October 11, 2019

To members of the Brown family; the Ho nourable Premier David Burt; the Honourable Oppos ition Leader, Mr. Cannonier; Members of Parliament;
former Speaker, the Honourable Kenneth Howard
Randolph Horton; former Premiers Dame Jennifer
Smith ; and Sir John Swan —good morning.
The one thing that can be said about the
weather is that it is unpredictable. In the wink of an eye, a hurricane could uproot a massive tree from its soil and solid foundation. This could be stated as what
happened to the House of Assembly with the sudden
passing of our dear brother, the Honour able Walton
Brown, JP, MP.
Brother Walton was a staunch advocate for
Bermuda’s sovereignty, and he dedicated most of his adult life trying to make this a reality for the rest of us. Although soft -spoken at most times, Walton was able
to convince the inconvincible that Bermuda would not be able to reach its full potential until the Union Jack
was lowered and Bermuda’s own flag was hoisted.
W. E. B. Du Bois, a prolific and influential A frican American scholar and activist, said, “The cost of
liberty is less than the price of repression.” It is a well -
known fact that Walton’s fervent desire for an ind ependent Bermuda was evident in the many speeches
he made on the floor of the House of Assembly and in
the community as a whole.
None of us were surprised when Brother Walton was appointed to the Senate in 2007 by his cousin
and party colleague, the Honourable Dr. Ewart Brown.
After all, Walton had paid his dues by serving the party in various capacities since 1983 when he returned to Bermuda from college. He was elected to Parli ament in 2012 and again in 2017. And then, he was
appointed as the Minister of Home Affairs by the Honourable Premier David Burt.
Walton had a calming spirit , even under i mmense pressure. And in particular what I admired about him was that once he took a stance on a parti cular issue you could not get him to waver from his position. He was as solid as a rock. He never criticised
you for your beliefs and views. Another characteristic
that I admired about Walton was that he spoke very
clearly and succinctly. One did not need a dictionary
to understand his delivered speeches.
The Honourable Member had many attributes.
The staff of the House of Assembly described him as
kind, humble, easy to talk to, thoughtful, impactful,
sincere, resolute, an avid listener and a fierce champion for the rights of Bermudians. One staff member in
particular recalls that Mr. Brown always had a twinkle
in his eye and a smile when he spoke about contr oversial issues in the Chamber, while at the same time
he did not diminish the importance of the issue.
We at the House of Assembly, together with
the Legislature staff, are deeply saddened that the
Honourable Member, whom I describe as a first
amongst equals and possessing acumen, will no
longer be gracing us with his humble presence.
On behalf of myself; the Honourable Speaker,
Mr. Dennis Lister; MPs , Members of Parliament; and
the legislative staff, I would like to extend my deepest
2 11 October 2019 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly and Senate— Special Joint Sitting sympathies and condolences to the Brown family, in
particular his mother, Ms. Barbara Brown.
Thank you.
At this time, I call on the President of the Se nate, [Senator] the Honourable Ms. Joan Dillas -Wright.

Sen. the Hon. Joan E. Dillas -Wright, MBE, JP,
President of the Senate : [To the] Brown family, former Premiers, Members of this Honourable House and the Senate, this is a sombre occasion, as we are
gathered to pay tribute to a colleague and fellow Parliamentarian, MP Walton Brown, Jr., JP, MP, who by being multitalented has given so much to Bermuda in
his short life. I am referring to his being a lecturer in
history and political science, a researcher, news
commentator, journalist, author and politician, first as
a Senator from 2007 to 2010, and later as a Member
of Parliament from 2012 to present , and who held, as
a Member of Cabinet, ministerial portfolio s.
I had the privilege of being associated with
MP Walton Brown years ago when he was a lecturer
at Bermuda College and owned Research [Innov ations] . I was then involved with several substance
abuse agencies, and at that time MP Brown was co nducting research for the National Drug Agency, which
was to assess drug use among schoolchildren. His lament at that time was that he was only allowed to
survey the public schools, which meant that the r esults were inadequate for developing an Island- wide
substance abuse education programme for schools. I
am pleased to say that this has changed today.
Subsequent to leaving Bermuda College, MP
Brown became more focused on the issues facing Bermuda. He did not have to base his comments on a
purely academic perspective, but could then take a
political view on what he believed was the best way
forward. He was now in his element.
MP Brown was an eloquent spokesperson. He
could speak most knowledgeably on any subject. But one that was dear to him was t he land grab situation
in Bermuda, which propelled him to try to achieve jus-tice for Bermuda and its people. He would often speak
to that topic as indeed the right of Bermudians to manage their own affairs. Independence was ther efore his quest, which was i nformed by history, data
and his own experiences.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, Members of this Honourable House and the Senate, and his family, it is often stated that Bermuda’s young people need lead-ers whom they can aspire to. I submit that Walton
Brown, JP, MP, is one such leader, who was humble,
never dogmatic, and used his academic, administr ative and experiential knowledge to inform his dec isions.
Were these qualities or traits to be emulated
by our young people, then MP Walton Brown’s dream
of an independent Bermuda will be realised. MP Walton Brown has done his work. We as Parliamentarians now need to ensure that our young people follow in
his footsteps.
Thank you.

At this time, I call on the Honourable Premier of Bermuda, the Honourab le David
Burt.
Hon. E. David Burt, JP, MP, Premier : Madam Pres ident and Members of the Senate; Mr. Deputy Speaker; and fellow Members of the House of Assembly; former Premiers; Members of the Legislature; Members of the Civil Service Executive; and , most especially, the Brown family. On each occasion that an
Honourable Member rises to speak in t his Honourable
House, or when a Senator beckons for the recognition of the President to speak from their appointed seat, that Member embarks on the execution of a s acred
trust established in centuries -old traditions of parli amentary democracy. I term it a “sacred trust ” because,
whilst it may be our voices that pronounce the words,
we are but instruments entrusted to be the voice of
the people.
Madam President, Mr. Deputy Speaker, a pr ofound voice of the people has been silenced by death.
In the cold symbolism of this day, an empty seat declares that Walton Brown will no longer grace us with
his presence or his thoughtful and reasoned arguments in debate. Madam Pres ident and Mr. Deputy
Speaker, at the core of Walton Brown was principle.
His beliefs were not subject to negotiation, and they
could not be watered down by the persistence of
those who may have opposed him. Over several
years, the only concession that I saw him make to an
opposing argument was that wry smile, which seemed
to say, Nice try, but no chance.
There was a fundamental consistency to his
life’s work in every arena. The issue of Bermuda’s
self-determination and ultimate sovereignty was seldom far f rom his lips. He would engage the staunc hest critic of Bermuda’s ultimate step and methodically
dissect their misgivings, so at the end of discussion
another mind was at least open to the possibility that we could properly take our place among the family of
nations. With his perseverance in securing converts to
sovereignty for Bermuda, imagine if he had chosen
the path of religion. His church surely would have
been full.
Madam President, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Walton Brown was a teacher, an author, a historia n and
an advocate, and he was our friend. The truth about
Bermuda can be uncomfortable. And we have be-come experts in masking inconvenient facts. Howe ver, the true measure of our friend and colleague is to be found in his writings, his lectures and his ord inary
discourse, for he refused to cloud the truth about
Bermuda. Who among us remembers hearing Walton
shout? Who among us can recall a moment when he spoke in anger or with malice? No one, because he


