot of long days and nights on the computer to ensure the the information was right.  Even when she was asleep, she had nightmares about the project which woke up " Jessie Belle " who growled and warned me " not to touch her mother ".  

On Friday 9th December all the food was taken to the church hall, each item of food was checked to ensure it had not reached the expiry date, then the hampers were made up. This was a major project by our excellent team of volunteers; who returned the following day to provide morning tea, hampers and presents to our clients. I never imagined that at 70 I would be running around with reindeer antlers taking hampers to people's cars.  I have no doubt that a lot of families would have missed out on Christmas  if not for our efforts. Special credit goes to Pat for coordinating this project

During the year I again served on the District Welfare Committee, which ensures agencies work together to help those in need.  For Christmas we aimed to ensure all those in need got hampers and / or vouchers for food.  Of course our work is year round when we help with food, rent assistance, clothing, utility bills etc.  What is so humbling about this work is it is mostly done by volunteers who are pensioners.

Besides welfare work I am still active with an Emergency Services Support Group, that set up and runs Command Vehicles and Centres during emergencies.  Most of our work is regarding bush fires, and it has again been a busy year.  We can be sent any where any time.  Again our group is made up of unpaid volunteers as are about 30,000 of our Emergency Services Members.

Family wise the kids and grand kids seem to be doing well; despite all the challenges life is giving them.  I am sort of glad I no longer have to deal with their type of issues; but again some how I survived, even thrived.

Health wise, I am finishing the year in pretty good shape.  I am still doing a lot of walking and kayaking when I can.  My fitness levels are in the range of the DPAW [ old State Forestry ] level for a 45 year old. During my yearly examination my doctor double checked his results then claimed I am fitter now than last year this time.  Of course what I did not admit was that I was performing beyond the pain barrier.  I know it is only a matter before I will have to have some small operations, but I am putting them off as long as I can.  Mentally, like anyone who has served in emergency services for a few years, in my case over 50 years, I have my flash backs and demons to deal with.  I find by keeping busy out in the field helps me keep these matters under control, better than relaxing for too long.

Now the year is almost over.  Are you ready for Christmas?   I appreciate that some of you will be snowed in (not in Bermuda) and next to a warm fire.  Here in Western Australia we are the complete opposite with temperatures in the mid to high 30’s [90’s to over 100 F ] To the north of the State we have a number of cyclones developing.  They could make life interesting in the last days of 2016.

Well I finally managed to get this e-mail  without a call out of other emergency.  Look after yourselves, Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy 2017

All the best,

Pat, "Jessie Belle" and Ray

 
Young P.C. Colin Mackenzie

We have received the following best wishes from Colin Mackenzie who joined the BPS in 1970

Happy New Year, Roger. Hope this finds you well

I gave thought to your request for remembering Christmas in Bermuda (a little after the fact I know) so here is one thing, out of so many, that I remember. During my early years in Bermuda I was a member of the JCC’s along with Will Mayo, former owner with his wife Carole of Strands Salon. Will and I were part of the group involved in the Santa Clause Parade along Front Street. It was always a fun time, especially doing things for the kids. Will and Carole have been great friends and their hospitality and friendship during my 9 years on the Island will never be forgotten. I’m sorry, I don’t have any photos of those parades or even of Will and I on the parade route.

And, in keeping with helping others, as a Rotary member of the Rotary Cub of Peterborough, 4 years ago I initiated the food donation program from our meetings, meaning I deliver the left over food from our Monday meetings to the various homes and shelters in Peterborough. Before Christmas I delivered 30 turkeys to those less fortunate than us and the turkeys were donated by generous Rotarians. How the food donation started was I saw leftover food (paid for by Rotary) going back to the kitchen of the hotel where our meetings are held. I spoke to the kitchen manager and, with the cooperation of the kitchen staff, they pack up the food in containers that I (Rotary) provide and the food is delivered to the various homes/shelters right after our meetings. No matter where one lives there are always people having a tough time making ends meet so the Rotary Club of Peterborough members help out whenever we can.

I am also a member of Habitat For Humanity working with the Youth Program to help build homes for those again less fortunate than us. A group of Rotarians help out at build sites and we act as mentors, as some youth members (16 - 18 years old) have never picked up a hammer before.  We also encourage them to think about safety at a build site.