Bermuda House of Assembly and Senate— Special Joint Sitting never did. He spoke directly to the point of conviction
in words that were seldom sweetened sufficiently for
most tastes; however, truth is rarely succulent.
In his seminal work, Bermuda and the Stru ggle for Reform: Race, Politics and Ideology, 1944–1998 , we gain insight as to how the unwavering Walton Brown was forged. In his own words, he said, and
I quote, “It began around the Sunday morning codfish
breakfast table, mostly, with my parents, siblings, and
oftentimes, my irrepressible paternal grandfather
W. G. Brown. I sat there mesmerized by the stories,
told about Dr. Gordon, ‘that Jack Tucker,’ Dr. Barbara
Ball, Lois Browne- Evans and Ottiwell Simmons; tales
of power, the struggle for rights and justice and the sacrifices made, all resonated with me long before I could really appreciate their meaning. The passion
with which Bermuda’s history was relayed to me dur-ing these impromptu classes, punctuated with a firm
slap on the table to accentuate each point, told me
these events were transformative for my parents and
for Bermuda.” (End quote.)
From those ear ly, formative days at that
breakfast table emerged a champion of social justice in Bermuda. Every movement needs one who will
keep the record and ensure that the story is accurat ely told. Walton’s determination to chronicle the truth
about our Island made him that record keeper. He remembered and recorded so we would not forget.
Madam President, Mr. Deputy Speaker, as
Honourable Members today raise their voices in tri bute to this fallen servant of the people, there is no
need to shy away from those things on which we may
have disagreed. Without betraying the constitutional
secrecy of Cabinet, it will not surprise anyone to know
that even the principle of collective responsibility was
tested during Walton’s tenure in the room. He never
abandoned his principl es, and we, his former Cabinet
colleagues, are better for having been challenged by
him as we sought to execute on the mandate provided
to us by the people.
Madam President, Mr. Deputy Speaker, in a
telegram to Winston Churchill after reclaiming Ethiopia from Italian forces in 1941, Emperor Haile Selassie
said: “We have finished the job; what shall we do with
the tools?” I would adapt the Emperor’s quote in this
way: Walton finished his job; what shall we do with the tools? Walton Brown’s voice may be silent, but the
tools he left us are sharp, well -oiled and relevant for
use in lifting up the people of this country. His legacy
is one of truth, one of social justice and one of an undying commitment to sovereignty for Bermuda.
In the African tradition, we mi ght say that he
has joined the ancestors. To his family, especially his
mother, his sons and his siblings, this transition is
hard. It was untimely, and it was unexpected. But if
there is any comfort you can draw from all that sur-rounds you at this moment, know that the man you
knew as son, father and brother now joins the ranks of those who made making Bermuda better their life’s work. In that you should be proud, and we join with
you in mourning his loss, but also in celebrating his
amazing life.
Thank you, Madam President and Mr. Deputy
Speaker.

The next voice you will hear is
the Opposition Leader, the Honourable Craig Ca nnonier.

Hon. L. Craig Cannonier, JP, MP, Leader of the
Opposition: Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker.
An acknowle dgement to our President of the
Senate; our former Premiers, Dame Lois and Sir Swan; our former Speaker of the House Mr. Horton;
[and] to the Brown family, it is a pleasure to see you
here. And on behalf of the entire OBA family, we mourn with you.
To the Premier, the Progressive Labour Party,
to all of the honoured Members here, MPs, this is a
devastating time. And as I rode in this morning, I
looked up. It is still outside, completely still. I believe that this time is more of a time of reflection than actual
words. One thing that I have learned through life and
continue to [learn] with the passing of our good friend,
the Honourable Walton Brown, is that death is the
reason why we find meaning in life.
An understated man in many ways, calm, very
collecte d, his demeanour in many ways might not
have stood out amongst a crowd. But at the very m oment he spoke . . . eight years ago when I had the
opportunity to actually sit down with him and talk with him, I realised how articulate and smart he was. As
we refl ected upon the news that we received this
week, I realised that this great stature of a man, across the divide of this room, sought what was in a
room for a better Bermuda. And why do I say that?
Because even in the OBA, we have Members who are
devastated by this death and probably cannot even
come with words to express how they feel.
As I walked in this morning, I could see in
those eyes that I made contact with that pain. As I watched the Brown family come in, I recognised that
Bermuda . . . Bermuda has lost a man who cared
even for those who may have been his pundits.
Articulate, smart, yet I could approach him at
any time —at any time—and sit with him and discuss
the beauty of the Island that we serve and what was
the best way to serve it.
When you are asked to speak at a moment
like this here, the first thing you say is, What do you say? What is it that I can say? And that is why I believe that this is a time for us to reflect on what is most
important in life. Walton actually took out the time
when I got involved. He sought me out, showing that
he cared about his fellow brothers to understand them, to know them and to also give opportunity to get to know him. I will forever be grateful for the family
who brought up such a man. The OBA will forever be
4 11 October 2019 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly and Senate— Special Joint Sitting grateful for the stance and the positions that he took,
because in every deliberation that we had, he always
deliberated out of respect. This man deserves every
honour possible that we can give him as a fellow colleague.
And so, my prayer as we go on throu ghout
this time, and as we continue to figure out how we
deal with his passing and how we mourn, let us not
forget that his life lives on through us. May we forever
remember this was a child of God. This was a man
who was born in Bermuda and cared about al l of us.
May we continue to mourn out of respect for the family
and revere and reflect on the beauty of such a man.

I now call on other Members of
the Legislature.
The Chair recognises the Honourable Member Lovitta Foggo.

Hon. Lovitta F. Foggo, JP, MP, Minister of Labour,
Community Affairs and Sports: T hank you, Mr.
Deputy Speaker.
I do rise with a sad heart this morning. Walton
first was a schoolmate. In fact, the Class of 1977 can
brag, I think, a piece of history because I think it is the
only time in history that three graduating members of
that class —the Honourable Walton Brown, MP Weeks
and myself —not only just sat in Parliament together,
but we sat in Cabinet together. I do not know if any Cabinet can speak of that same type of history.
I will say when, on learning of Walton’s death,
the very first image that came to my mind was right back there at Berkeley. And it was the image of Wa lton, and I always remembered this of Walton, bello wing out the words of Prince Escalus in the play, Romeo and Juliet. He carried out that part so convincing-ly that it made me . . . it just captured . . . that was
captured always. And I at times would speak to Walton about that. Remember when you were in the play?
And it stayed with me.
And I think I understand now why, because
Prince Escalus was responsible for the peace within
Verona in that play, Romeo and Juliet. And the way in
which he meted out justice as the prince, he was very
much to the point, as people have said Walton was.
And yet, he w as still fair. Because at a time when
people were getting murdered in the streets of Ver ona, he still found a way to ensure that, in the end
when he meted out punishment, that it was done fai rly. So, instead of sentencing Romeo, for instance, to death, he banished him. He exiled him forever because, given his behaviour was one that was a r esponse to other murders, he felt that this was the just
way of handling that situation.
And I believe, in watching a Walton whom I
felt was the most compelling actor in that play, b ecause again you thought that it was him in particular,
him as in Prince Escalus, and not Walton Brown ac ting. I understand that it was just a foretelling of all that Walton Brown would be. And we have heard those
words echoed here today. He was a fierce champion
for justice. He was a fierce champion for the rights of
all. He was a champion for the underdog. And he
worked tirelessly to try and bring about a change wit hin our society that would render us to wh ere he believed justice only could be realised in, and that was in
the state of sovereignty.
And it is for us, those who continue while he is
no longer, to pick up that baton and ensure that one day we do have a just and most democratic society. Because without true sovereignty, I dare say t hat d emocracy will never be, not to the state that it is supposed to be. And so, in speaking to Walton’s honour, I
do have to say this. The one thing that Walton did not
suffer very well at all . . . he did not suffer stupidity.
And he did not suffer ignor ance. He had very little to lerance for that.
And most of the time that Walton did sit in the
House of Assembly, I can say that we sat side by side, both in the Opposition and when he was in Cabinet. Our seats were side by side. I enjoyed Walton sitting be side me, especially when I was the Whip. I
purposely sat him beside me, because I did enjoy his
temperament. He was a calm -natured person. But
often, if you saw Walton leave the House, what most
people did not know is that, at least when he was si tting bes ide me, if he thought that nonsense was being
spewed out, again, because he was someone who did not tolerate ignorance, he would find a way to absent
himself from the Chambers. And I would say, Where
are you going? He was like, Lovitta, I am not sitting
here for this. Going in the kitchen. I’ll get a cup of tea.
He did not suffer stupidity or ignorance.
And I can say, for those of his true clas smates, and some are sitting in the Gallery, I think that
they can attest to that even more so than I, because
they sat in class with him not just at the great Berkeley
Institute. They also sat in class with him at West
Pembroke. And they knew him well. In fact, some of
those who sit here today were 1,000 per cent behind
him when he chose to step forward to run as a parli amentarian. I do not want to say “proffer ,” because then
it would, I guess if you will . . . I will use that common
[expression], “ put shade” on the Senate. And no, he
did not just use his senatorial position; he took to the streets and thought that hi s role would be better
served by representing people. And so, he threw his
hat in the ring and did just that. And in so doing, he
did secure a seat in the lower House as a Member of
Parliament.
And I think Walton, to those who knew him
closely and more intimately, did them extremely proud
because he put one more feather in his cap in that
being true to who he was. He did not just speak from
the sidelines. He stood for the rights of people in this
Honourable House and made certain to advance their wishes, t heir concerns. And he continued his fight on


Bermuda House of Assembly and Senate— Special Joint Sitting their behalf and in honour of his family for a just and
fair Bermuda for all.
I am eternally grateful for much of the
knowledge that he imparted to all of us. And I definit ely will take his baton and try to continue his fight and
our fight in the same vein that he would want us to do
and that Bermuda needs us to do.
Thank you, family, for sharing Walton with us.
I am eternally grateful. Thank you.

When I heard the news of Walton’s death, my first thought was, Where is Kim? I have to find Kim. Because anybody who knows Walton or Kim knew that those two were joined at the hip. And I knew that if I was devastated by the news, that
she had to be completely heartbroken. I was finally
able to speak to Wayne Furbert, who told me that he
was with Kim. And while she was distraught, she was
okay. And I talked to her that evening.
I cannot tell you when or how Walton and I
met. He just kind of morphed into my life and r emained there as a subtle presence. I could call Walton at six in the morning or eleven o’clock at night, and he
would take my call. And if he was not available, he
would always return my call. And he would always call
and say, MP Scott! And I would say, MP Brown, how
are you today? He was always there.
What people may not know is that in 2016,
when we had the immigrat ion issue when the OBA
was in power during the time of the protest, for the
four or five days that that protest went on, Walton and I talked every single day with a view to trying to find a
resolution, to trying to find a meeting of the minds of
the people who were protesting and the decisions that
were made by the OBA. My position is and has a lways remained that immigration reform is necessary.
But it is a process. And [there is] the need to com-municate and educate people about the things that
you are doing. And Walton and I agreed on that point.
And I do not believe that it is by accident that I am
now a member of the Bipartisan Committee for Imm igration Reform.
Walton was an astute politician who was
open, honest and easy to talk to. While you may not have shared the same views, he always listened, always. I have seen tributes from various friends of Walton who have known him for 50 years or more, and I
have not had that opportunity. But I am grateful that I
did have an opportunity and for the time that w e spent
together, for the knowledge that he shared.
Walton was an iron fist in a velvet glove. He
was a valued friend, and his passing leaves a huge void in both our public life and in my life personally. In
2013, I had the privilege of awarding him the National
Literary Award for Nonfiction for his book. He was an
articulate parliamentarian who stood steadfastly for
his friends and for his party.
Benedict Greening did a review of Walton’s
book. And one of the things he said was that he was a man who was able “to find the difficult balance b etween polemical argument and balanced analysis.”
And to me, that is the definition of Walton.
I express my condolences to the family. And
thank you for sharing him with us. And I pray that his
soul rest in peace.

The Chair recognises the Ho nourable Minister Wayne Caines.
Hon. Wayne Caines, JP, MP, Minister of National
Security: If it pleases you, Mr. Deputy Speaker.
Mr. Deputy Speaker; Madam President of the
Senate; former Premiers Dame Jennifer Smith and Sir
John Swan; Honourable Premier; Members of Parli ament; Senators; and the family of Walton Brown, I say
good morning.
Tuesday in Cabinet, Mr. Deputy Speaker,
when we received the news, there was shock. We were stunned. There were cries. There were screams
in the room. We sat in a malaise, hugging each other
and consoling each other in the midst of our loss.
Shortly thereafter, our colleagues and wives started to
pour into the Cabinet building as we sat there conso ling each other. It hit me that we are family. We sat in
the room grieving the loss of our brother.
Our beloved Walton is the sixth PLP Member
of Parliament to die whilst in the service of the people of Bermuda since 1998. Over the last 48 hours, that
has hit me hard. It has caused me to reflect on my life.
It has caused me to reflect on the work that we do
here in the House of Assembly. Yesterday, MP
Jamahl Simmons and I were discussing this. And we were asking each other, Is it for the pay? An MP’s
salary averages $55,000 per annum. Mr. Deputy
Speaker, it is not for the money. We pondered, Is it for
the fame, the adulation? One week, Mr. Deputy
Speaker, they lay palm trees in the street and cry,
Hail, King of the Jews! The very next week, the same
people yell out, Crucify him! Crucify him! Mr. Deputy
Speaker, it is not for the fame. It is not for the adul ation.
Why do we do what we do, Mr. Deputy
Speaker? [We have] the CC meetings, the central
6 11 October 2019 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly and Senate— Special Joint Sitting committee meetings, the caucus meeting, the campaign committee meetings, the subcommittee mee tings, the bipartisan committee meetings, the branch
meetings, the community meetings? Why, Mr. Deputy
Speaker? Why do we do this? I was forced to look at our beloved Walton’s life. It was simple. And it is si mple—service.
I read the tributes from the st udents at Bermuda College online, and they were talking about the
impact that he had in their lives. And they laid tribute
to the places that they are now and how they ascend-ed and the impact that his class, that his leadership,
that his mind . . . how it transfigured and transformed
their minds and their lives. They spoke of the mentorship that he gave them in their time at Bermuda Col-lege and how it had a long -term impact, how he challenged their views and juxtaposed his thinking and melded it with their thinking to allow them to come out
of their myopic views and their narrow -minded views
and have a global perspective. That was his gift of
service.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, pedagogy is the method
of teaching an academic concept. But Walton’s ped agogy, through his research and through his lecturing
and through his being an author and through his being
a researcher, gave you information, Mr. Deputy
Speaker. He allowed you to form your own opinion—oft-times a dissenting opinion. He did this whilst never
becoming c hurlish, angry or disrespectful —something
that I took from him, sitting beside him in the Senate
and for almost two years sitting beside him weekly in
Cabinet meetings. I learned that you can have an o pposing view, and that you can have a viewpoint that is
totally diametrically opposed, and you did not have to be nasty. You did not have to be disrespectful. And
that you could still have a healthy relationship with
someone whom you had an opposing view with.
We had conversations about his views on
Palestine, his burning desires and understandings and
views on human rights. And can we forget independence? Oftentimes, the aforementioned topics were not
sitting on all fours with the mainstream ideology in our
community.
I was then forced to look deeper at Wal ton,
the man, the pedagogy of his person, his teaching style, his resolute determination, his respect for ot hers. And, Mr. Deputy Speaker, I believe that becomes
the bedrock of his legacy —a man who stood. In other
words, you must stand. You must serve your comm unity. And the sacrifice that he made for this community.
We soon will meander into bye- election mode,
Mr. Deputy Speaker. That is the legacy that we must
now continue, to go forward for that, a legacy of
stand ing for that which is right, a legacy of service to
the people of Bermuda and the ability to sacrifice for
your country.
To Mother Brown and to the Brown family, we
mourn with you. And we stand with you at this difficult time. Even though [Walton Brown’s] sons are not pr esent, [their] father’s legacy will shine brightly through his work, and he should always be kept deeply e nsconced in your heart.
To my colleagues, we often are forced in the
public eye to maintain our composure, to deal with
loss and to deal with hurt. This is no different. We will
get through this. We have a work to do. I will par aphrase Frost. The woods are cold. They are dark and
deep, places to go and promises to keep. Many miles
to go before we can sleep.
Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker.

The Chair recognises the Ho nourable Member Michael Weeks.