I am also a board member of our local CrimeStoppers program and involved with others in fund-raising activities.

And, still playing squash regularly as well as giving squash lessons once a week!

On a personal note, I was stunned, as were all of us here, of the news of the passing of Bron Pett. I played rugby with Moby, worked beside Barrie Mancell, know his wife Jen and, of course, knew Bron as well. My wife and I met Moby and Bron some years ago when they were here for a visit and we all met at Paul Hendrick's house. Such sad news indeed.

I hope the info. is OK, Roger and, finally, congratulations on your New Years honour! Well deserved!

I wish all whom I worked with and know on the Island a safe, healthy and happy new year.

Cheers.

Colin.

Editors note  - After receiving this email from Colin I wrote back to ask if he might have a Christmas photo of himself and his family, to which he replied:-

“You know what, no photos of us this Christmas. I’m always taking photos of somebody else! Grandkids were over before Christmas and my wife and I had to have eyes in the back of our head….they are into everything! 8 and 4 years old…mischievous as heck and smart as anything! What any proud grandfather would say, right?

I have a photo of myself and our dog that I have attached….if that helps. His name is Duke and he’s a Schnoodle, a cross between a Schnauzer and a Poodle.

 
Colin and Duke

Duke has been a “therapy” dog at one of the schools here, about a year and half ago. The kids loved him and, as part of the visit, I told the kids in each class 5 things about a dog they may not have known. Duke also did his tricks for a treat, like rolling over and sitting and pawing the air.  He was a hit because he has such a good temperament, very easy going and doesn’t get rattled easily.  Then the V/Principal who set up the visits moved to another school. Duke may return to the school later this Spring.

Sorry about no Christmas photos. Cheers!

Colin.”

It was a real pleasure attending the "Ex-Bobbies Christmas Bash" held at Mad Hatters Restaurant in the Mariners Club on Thursday lunch-time 8th December 2016.  There were about 30 of our former officers present for the occasion and a very good time was had by all.

Dave Cook opened the proceedings by welcoming all those present.  Dave gave a brief history of this popular annual event:-

Dave Cook welcomes everyone

"As best my memory serves me, back in 1992 after I retired and was working for Paul Field at Bermuda Alarm Company  I received a call from George Rushe inviting me to lunch around Christmas time. To the best of my recollection joining us were Barrie Meade, John Instone, Peter Duffy, maybe others but I can’t recall. This became a regular occurrence at Christmas time just with the four or five of us. Over the years the numbers steadily increased. We met at MR Onions Restaurant on Par-la-Ville Rd. When they closed we moved to Fisches Place, now the Mad Hatters Restaurant,  here at at the Mariners Club.  We have had as many as 40 attend the lunch which has become a regular yearly get together. "  At the conclusion of his remarks Dave asked everyone present to raise their glass in a toast to "absent friends" and listed all those guys who have left us since last December.

Attending todays "bash" were  Dave Ashurst, Oliver Bain, Dave Barber, Roddy Barclay, John Barnett, Reese Bartley, Arthur Bean, Ray Bell, Foster Burke, Bill Butterworth, Keith Cassidy, Dave Cook, John Dale, Orson Daisley, Eddie Davies, Steve Dunleavy, Alan Gorbutt, John Greatrex, Neil Halliday, Pat Hamlett, Gerry Lyons, Brian Malpas, John McConnie,  Rex Osborne, "Moby" Pett, Kevin Reeves, Mike Shaw, Pete Shaw, Roger Sherratt, John Skinner, Phil Taylor, and Norman Wilson.

We had assembled at the Mad Hatters at 12 noon for drinks before taking our seats for an excellent meal.  In recent years it has become the custom to have "Fast Eddie" Davies tell a few jokes during the proceedings and he never fails to bring the house down.  On a more sombre note,  Eddie announced that he was retiring from his position at the Monetary Authority at the end of January and he and his wife will be heading to the U.S. to settle there later in the year.   Most of us believe he is irreplaceable - as a comedian! 

The food was superb and camaraderie was first class.

Eddie Davies in full flow! 
...... and the smuttier the jokes - the louder the laughs!  Just ask Phil Taylor.

We had two of our former officers visiting from abroad. As we reported last week, John Greatrex, was visiting from South Wales,  and Orson Daisley had just arrived from Barbados. Our most senior man was probably Brian Malpas who had travelled all the way from Somerset, while Arthur Bean arrived from the east.

Mad Hatter - a great place for lunch
(l-r) Kevin Reeves, Foster Burke, Oliver Bain, Orsan Daisley, John McConnie, Reese Bartley and Dave Cook
(l-r) Pat Hamlett, Kavin Reeves, Foster Burke and Oliver Bain  
 (l-r) Dave Barber, Bill Butterworth, "Moby" Pett (hiding), Pete Shaw, Keith Cassidy, Phil Taylor,
Mike Shaw, Norman Wilson, Roddy Barclay, Alan Gorbutt and John Greatrex
(l-r) Bill Butterworth, "Moby" Pett, Pete Shaw, Keith Cassidy
Roger Sherratt and Dave Barber (Dave is getting new teeth soon)
 Roddy Barclay and Alan Gorbutt
 John Greatrex, Rex Osborne and "Fast Eddie" Davies
Neil Halliday, Dave Ashurst, Arthur Bean and Brian Malpas 
Gerry Lyons, Ray Bell and John "Flaps" Barnett 
 (l-r) Dave Ashurst, Arthur Bean, Brian Malpas, Neil Anderson and Steve Dunleavy
John Skinner, John Dale, Neil Anderson and Dave Ashurst 

Everyone who attended has been invited to write a quick note about where they are what they're doing these days for the information of our members abroad.  We will also endeavour to locate their old warrant card photos and post them with their replies, although some photos are missing and others have deteriorated - the photos that is!  If that is the case we'll try to find a photo in our ExPo collection. Here are the replies received so far:-

 

Oliver Bain

Oliver served from 1969-1995 and after retirement in1995, he was appointed Executive Officer of the United Bermuda until 1998 when the Progressive Labour Party became the government. I am sure you are aware that when one has a political appointment you become a casualty if your party is unsuccessful. Subsequently l worked  for Sun Life of Canada for three years selling life insurance. In 2003 a former colleague and l formed a taxi company and drove and organise transportation for corporate clients. I still do a bit in that regard so l consider myself semi retired. I play tennis three times a week but only doubles as l could always blame my partner if we lose. I am still very competitive. I travel frequently to NY to see my 96year old mother and to Grenada to see family members.

 
 
Young P.C. John "Flaps" Barnett
John Barnett a.k.a. ‘Flaps’
John was born on June 17 1939. He served in the BPS from 1961 to 1969. During this time he walked the beat in Hamilton, was in the Marine Section, served as a traffic officer and completed his service as a clerk in Police HQ when senior officers found he could type!   He married Sandra Jones on December 10 1964 so celebrated their 52nd wedding anniversary two days after the ex-bobbies bash. He has three children and seven grandchildren.  After leaving the BPS John entered the life insurance business with Sun Life of Canada. John and Sandra left Bermuda in 1981 while John was still with Sun Life, moving to Toronto for 10 months then to Vancouver until 1997 when he returned to Bermuda to set up a company, Life & Annuity Services Ltd., dealing with jumbo sized life insurance policies issued by Sun Life and Manulife.
John retired from L&A in 2014 at the age of 75 after handing over the reins of the company to his son Scott. He is the current President of the Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Bermuda, which produces quality musicals in Bermuda. Now that he’s retired he and Sandra spend as much time as possible traveling and have just completed a round the world trip.
Editors note -  John is also a Past President of our Ex-Bermuda Police Association who did a great job during his tenure as President.
 