Mr. Michael A. Weeks, JP, MP, PLP Backbencher:
Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, and good morning.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, I rise to my feet, like my
colleagues before me, on a sombre and surreal note.
Just a few short days ago, Mr. Deputy Speaker, one
week, to be exact, I stood and shared a tribute at the
funeral service of one of my former Berkeley Institute
friends and classmates, Mr. Chris Davis. And here,
just one week later, sharing a tribute to another one of
my Berkeley Institute alumni and parliamentary colleagues, Mr. Walton Brown, JP, MP. Yes, Mr. Deputy Speaker, it is definitely surreal.
You may have heard on this past Wednesday
when, on Magic 102.7, they played an interview of our
dear, departed brother. I think it was in 2014, he was
speaking of comprehensive immigration reform. Well,
after he finished speaking and they had the questionand-answer [segment when] listeners can call in, Mr.
Deputy Speaker, the same Chris Davis called in. And the two of them had a spirited debate about the state
of immigration in Bermuda, and a few other things,
because as much as they had differences of opinion,
being former Berkeleyites, they were friends.
I had to stop for a minute, Mr. Deputy Speaker, and realise that two of my contemporaries have
passed in such a short space of time. And hearing this
conversation made me reflect on what their convers ations will be like way up yonder when the two of them start to get at each other on different issues.
The Honourable Member Walton Brown, Jr.,
JP, MP, was such a knowledgeable man. His co mmentary was principled and piercing. And we have already heard that, as a former lecturer at the Berm uda College, he brought that persona to this Honour able House. And I personally admired ho w he always
made his position clear when he got up on his feet.
What a loss, Mr. Deputy Speaker, to this country and
to this Parliament.
I mentioned that we attended the Berkeley
Institute at the same time. We knew each other, but
we were in different cir cles. My first real encounter
with the Honourable Member was one summer in the
early 1980s. We were both at home during our sumBermuda House of Assembly and Senate— Special Joint Sitting mer break from our respective universities. But by
chance, we were visiting a mutual friend, Mr. Peter
Furbert, at the same time. And we had a spirited debate about none other than Bermuda becoming independent. That was way back when we were 21– 22
years of age. I never forgot this conversation. And he
soon became a public figure, and I always followed
and admired his steadfastness on various issues.
But when we became political colleagues, Mr.
Deputy Speaker, we talked about that discussion and
how our positions and country have remained the same, the travesty that, more than 30 years later, our
country is still not independent.
Since April of this year, by chance or by ci rcumstance, we were seated next to each other in the
House until we moved to this present location. This
gave us the opportunity to talk more often, sometimes
serious and sometimes not so serious. He had a si ncere love and fearless commitment to the people of
this Island. And I firmly believe, Mr. Deputy Speaker, that we cannot talk about independence for Bermuda and what that means without mentioning the late Walton Brown, Jr., JP, MP.
There is a story, Mr. Depu ty Speaker. In July
of this year, I gave a speech on the motion to adjourn on the then- upcoming Gay Pride Parade. While I was
on my feet, he knocked my foot a few times. He was
on one side, you were on the other, Mr. Deputy
Speaker. But when I sat down, he leaned over and
said to me, Good speech; but I support the parade, in
his usual, calm manner. This is another example of his steadfastness that I and others have already sp oken of. He had his position; he respected yours. And
you could not sway him no mat ter how good your
speech was.
But, Mr. Deputy Speaker, we are giving him a
state funeral. But what we should be doing is draping his casket with an independent Bermuda flag. And
since we are not independent, I implore everyone . . .
let us honour our fall en colleague by pursuing ind ependence with a vigour once and for all!
My heartfelt condolences to his very close- knit
family, to his mother, his sons, his brothers, his sisters
and his extended family and friends. To his constit uency in C17, who have lost a true stalwart, I send my
condolences.
As I take my seat, Mr. Deputy Speaker, as I
remember the Honourable Member as a lifelong so ldier for social justice, there is a verse in the Berkeley
Institute school song, which to me encapsulates our
dearly depar ted brother. I have not been blessed with
an angelic voice, like my honourable colleague, Mr.
Deputy Speaker, in [constituency] 6. But here I go, Mr.
Deputy Speaker. Only those Berkleyites would know
this verse:

[Inaudible interjections and laughter]

Thank you.
The Deputy Speaker recognises the Honourable Member Michael Dunkley.

Hon. Michael H. Dunkley, JP, MP, OBA Bac kbencher: Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker. That is a
tough act to follow. And thank God the Honourable
Member had some colleagues who supported him in
the last part.
Protocol having already been established, Mr.
Deputy Speaker, condolences to the Brown family, to
the PLP and to the many friends whom our former
colleague had.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, one’s passing, when
expected, is certainly a very tough pill to s wallow. It is
never easy. You are always at a loss for reasons and
understanding. One’s unexpected passing is perhaps
the most humbling shock that any human being can
have in their world. You are in a state of disbelief. You search for answers. You look for meaning in life. And certainly, you look for comfort as you try to get that
understanding.
So, I cannot imagine the pain and suffering
and the thought that the family had over the past couple of days. So, on behalf of my family to your family,
our deepest prayers and blessings as you soldier forward.
Now, everyone knows that Walton and I always sat on different sides of the aisle. But I always
had the highest level of respect for the former Mini ster. It has been just over 22 years since I was blessed
to be first elected into the Legislature. And, Mr. Dep uty Speaker, in my view, I have seen it become more
acrimonious. I have seen it become more divisive at
times. I have seen it become less respectful at times. I
have seen it lose some of our friendship and fello wship at times.
But the former Member was not like that. One
of the first things that always struck me about Walton
(and the Honourable Minister from constituency 14
referred to it), he was never personal. He was usually
very controlled. And he was generally well prepared
every time he stood to his feet. And that was the same
if you bumped into him on the street. It was clear that
he took his responsibilities seriously. It was clear that
that responsibility was carried with him through his
daylight and the night -time hours. For that, I always
respected Walton’s approach because, as you know
Mr. Deputy Speaker, in this Honourable Place we can get carried away during debates. We can get very
emotional. And often, we can regret some of the
8 11 October 2019 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly and Senate— Special Joint Sitting things that w e say. Walton was not that type of man.
He knew what he had to do, and he represented well.
My relationship with Walton was always very
enjoyable and always very cordial. Publicly, it is there
for people to see. But privately, we met on occasion to chat or for coffee. And I was deeply gratified for the
opportunity to chat over these issues, no matter what
side of the aisle we sat on, as Government or Oppos ition. Because I knew that when we sat and talked
Walton came prepared and he was going to be genuine in everything he said. And as we reflect on the
volume of the man and what he committed and contributed to Bermuda, I humbly suggest that we need to
remember and live and learn from the way Walton
carried himself.
We did not always agree on issues. Som etimes, we had some severe disagreement. In fact, the
major differences are there for people to see, as well.
And I did not support his approach on some of these
issues at times, whether publicly or privately. But I
always had the greatest respect for how he carried himself and how we could communicate. It never got
personal. And in politics, as we serve, that is very i mportant. And so, as I reflect on what the man contri buted publicly and privately, I will try to live from the lesson that he walked every day on how to handle
himself.
Walton was a man who deeply cared about
Bermuda. Walton was a man who contributed greatly
to Bermuda, and he had his vision of what he expected, and you have to respect that, Mr. Deputy
Speaker.
I want to take this time in this Honourable
House to thank him for his service. As honourable colleagues have already said, and I am sure they will
say through the rest of this tribute, service in good
times is hard. In the tough times that we face all too
often as we serve, it is very di fficult. It can get personal. You can search for true meaning in your beliefs. You can search for the support you need in your beliefs. And so, all of us here can understand just how
hard it is to serve. And I want to thank the Honourable
Member for his service.
I want to thank his family for allowing him to
serve. All of us who have family know how difficult it can be at times and how, Mr. Deputy Speaker, at times your family wonder why you serve. So, thank
you to the mother and the family for allowing Walton
to serve, because he made a great contribution.
And finally, Mr. Deputy Speaker, do not let
today be the end of us coming together as Members
who were elected or appointed to serve Bermuda. Because, while we will continue to have vehement
differences , we all know that we come together to
serve because we love our country. And that is what Walton stood for, his country.
So, Mr. Deputy Speaker, it is with a heavy
heart that I am honoured to give this tribute. And the man will never be forgotten by the people he served. To the Brown family, you have our deepest
prayers. And in the days that come, you know that you have a multitude of Bermudians who are ever grateful
for Walton Brown, former Minister. Thank you.

ANNOUNCEMENT BY
THE DEPUTY SPEAKER

HOUSE VISITORS

The Deputy Speaker recogni ses the Honourable Minister Jamahl Simmons.
Hon. Jamahl S. Simmons, JP, MP, Minister without
Portfolio: Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker.
I would like to begin by extending my condolences to his beloved m other, his brother Charles, his
family and his children.
Chairman Mao once said, “Learn from the
masses, and then teach them.” And Walton Brown
lived by that adage because he learned from the pe ople as much as he conveyed knowledge, wisdom, hi story and understanding to them.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, I had a special bond with
Brother Walton because of our love of independence.
I was raised to believe in independence the way many
of us were raised to believe in Christianity. And so, I
first met him during the referendum debate on independence. And I met him at numerous meetings
where he spoke passionately. And he spoke in a
manner that, even if you already believed, the belief became stronger, the belief became deeper. You had
the tools to be able to rationally pursue the agenda
and convince others.
And from there, I became even closer when I
worked at VSB -TV because he was a phenomenal
political commentator who, regardless of his political
beliefs and ideology, spoke from the purely political
scientist bent —concrete analysis, factual analysis.
And he was very rarely proven wrong.
He predicted the 1998 election to the number,
when nobody else did. And people will often forget
that role he played in being very accurate in reading
the people, and watching the will of the people be enacted. He attempted to succeed me in my former seat,
Pembroke West, and I spent many a time, many
hours with him trying to help him to carve out a few more PLP votes in that seat. And though he was u nsuccessful, he persevered and continued on.
He became the host of Bermuda Speaks ,
where he attempted to succeed me in Parliament. I


Bermuda House of Assembly and Senate— Special Joint Sitting had the good fortune to succeed him as the host when
he was successfully elected in 2012. And I remember
on that night, because he won by a very close margin.
But even though we went down in defeat, I was happy
to see him achieve his dream and be able to h ave the
opportunity to serve his country at the highest level.
Together, we toiled in Opposition and paid the
price in Opposition. He was a freedom fighter when we were in Opposition. He shut down the Senate. I
think many remember. That is something I thi nk has
never happened in our history before. But his passion
for an immigration policy that put Bermudians first,
that recognised the small size of our country and tried
to be sustainable and balance everything so that people at least come out on top at th e end —that was at
his core. And he was prepared to fight for that. And
that is something I will always respect.
Minister Caines alluded to this earlier about
how yesterday we were at a function, and we had an
opportunity to talk. And, you know, in our car eers, you
often come to question, Is it worth it? There are so
many of us who have served who are forgotten soon
after we leave or depart this corps. We speak no more
of them; we do not remember their accomplishments.
And we both agreed, and I know that Walton would agree as well, and he would say, It is worth it. It is
worth it to see the elevation in the condition of our
people.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, the Honourable Member
Rolfe Commissiong, who will speak shortly after,
brought to our attention a quote by Walton Brown that
I think is very relevant. And really, to me, I almost hear
his voice when I hear it. The British flag, God Save the
Queen, and the Governor’s plumed hat are outmoded
and oppressive relics in Bermuda today.
I am saddened that he never lived to see the
Union Jack taken down and our own colours raised in
its place. I am saddened that he did not live to see the
end of the journey. But I am comforted because I
know that ideas that begin as unthinkable eventually become radical. They eventually become controversial. They eventually become understood. They eventually become politically popular. And they eventually become the law.
We shall heal our wounds. We shall mourn
our fallen brother. And we shall continue to fight.
Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker.

Thank you.
The Deputy Speaker recognises the Honourable Sylvan Richards.

Hon. Sylvan D. Richards, Jr., MP, Shadow Minister
of Home Affairs and Environment: Thank you, Mr.
Deputy Speaker.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, the last few months for
me personally have been difficult. I have lost more
than a few friends, family and acquaintances over the
last few months , people who, in my view, were cut down and taken from us in their prime when they still
had so much to offer to this country of ours. So, when
I found out while I was in my office that Walton had
passed, I said, Once again I have lost a friend. And
then I started to think, because we have friends, we
have acquaintances, we have people whom we see,
and a lot of times, we do not think, Well, when did I
first meet this person? or, How did this person first
come on my radar? So, my thoughts were cast back
to when I first became aware of Walton Brown. And it
was at West Pembroke Primary School.
I remember him at West Pembroke. He was a
year behind me, I believe. But even then, he stood
out. So, he has been on my radar for a long, long
time. And I really got to know Walton as a man, as an
adult, when we both came into Parliament at the same time back in 2012. And that meant a lot to me. It was special to me because you start out in primary school
as little kids, running around on the lower field, playing
marbles and competing at sports. And then you find
yourselves sitting in Parliament at the same time,
serving the people of Bermuda. So, that was very special to me.
The one thing about Walton Brown, MP —and
I quickly found this out —was that he was very firm in
his convictions. He made it very clear where he stood,
and he never wavered. And he and I debated each other on occasion. And it was always, for me, enter-taining. And what I liked about Walton was that, yes,
he was firm in his convictions. But he had a demeanour where we could disagree without being disagreeable. That really, really stood out to me, that som etimes when we were debating, I would say something
to be deliberately provocative during the debate. And
the Honourable Member would stop, and I would see
him take a breath. And then, with a wide smile, he
would respond.
I respected his intellect. I respected his prep aration. And I knew that if I had to be opposite Walton
Brown in a debate, I had to step my game up. I had to
bring my A game. I really, really respected his demeanour. I never saw him get angry. He could stand
his ground, but afterwards, we could go have dinner
and share a glass of wine.
Everybody knows that Walton enjoyed a good
meal. He enjoyed being social. I saw him out on many occasions at the various restaurants enjoying a meal.
I was always interested in whom he was having a
meal with, because his dinner partners were diverse.
It was not always the same individuals. He had a little
group. But I always admired the people whom I saw him out with. In fact, last night I went to a local resta urant to pick up a little something. And as soon as I
walked in, the manager and another gentleman who was there immediately said, Oh, it’s sad about MP
Brown. You know, Walton touched a lot of people in
this community. A lot of people in this community are going to miss him. A lot of people in this community
are mourning him.
10 11 October 2019 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly and Senate— Special Joint Sitting And what I will take away is that, once again,
he was knowledgeable, but he was fair. And he could
disagree with you without being disagreeable. And
that is the lesson that I will take away from Walton
Brown.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, some might say that it
goes against the natural order of things that a mother
has to bury her son. So, I would give my sincere condolences to Walton Brown’ s mother. I know he loved
his mother. There is a picture . . . I think I saw it
online. I do not know when it was taken, but it was MP Brown standing next to his mother. And I could see
the pride in her face and the love in his face. And that
is what is im portant in this life—family and families
supporting one another. Even if they have different
stances on issues, family is what it is all about.
So, I give my condolences to his family, to his
extended family, all of his friends. And join with ever ybody in this House in saying that we will never meet
an individual like Walton Brown again. Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker.

Thank you.
Just let me remind Senators they can make
remarks also in this House.
The Deputy Speaker recognises the Honourable Member Rolfe Commissiong.