Sergeant Dave Cook
Dave Cook
After retirement from the Police in 1992, Dave worked for an alarm company for 2 years then went to Butterfield Bank security depatment alongside former Sgt John Graham. During his 11 years at the bank  he was made Head of Security, retiring in December 2005.
Dave is now fully retired but he and his wife, Patsy, are very busy in retirement.  Dave has played a vital role in re-activating our Ex-Police Association. He and Patsy travel whenever possible, They have three lovely granddaughters aged 15,4 and 2  who give them a lot of pleasure, and Dave keeps fit by attending aqua aerobics at the National Sports Centre.  He is, of course, the organizer of this annual Ex-Bobby Bash
P.C. Alan Gorbutt
Alan Gorbutt
Alan retired from the Police in 2007 after 25 years.  He worked for 5 years  at an office furniture company and now coming up to 5 years as an assistant facilities manager for the Bermuda Hospital Board.   Alan has been married for over 25 years to Susan and they have a 24 year old daughter Alexandra.   He is still an avid collector of Royal Memorabilia and managed to be featured in a recent new book 'Royal Bermuda'.  Alan has promised faithfully to write an article for our website on his amazing memorabilia collection – if he can find somewhere to sit down at home!
P.C. John Greatrex
John Greatrex
Since return to the UK, John have travelled extensively, visiting 21 new countries, making a total of 73 in all  -  definitely a world traveller! John is an avid sports fan.  He attends the Oval cricket ground to watch England (not sure if he’s a member of the Balmy Army!),  He also follows the Welsh rugby team attending all their home games. Next year, he has plans to visit France, Jersey, Hong Kong, San Francisco, and plans on traveling to New Zealand to support the British Lions rugby team against the All Blacks.
 
Neil Halliday
After leaving the Force Neil  moved to the Bank of Bermuda then after qualifying as a lawyer he worked with MJM for a number of years and recently moved to Winchester Global Trust – still working full-time.
 
Kevin Reeves
Kevin left  the Police in 2001 after 25 years. He worked at the Bank of Butterfield for eight years and has been at the Bermuda Monetary Authority for seven years. He will be retiring next year and he and his wife Susan, who has just retired from nursing,  plan to move to the Dordogne area in France.
 
Mike Shaw
Mike Shaw
Mike Shaw - retired from the Police in 2003 after 27 years service and went to work for Will Cox running The Waterfront Marina, at Barr’s Bay. Mike retired again in 2011 to look after an estate for some friends. Enjoys golf days  with like minded ex-police colleagues, and travel to UK on a fairly regular basis.
 
John and Sheila Skinner in happier times at an ExPo function
John Skinner
I joined the Bermuda Police in 1972 after service in Sussex Police. I retired from the Police in 2003 .  I later joined the Bank of Bermuda, then a real estate company before joining AF Smith from where I 'finally' retired in 2014 to look after my wife Sheila.  I have since returned twice for short term contracts.  Sheila and I were married for 37 years.  She passed away in December 2014.  I have one daughter Claire and two grandchildren, Chelsea (10) and Santi (6), who all live in Bermuda.

 

This section of our website is devoted to those of us who are Grandparents.  We would like to encourage you to send us photos of your grandchildren, preferably with you in them, and tell us a little about them.

If your grandchildren are like mine they love to hear stories about when their "Papa" was a policemen!  One of the reasons for creating this website is to provide all of us with an opportunity to write our life stories  so our memories can be passed on to future generations.  We have had dozens of colleagues write articles for our "Then and Now" column, and we encourage everyone to do so, especially if you have grandchildren.  

We have had so many colleagues who have led fascinating lives but their stories will disappear unless someone writes them down.  In some cases we have worked with the families of those police officers who have passed on; great characters such as "Chief" Oliver Trott,  "Syke" Smith, Vic Richmond, Johnny Wlliams, Sean Sheehan, and even as far back as our first ever detective, Charles Edward "D.O" Simons.  Their stories can be found in our Hall of Fame.   

For those colleagues who are no longer with us we would also encourage their families to send photos of our former officers' grandchildren, or even great-grandchildren.  We look forward to hearing from you

When we started this column we may have posted photos with the latest at the bottom of the column, but from now on (July 2020) we will posted them with the latest received at the top of the page.

 

25th July 2020

John Headey just wrote to us after having his two grandchildren staying with them.  John says, “ We have had our exhausting but delightful Grandchildren with us for a week or so.  I had forgotten what a relief it is when they finally go to sleep!  We hand them back on Monday and plan a couple of nights in a nice Hotel to recover.  A few table service pints are in order !

Wylie is now 10 and has been making himself useful doing a little painting for me, wearing my T shirt!

Wylie hard at work!

Here is Teddy about to attack her gifts on her 5th Birthday.  She’s a real character,  independent and entertaining, frequently has me in hystericsTeddy Rose on her 5th birthday

 

I wonder where this Pandemic is going to take us?  Infection numbers seem to be on the rise again where lockdown has been eased.  The latest numbers from the US are pretty scary.  The prospect of a British winter alongside Covid-19 is not something to look forward to, especially for we pensioners.    Do you have a spare bedroom for a few months?  We are very good at cleaning up after ourselves !