Mr. Rolfe Commissiong, JP, MP, PLP Backbenc her: Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker.
Protocol having been established, I want to
once again extend condolences to Mother Brown,
Walton’s siblings, his children and extended family, a
family that has given so much to this country.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, as noted before in this
House, in relation to the great men and women who
have passed on, the good that those men and women
do is often interred with their bones. But, Mr. Deputy
Speaker, I am sure you share with me the view that that will not be the fate of Walton Brown, an honour able and principled man, as all here acknowledge t oday. His good works will live on, as have the good works and just deeds of the great men and women who preceded him —Freddie Wade, Dame Lois
Browne -Evans, Julian Hall, Walter Robinson, Arnold
Francis.
And what of the great writers who chronicled
our lives over generations in our Island home? Cyril
Packwood, Ira Philip, who have passed on. Those
who still live, such as young Dr. Quito Swan. And let
us not forget the inestimable Dr. Eva Hodgson, who had such a seminal influence on young Walton Brown.
I spoke to his brother the other day, Mr. Dep uty Speaker, and I said I was so shocked to hear that
Walton was younger than me—not because he looked
older than me . . . but let me put this in context. I have
the feeling that at age five, people who did not know
Walton closely or the family would have thought he
was eight or nine or ten years old. At age 10, they probably thought he was 15 because of his temper ament. I suspect he was a very precocious child. No, that would not be the fate of Mr. Walton Brown.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, there were times, as
some here have acknowledged —I can speak to this
myself —that we did not see eye to eye on a number
of issues. But when it came down to it, our differences
were more about tactics and not about the goal and
ultimate objective. Walton was a progressive before
the name became hip. That is all you hear now in the
US and Wes tern societies about a progressive
movement. Walton was always progressive. Let no
one have any illusions about that. When it came to
issues of social and economic and racial justice, and
of course independence, Walton carried on the great
tradition of those giants I mentioned. He belongs in
that pantheon. He will live on in our hearts for as long as Bermudians seek social and racial justice.
I said that he was the pride of black Bermuda,
and I say that without apology again in these Chambers. He represented a generation that gladly took on
that baton from his parents and grandparents and that older generation of leaders to advance that great and
monumental work with courage and with conviction.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, our Premier cited the
opening paragraph, and to be honest, I was going to
do the same. He has pre- empted me again. Gladly, I
accept that. But he has given me another opportunity.
In the same preface, I am going to cite the final par agraph, with your indulgence, Mr. Deputy Speaker. The
quote is as follows: “This book is dedicated to my
mother and to the memory of my father. As much as the book analyses the collective quest for social r eform it charts a struggle they too shared and helped shape.”
You see, Walton Brown, like myself and many
others here, was born into this movement for change
in this country. We had no choice. That is the milieu that we grew up in. The role models we had were our parents and our grandparents and people like Dr.
Kamarakafego (Roosevelt Brown), Dame Lois
Browne -Evans, as I mentioned. They were our role
models. That is why we are here today. And we have
lost a great soldier.
I spoke earlier, Mr. Deputy Speaker, about
when a president of the US dies, you know, they have a procession down Pennsylvania Avenue (correct me
if I am off base here). And they have that horse behind the hearse without a rider. I am looking to my left
rear, where only two weeks ago he sat. Today we see
that horse; we feel that presence without a rider.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, the other day I had the
opportunity to be on the show with the host Sherri
Simmons. And so, I spoke at length with others who
were there about the greatness of this man, his intellectual heft, his grasp of geopolitics. And I loved tal king to him about geopolitics. But Walton, lik e many of
us, could also talk about what is happening on Court Street, Middletown, Dockyard, St. George’s. He was a


Bermuda House of Assembly and Senate— Special Joint Sitting local man with a global appreciation of this world. Let
us not forget that.
He asked us to always think about what is
happening not only in Bermuda, but globally. And we
are in debt to him. And I say, Mr. Deputy Speaker,
with respect to that, that while he kept his sights on
what was happening globally, he was a man who
never forgot where he came from.

The Deputy Speaker recogni ses the Honourable Ben Smith.
Mr. Ben Smith, MP, Shadow Minister of Social D evelopment, Sports and National Security: Good
morning, Mr. Deputy Speaker.
Tuesday was an extremely difficult day for
me. I spent the last several days reflecting on the last
15 years that I have had the honour to call Walton
Brown my friend. The news was devastating on Tuesday. I met Walton 15 years ago at a dinner party when
I was first dating my wife. I actually met him through her. We had the opportunity to sit and tal k to each
other. The conversation that I had with Walton that day at that dinner party sparked a friendship. We
talked of every subject imaginable. And just the way
that he talked, the knowledge he had . . . [this] meant
that the following week we [would have] another di nner party. It has been said already that Walton enjoyed going out and enjoying a good dinner, good
wine, with good friends.
The opportunities that I had to spend with
Walton over the last 15 years I will carry with me for-ever. He taught me so many things. I cherish those
moments. Last Friday, we were communicating back
and forth because he was away for his birthday and
we were not able to get together to celebrate his
birthday. But he said when he got back, we would
make sure that we had that opportunity. So, on Friday
we tried to organise dinner for Saturday night. And he
said, Can I get a rain check for next week? The rain
check that I wish I could cash.
In the years that I have known Walton, I can
tell you we talked often about his love for his family.
As a fellow mama’s boy, he talked specifically about
his love for his mother. As devastated as I was on
Tuesday, I cannot imagine what this was like for his mother.
The way that he spoke of you, I can only i magine the love that the two of you had between each
other. And my condolences, sincere condolences, go
to you and the entire Brown family.
His s on, Tariq, actually works for me in my
business. And I guarantee you I will conti nue to look
out for Tariq, specifically , because Walton was m y
friend, my brother. And anything that you guys need, I tell you, I will be there.
Walton had a love for his PLP. We talked long
into the early hours on multiple nights about the strug-gle that led to the PLP winning. We talked about the differences, and you have heard it here, respect that
Walton always showed for the differences that we have. We were not always on the same page.
But what I will tell you is this, when I was gi ven the opportunity to potentially become a candidate, the advice I sought was from Walton. And Walton said
to me, simply, You love your country. I know that for
sure. Serve it. That is your responsibility. You have to
serve the people of this country because together we
are going to work towards making it better for all of us.
It is an important piece of his legacy. He loved
all of Bermuda, not just the PLP members, but the
OBA members —not black, but black, white, Port uguese, all of the community. It did not matter what
your background was. It did not matter what you b elieved in . Walton respected everyone, and I believe
that what we should be doing, going forward, is living to that legacy, that we respect everyone. Our differences are what make Bermuda strong. But we have to
accept that and communicate with each other with
respec t. Because that is what Walton did.
I am going to miss my friend. But I will always
remember him. And I will live to live up to what he
taught me. Thank you.

The Chair recognises the Ho nourable Member Michael Scott.
Hon. Michael J. Scott, JP, MP, PLP Backbencher:
Mr. Deputy Speaker, thank you.
The reality of what we are doing here this
morning, paying final —the operative word final—
farewell to Walton Brown weighs heavy on us, as r eflected in my colleague Mr. Smith’s last tribute, as r eflected in how I know that my dear friend, the Minister
of Health, is feeling and has reflected how she has
been gathering strength to cope with the loss of her
friend and colleague, and with the speech delivered
by Ms. Leah Scott, the H onourable Member.
So, I want to adopt all of the tributes paid thus
far on behalf of Walton, hoping that what we do here
this morning is supporting this noble family of Mr s.
Barbara Brown and Walton’s sons , Domi nic, Tariq and
Jarrod. I hope and pray that what we do here this
morning is having a proper purpose.
We have heard the theme of surreal, and certainly that is how I felt on Tuesday. I was in the throes of meetings at the Criminal Injuries Compensation
Board. I was at court. I knew that the Cabinet was
meeting. And it was surreal when the news came that Walton had died. And I heard the Premier, the Ho nourable David Burt, in paying tribute, use that same
word. It has been used a lot here today.
Death has been heavily about us in this last
fortnight. I recall as I drove out last Saturday on Front
Street, I saw that the flag was flying half -staff, and I
just wondered out loud, I wonder who it was for. I did
not know. I know we had lost Sir James Astwood dur-ing the week. Before that, it was Dr. James A. C. King.
12 11 October 2019 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly and Senate— Special Joint Sitting On Sunday when I went to church, it was announced
that Trenton Butterfield, the father of Cory and Chri stin, had passed. And before that, in my church, Kevin
Bean, who is a member, had lost his dear sister, K aren Greene, the wife of the chairman of my colleague
Scott Simmons’s branch, David Greene. And so, the
flag has flown half -staff for these noble souls.
But, you know, Walton carried a number of
flags and raised them in his life. They were not white flags of surrender, but bright banners of a soldier of
important causes for this country and the world’s af-fairs, particularly his work on human rights, his noble
work for sovereignty for this Island. So, his represe ntations both at home and abroad helped to define his
work, his life, his times. Ref lective, intelligent, author itative, scholarly, vigorous in speech—these all were
[arrows in his quiver], his arsenal, which he released
always with powerful effect.
I remember Walton’s voice ranging from firm
and convincing over my right shoulder from our Oppo-sition benches in the west corner of the House, thun-dering out some unstoppable case, some compelling
argument on constitutional positions, on sovereignty,
human rights and justice. These were the subjects
which enthralled us to Walton Brown and enthralled
him to us and the world.
Now, land grabs in Bermuda and righting the
inequities of that area was a focus for Walton. It was for him both a personal matter and a cause inspired in
him through his family, particularly his mother, Barbara. Land owners hip is central, Mr. Deputy Speaker,
central to the very survival of black people of the I sland. It rivals in priority and importance to even the
constitutional advancement to independence. But
landholding by black families in this Island has come
under rec ent attack through a number of notable
agendas. They include land grabs that are unlawful
and, recently, direct foreclosure actions fed by the
onboarding by black people of this country, onboar ding of debt made too easily available by lending inst itutions. The consequences of these agendas can and
will rob ordinary citizens of this Island of this scarce
and important resource. And so, no wonder Walton found this question an important passion for him to
promote.
As I close my remarks in tribute today to a
politician, a professor, a pollster, a progressive, as my
colleague, Mr. Commissiong, has underscored, the prophet for Bermuda independence, father to Dom inic, Tariq and Jarrod, these roles Walton discharged
in his time, Mr. Deputy Speaker, with passion and excellence. These key aims we pledge as his party to
both action and deliver. And I adopt these sentiments
that have been expressed in this House as a commi tment of us all so that one day these seeds which have
been planted, which Walton watered, and they have
grown now and taken root, we even see the green
shoots . . . one day soon, I hope and pray, they will come to full flower as a tribute, a lasting monument, to
Walton Brown, Jr.
How interesting that Shakespeare has featured in our tributes here today , as our speaker, the
Minister Lovitta Foggo, has shared with me that which
I did not know, that he even took the part. Berkeley
often gave us groundings in Shakespeare. I did King
Lear. Walton did Romeo and Juliet. As we seek to pay
this final tribute, the words from the Prince of Denmark come to my mind: “This is the imposthume of
much wealth and peace, That inward breaks, and shows no cause without Why the man dies.”
To Walton’s mother, Mrs. Barbara Brown, and
the Brown family, this noble family in our midst, please accept my condolences. I pray for your continued
strength throughout this time as we all have pledged,
this whole House, from the Members of the Oppos ition to the Members of the Government, to support
you in this time. Thank you.