Editors notes -  We do indeed have a spare bedroom but it’s in regular use because our own 5 grandchildren, all of whom live here in Bermuda, take every opportunity to  stay with us, and yes we know what it is when they finally go off to sleep, especially if all five are here creating havoc! 

If you scroll down through this column you will see several mentiomns of John and his two gorgeous grandchildren.   For those not aware of it, John's daughter,  Lena Headey, was born here in Bermuda and gained international fame, or is it infamy,  as one of the stars of the blockbuster TV series, "Games of Thrones" in which she played the part of Queen Cersei.  We have posted several articles about Lena including the time when Queen Cersei met Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth. CLICK HERE for that article

John mentions the pandemic and we would be interested to know how our members are faring during these difficult times, and especially how your children and grandchildren are coping.

 

4th November 2018

David and Penny Long with their
grandchildren Brandon (10) and Victoria (7)

We just received these lovely photos of David and Penny Long with their two beautiful grandchildren enjoying a very busy fun weekend while visiting their grandparents home in Daytona Beach.

Young P.C. Dave Long - 1964

David served in the Bermuda Police from 1964 – 1967 and spend most of his time in Traffic and pursuing the love of his life, a young Bermudian by the name of  Penny (Stevens). They tied the knot in 1966 and have been happily married for over 50 years . The two moved to the US in 1966 so David could pursue his dream of becoming an airline pilot, and after building many hours of flight time employed as a Corporate Pilot he qualified to fly with the airlines. He had a great career and retired as a Captain for Continental Air Lines, a major American carrier flying worldwide. He enjoyed nothing more than flying into Bermuda on his scheduled routes out of Newark, New Jersey, and encountered many fellow Policemen as passengers on his flights.

Sandra with her children Brandon and Victoria

Their daughter Sandra is Director of Nursing with a Home Health Company in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Her two beautiful children love their grandparents unconditionally bringing them so much joy, in person and on Face time.

Brandon is ten and attends a private school, loves to read, is a Boy Scout and presently his dream is to be an MVP star in basketball with the NBA, which he excels in at his level!!!!!

Victoria is five, a princess with a sassy attitude, she has just started Kindergarten and she too is a Scout.

Penny with Brandon hard at practice


The above photo of Brandon with Grandma was taken as he was preparing to go to their community playground to shoot hoops and for Grandma to learn some new moves in basketball.  As Penny says, "Thank heavens for growing up playing netball at BHS."

Victoria Pilot-In-Training adorned
in her Grandpa’s uniform
 
 

Penny says, “As all grandparents realize this is a very special time of our lives, you can spoil them as much as you like and then hand them back to their parents! We can never get enough of them but must say as much as we enjoy every moment with them we are totally exhausted after they leave.”

Brandon and Victoria

David and Penny continue to live in Spruce Creek Fly-In, a haven for pilots and golfing. They also enjoy traveling, especially cruising and their next cruise will be over the Christmas holidays loving the festivities that are celebrated throughout the ship. They also love to return to Penny’s Bermuda homeland from time to time to catch up with family and friends.

David was one of the first of our former colleagues to write an article for our Then and Now column which you can view at http://expobermuda.com/index.php/tan/17-dlong

He and Penny are also featured in a more recent article on the History of the Police Drama Group which can be viewed at http://expobermuda.com/index.php/lia/694-history-of-police-drama-group

28th July 2018

John Headey with his two lovely grandchildren, Wylie and Teddy Rose
 

Here's our latest Grandparents photo from Ibiza of John Headey with his two lovely grandchildren, Wylie aged 8 and Teddy Rose aged 3.  We know young Wylie is following in his granddad's footsteps as a Huddersfield Town fan (scroll below to see a photo of Wylie in his Huddersfield Town strip), and we now wonder if either Wylie or his 3 year old sister, Teddy Rose, might follow in the footsteps of their mum, the internationally acclaimed Queen Cersei of Games of Thrones fame, otherwise known as Lena Headey, John's daughter, who was born  in Bermuda while John was serving here in the Bermuda Police Service.

28th February 2018

We just received this fabulous family photo of Mike and Cam Burke taken at Christmas. Here they are with their son Mark & wife, Joanne and their children Leah, 18, and George, 16:  their daughter, Sally, and her girls Megan, 19, Lucy nearly 18, and Aimee, 14 :  Megan's friend, Ewan and Sally's friend, Tom.

 
Mike and Cam Burke and Family
Front Row (l-r)  Leah, Megan and Lucy.
Middle Row: Mike, Joanne, Carolyn (Cam), Sally and Aimee.
Back: Mark, George, Ewan and Tom. 

We are keeping well and hope you are, too.  We've enjoyed seeing all the photos, the very interesting  'Then and Now' stories, plus all the other info you must take hours to process!

26th August 2017

Excitement at Grandpa’s Birthday  -   Mike Caulkett recently celebrated his birthday and it was almost too much for his 2 ½ year old grandson William who couldn’t keep still for moment when he saw the candles on Grandpa’s delicious looking hedgehog cake!  We’ve concluded that this young man likes to party even more than Mike did while he was in Bermuda.

Mike and Jill are seen here with their son, Ben, and young William while our other photo is of two very happy youngsters,  William and his 9 month old baby brother Samuel.

Mike Caulkett celebrates his birthday
(l-r)  Ben,  Jill and Mike, with William
Two happy young Caulketts  -  Samuel and William

Mike sent us a lovely video of William doing his birthday cake dance. We have problems downloading videos onto our website but you can view it on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/BDAExPolice/

19th August 2017

John Headey  -  John has sent us this delightful photo of himself with his two year old granddaughter, Teddy Rose,  which we are pleased to publish in this column on "Grandparents".  John had previously sent us a photo of himself with his first grandchild, young Wylie, who is Teddy's big brother, and while visiting his grandparents in England on holiday was "converted" from American football to being a fan of John's home team Huddersfield Town.  Scroll down to the bottom of this column to see John with Wylie in full kit.

Grandfather John Headey shares a hug with his second grandchild, Teddy Rose.

EDITORS NOTE

We started this column by posting additional photos in the order we received them but now realize that you would have to scroll all the way down to the bottom to view our latest additions, so from now on we will publish the most recent additions at the top of the column.

27th November

Ray Sousa  -  Ray joined the BPS in January 1966 and certainly made his mark as a young police officer with boundless enthusiasm for life and his work.  He served in Central (Uniform), Central Parishes, CID, Murder Squad and in Narcotics. An avid Scout Leader, he was always keen to help young people and was the creator of the annual Police Pedal Cycle Gymkhana, along with Gary Perinchief and Roger Sherratt. 
 
Young P.C. Ray Sousa
 
Ray was one of the first of our colleagues to write his memoirs for our Then and Now column, and he did a superb job writing a fascinating account of his life in Bermuda and Astralia which you can find at http://expobermuda.com/index.php/tan/40-rsousa
 
Ray married his wife Pat in 1972, and in 1974 they headed off to Australia to make a new life for themselves.  Ray became a Government Ranger in Western Australia and went on to become the Community Emergency Services Coordinator where one of his primary duties was fighting major bush fires.  He is now, finally fully retired although we hear that he is still a very active “volunteer”!
 
Ray and Pat have four children, Rebel, Chris, Amanda and Andrew, and they are now the grandparents of no fewer than 7 grandchildren, with some living in Australia and some here in Bermuda, so family get-togethers are few and far between! 
 
Their daughter Amanda who is living here in Bermuda, has two children -  Jasmine and Joshua. Their son Andrew has 2 children and lives in Bassendean  within an hours drive of Ray and Pat,  while their son Chris has 3 children, Jada, Braydon and Adison, and they live in Bridgetown, Western Australia, about 2 ½ hours away -  a very short hop out there!
 
Fortunately, the family all got together this year for Easter, and as these two photos clearly indicate, their family reunion was held in Australia, at Ray and Pat’s home where they enjoyed Easter egg hunts,  a big lunch, cricket and other sports, and a visit to Cohuna Wild Life Park.
Riding the Sabre Tooth Tiger
(From head to toe) Oscar 7, Arye 5, Joshua 5, Adison 6, Braydon 8, Jasmine 8, and Jada 10.
Feeding Wallabies and Kangaroos
 (l-r) Braydon 8, Joshua 5, Adison 6, Jasmine 8, and Jada 10
Ray, as always, send his regards and very best wishes to all those he knew and worked with in the BPS.
Jerome Simons  -  joined the BPS in October 1972 and served in numerous department including Central (Uniform) Operations (Cycle Squad), Eastern, Murder Room, Narcotics (Dog Handler), Prosecutions, Marine Section, and Operations (Traffic). 
 