The Chair recognises the Ho nourable Member Pat Gordon- Pamplin.
Hon. Patricia J. Gordon -Pamplin, JP, MP, Shadow
Minister of Health: Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker.
Protocol having been established, I wish to
address the Brown family, because I can say that very
few things in life go according to what we hope they
would. We can plan as well as we want, but there are
some things that hit us at the most inopportune times
that, to us, just make no sense.
This past Tuesday, I almost lamented the fact
that we have instant communication, because I was
able to hear a ping on my telephone to say on my
WhatsApp group that there had been a tragedy within
our parliamentary group. I looked. I was stunned. It is
very difficult to accept that someone with whom we
were colleagues could have been snatched away from
us in such an untimely manner as what we exper ienced this past Tuesday.
The interesting thing is I say that we are co lleagues, because we all come together here for the common purpose of service, irrespective of the route
that we have taken to arrive at this place. We did not
share the same political philosophy, no. But we have a common aim, and that is to serve our country and
our people as best we know how.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, we have at times the
understanding that we are mere mortals. I can only empathise with his mother at this point, because this
does not make any sense. We do not have an expl anation. We do not know why, and we do not know
when. But I believe that when we have the Christian
hope and belief that we do, we know that we will see
him again. We know that his living does not stop or
did not stop on Tuesday , because we will always have
something of Walton to carry with us and to hide in
our hearts that we can use as an example when we
might be tempted to fall short.


Bermuda House of Assembly and Senate— Special Joint Sitting Mr. Deputy Speaker, it is known that the cut
and thrust of the political debate can serve to bring out
the worst in many of us. But Walton was perhaps that
example who says, It’s not necessary. We can dis agree. We can be diamet rically opposed on fundamental principles. But we do not have to be disagreeable
in the process. And that is a quality that is missing
among so many of us. And I say “us” because I fall
seriously short in that particular area. And it is a lesson that, in r etrospect, I will now have the ability to
reflect on and perhaps make a concerted effort to
change even my approach. And hopefully, as we look
to garner a level of respect among our colleagues in
this Honourable House, we can all make a commi tment to that end.
Walton has shown that civility is possible even
if we are divided. After the 2017 election, Walton was
appointed by the Premier to be the Minister respons ible for Immigration, which was the position that I held
as we went into that election. So, ther e was the cont inuity of responsibility that we had, notwithstanding
that I had lost my position and he had gained it. But
there was a fundamental issue that befell us as a
country at that time and on which I was working. And
because it was something that w as going to impact
our people significantly, I felt it was my obligation to
share with Walton, as the new Minister of Immigration, the progress and the conversations that had been had
in respect of the issue regarding passports and the
BMU versus GBD nomenclatures that appeared in our
passports which was creating difficulty for our res idents to be able to freely traverse into the United
States.
And I did so willingly because I felt that it was
not about who won or who did not win the election. It
was about what information do I have on this issue
that I could share to help to find a resolution to an ex-tremely vexing problem that our people were facing?
And I believe that Walton accepted the conversations
that we had. We shared backwards and forwards. And
we were able to at least have an understanding that
there is nothing wrong with knowing information that
you can pass on to your successor if it is meant for the better good of the country. Walton was receptive,
and I appreciated that.
We have heard today t hat Walton . . . at no
time did you find him becoming personal on issues.
And that is a quality that I think we can all hope to
emulate.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, I can say to his mom
that Walton, I assumed, was one of my contemporaries. I did not realise that I was about 10 years older than he was, because he had such a maturity of spirit
and of attitude and of persona and of knowledge and
of information. He was a wealth of information. And it
did not occur to me that I was so many years his sen-ior. However, no twithstanding that I was the old lady
of the group, he never treated me in any other way other than with deep and abiding respect. And for that
I will be eternally appreciative.
Walton and I had the opportunity of [attending]
a Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Conference together in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2010 as the Bermuda delegates. At the time, the delegation was led
by Dale Butler, who was the Minister of Cabinet. I was
the Opposition Member and Walton was the Gover nment Member who attended that Com monwealth Parliamentary Association Conference.
During those conferences, there is a segment
that is dedicated to the small branches. And there was
an issue at the time in which Walton had taken exception to a challenge that was being faced by one of our
fellow small countries in terms of fair interaction with
Britain. And he did not discuss it. We went to the small
countries, and he said, I would like to bring forward a
motion, which he did. And when I listened to the m otion, which did not pass in the general assembly, but
when I listened to the motion, I thought, What do I do
here? because I did not agree with the motion. The
leader of the delegation, Dale Butler, said, Well, b ecause the motion is coming from somebody from our
country, then maybe we should support it. And I
thought, I find it very difficult to support something with
which I did not agree.
So, in the final analysis, when it came down to
the vote, the leader of the delegation abstained from
the voting. Walton, who had moved the motion, obv iously, voted in favour of it. And I, as his colleague,
voted against it. So, we ended up with three delegates
all taking a different position on an issue. And we found it reall y quite extraordinary because when the
meeting was over, we all got together, and we chatted. And he says, Well, maybe I should have explained to you beforehand what it was that I was thinking. But I was so dogmatic about the position, that I
thought it to be the correct one, that I didn’t give you
guys that opportunity for us to have that discussion.
And that is something that the average person
may not necessarily have either recognised or appr eciated. But I think that when we look at his ability to
say, Listen. We could have done this differently . . .
And whether we would have gotten a different result
or not will never be known, but had we had that oppor-tunity, he recognised that this is something that we
could have done, and we could have done it dif ferently. And it is those qualities that he possessed that
made me understand that there is a better way to i nteract one with the other when we are dealing with things politic and we are dealing with things that cr eate differences in us.
So, as his family is just preparing to lay to rest
their loved one . . . very difficult, as my colleagues
intimated for a mother to bury a child. I can only wish
for you comfort as you reflect on the meaning of his
life, what you were able to infuse into him and to know that we are eternally grateful for what he gave to us as
14 11 October 2019 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly and Senate— Special Joint Sitting a people, as a country, certainly as a parliament, and
me personally for my family. God bless you.