Young P.C. Jerome Simons
After retiring in January 2002 Jerome has been operating a  boat maintenence business along with his two sons, Jermaine and Jahmal, and they have developed a reputation as being at the top of their trade.  Jerome also has another son, Jahsha who works as a Customs Officer, and a daughter, LaQuita, who works in caregiving.
During the past two years Jerome has been working part-time as a process server for a local credit card company and a well known law firm, which takes him back to his days as a warrant server in Prosecutions which was supposed to be for a 6 month attachment but after executing 400 summonses and warrants in his first 2 months he ended up staying for 3 years.
Jerome has two young grandchildren, one living here in Bermuda and one in Canada and he loves getting together with both of them as often as possible.
 
Jerome with his two sons, Jermaine who is holding his son Joah
who is almost 2, and Jahsha
Jerome holding his eldest grandson Jalen
who is almost 3, and Jahmal
 
Grandson Joah being held by his proud Papa

21st November 2018

Robert "Bob" Porritt   -   Our first grandfather is Robert "Bob" Porritt who served in the BPS from 1970-1975.  Bob has already written an excellent article about his life and his time in the Bermuda Police which you can find at  http://expobermuda.com/index.php/tan/111-rporritt    He sent us this lovely photo of himself with his four grandchildren several months ago, and it was this that gave me the idea to devote a special article, or a column to our grandparents and their grandchildren. 

Bob Porritt and his grandchildren
 
 

(L to R) Thomas who is 10yrs just about to start year 6. He is a keen footballer and very good at it.  Next is Lauren who is 13yrs starting year 9. She is a typical teenager and has been a member of Dewsbury Arts Group for a year and has appeared in two or three plays including Henry Millers, The Crucible. The little one on the end is Leo, 1yr, he has been walking for a while now and seemed to miss out the crawling business. These three are children of my youngest son, Chris, who is a Police Officer. Chris' wife is also a Police Officer. Leo lives with them but Lauren and Thomas stay with their mother and visit Chris on his days off. They are all happy and hoping to move to a bigger house soon.

Last but not least is Betsy, who is sat on Lauren's knee. She has just gone 2yrs and is the daughter of my eldest son, Andrew, who works for a BT Franchise. Betsy is at the stage where she knows what she wants and pushes the boundaries. Andrew and his wife are also hoping to move to a bigger house.

They all live in the local area of Morley, Dewsbury and Liversedge. Myself and Pam regularly babysit due to Police shifts and Andrews wife is a nurse at St James in Leeds. We see all of the children regularly  and we are lucky if we get one day off a week. They do tire us out but as the saying goes 'we can give them back at some time'.
I think they will keep us fit, touch wood, for some time to come.

Regards to all the other former Bermuda Police Officers who are also grandparents and the best of luck. Enjoy them!
Regards
Bob Porritt

 

Dave Garland served from 1961-1976 in a wide variety of departments including Central (Hamilton), Cycle Squad, Operations, Central CID, Murder Room, and for several years as the Inspector in charge of Marine Section. In fact Dave and Derek Jenkinson built our first police boat at Admiralty House in 1962,  although neither of them were posted to Marine Section when they completed the job.  For more information about our first police boat go to  http://expobermuda.com/index.php/articles/10-first-boat
 
Dave was one of five former colleagues who recently attended a Grandparents Day at the Bermuda High School for Girls (BHS)  and he later wrote to say, ”What a pleasant surprise to meet all our former colleagues, and what a special treat to see Andy Lavery who I hadn’t seen since he left for Canada back in 1974, and also to see Keith Lovell, both of whom I worked with on Marine Section.  
One Very Proud Yorkshireman!
Dave Garland with his two gorgeous grandchildren, Isla and Jodie
 
Dave was an avid sportsman who played rugby, hockey and football for the Police teams.  He and his wife Sue have settled in Bermuda and are fortunate to have both of their children, Christopher and Caitlin, living in Bermuda.  Caitlin has two gorgeous children, Jodie aged 11 and Isla aged 8,  who both attend BHS. 
Chris is an owner of Flanagan’s on Front Street which was previously owned by the legendary Tom Gallagher.  Flanagans is Bermuda’s premier sports bar and well worth a visit if you happen to be visiting the Island.  Chris and Flanagan’s will be soon opening a second sports bar and restaurant at Belmont Hills Golf Club (formerly Belmont Hotel) which is good news for Dave and all his mates in the Bermuda Senior Golf Association which is now based at Belmont Hills following the closure of Riddell’s Bay Golf Club.
Dave is now fully retired but really enjoys “hacking” around the golf course. Sue is still in great shape doing lots of keep fit.  They are also very involved with their two grandchildren.
 
Roger Sherratt -  I served from 1964 – 1992, first in Central (Hamilton), Eastern, Traffic,  Central CID, Crime Prevention, and for most of the last 10 years in Police Community Media Relations, retiring as Chief Inspector.
 
 
Now fully retired I keep busy as Editor of this Expo website, as President of the Bermuda Ex-Police Association, and as an avid golfer with the Bermuda Senior Golfers Association when time permits.  My wife Marian and I are very fortunate to have both our children living on Island with their spouses. Joanna is a GP with her own Practice, and Tommy is a Quantity Surveyor/Project Manager. Between them they have five children who all now live within a five minute drive of our home in Flatts.
    
Marian and I also attended Grandparents Day at BHS to see two of our five grandchildren, Olivia and Elizabeth who are both  8 years old and in Upper Primary.
 
Roger Sherratt with his granddaughter Olivia
Granny Marian Sherratt with granddaughter, Elizabeth (centre) and her classmate
 
 I consider myself quite handy with a camera but nothing ever prepared me for trying to capture five active children for long enough to take a photo with everyone looking in the same direction at the same time.  Fortunately, a miracle happened and here they are!
Roger's Grandchildren
Olivia, Elizabeth, Ben, Isla and Edward
 
EDITORS NOTE -  We invite you to send us photos of your grandchildren and we will add them to this column as they are received.
 
Andy Lavery served from 1970-1974 in Central (Hamilton), on Mobile Reserve, as a CID Aide, in Murder Room and then in Marine Section under Dave Garland.
Young P.C. Andy Lavery
 
Andy and his wife Betty now live in Niagara Falls, but Betty is a Bermudian and they often spend time on Island. They have 4 grandchildren, with Emma, Kira and Sophie in Australia (there's a good excuse to avoid weekend babysitting!) and Abby here in Bermuda.
  Andy and Betty have their hands full at Disneyworld, Florida, 2013,
(l-r) Emma, Kira (Australia), Abby (Bermuda), Sophie (Australia).
 
Wedding Photo, Loch Lomond, Scotland, 2016, from left to right.
Back Row:  BettyAnn, daughter-in-law Karen, son Jason, mechanical engineer (Australia),
son Mark, senior manager (KPMG ) here in Bermuda, daughter-in-law Pamela (Bermuda) and Andy.
Front Row:  Kira (7), Emma (10), Sophie (8), (Australia), Abigail (9),(Bermuda).

 

John Headey -  John arrived in Bermuda in 1971 as an experienced policeman having served for 7 years in Huddersfield Borough Police (his home town) and the West Yorkshire Police.  

He served here from 1971-1977 before he and his wife Susan - the met and married here - returned to the U.K with their young daughter Lena.  For fans of Game of Thrones you may know that Lena is now an internationally acclaimed actress currently starring as Queen Cersei Lannister in Game of Thrones.  Lena has a son, Wylie,  who loves spending time with his grandad John.

 John Headey with grandson Wylie in Huddersfield Town kit
 

Wylie normally lives with his mum Lena in the U.S. where she has been playing a starring role in “Game of Thrones”,  but Wylie is on an extending visit to his grandparents in Yorkshire where John is wasting no time converting young Wylie from American sports to football (or soccer as it’s called in the States), and where better than in Huddersfield where Huddersfield Town are currently top of the Championship.

More Articles …

  1. Doting Grandfathers!
  2. Annual Police Memorial Service - 2016
  3. A Bermuda "Murdoch Mystery"
  4. 50th Anniversary - Is Yours Next!
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