The Deputy Speaker recogni ses the Honourable Scott Simmons.
Mr. Scott Simmons , JP, MP, PLP Backbencher : Mr.
Deputy Speaker, good morning.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, on behalf —and I will
presume to do so, as it relates to my family; I reco gnise that my older brother is here. But I will yield to
him in that regard. But at this particular time, I wish on
behalf of our family to extend to the Brown family our
deepest of condolences.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, before I begin just a few
remarks on my relationship with our honourable co lleague, I just wanted to say that there are times when
we . . . and I appreciate the words of the previous
speaker, my honourable colleague, in this regard as it
relates to the fact that many of our relationships here
in this House, from time to time, will have a health af-fliction. And they continue to work in this House a nd
serve the people of Bermuda accordingly. I do not think at times we recognise that in a way . . . in a public way. But I do believe, as colleagues, we recognise
that they do have that challenge and they do work in
this House. And our honourable colleague was one of those who, no matter how he felt, he continued to
work very hard for this country and among his colleagues.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, I believe that there were
times when I did not agree with Walton on a number of issues. From time to time we would have a conversation on these matters. But I can safely say that the
Honourable Member taught me much. I believe that
he traversed all sides of the House, all sides of Bermuda. And I do believe that he took the time to not
[only] understand his own experience, but also took
the time out to understand the experiences of others
throughout our community.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, we must now support
our parliamentary colleagues who were closest to him. He touched each and every one of us. His contribution to Bermuda, and to the Bermuda Progressive Labour
Party especially, and the body of work that he ded icated or devoted to immigration and the plight of ev ery Bermudian to preserve and protect our birth right as
Bermudians will be greatly, greatly appreciated.
He wi ll be missed. And, Mr. Deputy Speaker, I
do believe that his legacy will live on and on. Thank you.

The Deputy Speaker recogni ses Senator Mrs. Simmons.
Sen. Michelle Simmons, JP, Independent Member:
Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker.
Madam President, Deputy Speaker, the
Brown family and all Members of the Legislature here assembled, present Members and former Members . . . Charles Walton DeVere Brown.
I met Walton when he was a fourth- year st udent at the Berkeley Institute and I was at t he very
beginning of my teaching career. So, we go back a
long, long way. I had the privilege of teaching Walton,
albeit for a very short time. But it was during a period
when his real chemistry teacher went on maternity
leave. And I was in my very first y ear of teaching. At
that time, maternity leave was something that was granted, but there were no substitute teachers. So, as the second chemistry teacher, I just got double classes. So, Walton, who was not my student, per se,
ended up in my class for about a term, as I had more
than 40 students, trying to teach them chemistry.
Walton struck me immediately as a highly i ntelligent young man who loved to debate just about
anything, with a twinkle in his eye and a bit of mi schievousness, as well. He exceled in any subject, in
any area that was of interest to him. There were other
things that he did not really enjoy and did not really
find interesting. So, he kind of left them to one side
until someone reminded him, You have to do well in
everything in order to really show your true potential.
And he did.
It will not surprise any of you to hear that Walton was passionate about four subjects. I am not sa ying he only did four; he did a lot more than that. But four of them were his passion: English Language,
Englis h Literature, Economics and History. Are you
getting the profile? He excelled in these subjects. He
was an exceptional student. And it was around that time that, career -wise, he was thinking that he would
study economics at university before he went on to do a law degree. That was then. Of course, we now know
that Walton went to university, and the lure of political
science and everything associated with it was just too great for him to ignore. That became his next passion.
On his final report card from t he Berkeley, his
economics teacher, who just happens to have been my sister, wrote, “ Walton is a brilliant student.” (I will
leave out a little bit of what she wrote.) “I am sure that
he will be the very successful lawyer that he desires to
be.” That is a quote from Sonia Grant.
Then there was his English teacher. And I will
say three initials, R. K. H. And all the Berkeleyites in this Chamber today will know to whom I am referring—none other than the Robert Keith Horton. He
wrote on Walton’s final report card, “It is with much
sadness that the Berkeley Institute and Room 3” (r emember?) “in particular bids farewell to one of its f avourite sons. Walton’s intellectual gifts have devel-oped superbly during the past two years, and he is
simply destined for a magnificent future. Prince Esc alus, may nothing thwart you as you reach resolutely
for success. ” That is the end of the quote from Robert
Keith Horton.
As Minister Foggo has already said, those of
us who were there at the time remember vividly WalBermuda House of Assembly and Senate— Special Joint Sitting ton playing the role of Prince Escalus in Berkeley’s
production of Romeo and Juliet. This character was to
be the arbiter, the peacemaker, the person who was
trying to encourage the Montagues on one side and
the Capulets on the other side to come together, to basical ly make love, not war. I am sharing this information with you about Walton, the young man, so that
you can appreciate that Walton was already, at the
age of 15– 16, on a path which led him eventually to
the highest echelons of government in this country. He knew what he wanted to do. I suspect he knew
even at West Pembroke Primary School.
It was with great admiration that I watched
Walton’s career develop. And in all that he did as a lecturer at Bermuda College, as the researcher, pol lster, as a Member of P arliament, as a Cabinet Mini ster, he consistently upheld the highest standards of integrity, respect for the rights and opinions of others,
and always acted in the best interests of Bermuda.
We have lost a true Bermuda statesman. But
our loss is nothing c ompared with what I see in the
eyes, in the looks of the Brown family. You have been in my prayers ever since I heard. I know all of you. I
love you, and I will continue to pray for you.
My deepest condolences are extended to Mrs.
Barbara Brown; Walton’s children, two of whom were
my students at the Berkeley, Tariq, Jarrod and Dom inic; his brother Charles, another student of mine, and
Lisa, his wife; his sister, Deanna, husband, Randolph, whose children I had at Berkeley, as well (I think you
are getting an idea of their support for the Berkeley
Institute); and the entire Brown clan.
Walton’s legacy must live on in his family and
in all the debates and conversations we will have r egarding the issues about which Walton was passionate. We will miss this true Bermuda champion. But we
will never, ever, ever forget him —never.
Rest in peace, dear Walton.
And I am going to end by giving him the final
word. This would have been the final speech that he
gave as the Prince of Verona in Romeo and Juliet,
more Shakespeare. Ironically, it comes right at the
end of the play. And you will hear some familiar
words. I am going to do a little massaging of Shak espeare today; I hope I am forgiven. But here it comes:
“A glooming peace this morning with it brings;
The s un, for sorrow, will not show his head:
. . .
For never was a story of more woe . . .”
Than this of Charles Walton De Vere Brown.
Thank you.

The Chair recognises the De puty Premier, Walter Roban.
Hon. Walter H. Roban, JP, MP, Dep uty Premier,
Minister of Home Affairs: Thank you, Mr. Deputy
Speaker. One thing the tribute today, I think, certainly
for me has certainly allowed the feelings that I may
have had since Tuesday to be subsided, because I
have heard a lot of very warm and f ulfilling memories
from people who have been a part of our fallen co lleague’s life from the very beginning, and have shown us a picture of him that many of us may not have
known. But it is fulfilling to hear at this sombre time.
And I am appreciative of that, which is why there is
even no need to go over certain memories that I may
have of our dear colleague.
But there are a few things that I would like to
say. You, Mr. Deputy Speaker, amongst a few others
in this House, have been around long enough to see
our party go through this a little bit too much. This is
the sixth person that we have experienced who were
close to us in our organisation who has gone in the field of service. It is never easy, no matter how many
times you go through this, because these are family
members. They are not just parliamentarians; they are not just colleagues. They are and were family. And it
is painful to lose family in this way.
It is often easier that they retire from service,
and we know that they are going on to other duties in
life and then, eventually, they go through the s equence of life. But to leave while committed to the role
of service to their country and to their party and to the
citizens they have been elected to represent is difficult to witness. And so, I think I express what many of PLP
Members are feeling right now, irrespective of where
they sit in the hierarchy of our party as parliamentar ians or members or constituents. I think I am expres sing the pain a bit. But as I said, what I have heard this
morning about our fallen colleague has brought a bit
of ease.
I would like to speak a bit about the man
whom I knew and met, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Upon
returning to Bermuda in the late 1980s as an impressionable, slightly younger college graduate, I craved to find out what was happening in my country, to get
involved. And there were a few people I was directed
to. And one of the people I eventually found my way to
was the doorstep of Walton Brown. And it was an a utomatic spark for me because I was a political science
graduate, particularly international politics. And I found somebody in Bermuda for the first time whom I could
have discussions with and fulfil my own interests with.
And Walton was that person at that time of my life.
And visiting his home, I sat in his study. And if
anybody remembers that study, there was a table. He
had books all around. It looked like a professor’s study. So, you knew this was a learned man. And we
talked about all things —Marxism, Leninism, all the
theoretical . . . and it was a wonderful experience.
And, of course, with that came the issue of sovereign-ty, which was his passion. And, of course, Bermuda,
in general. And I, of course, joined the committee that he chaired to push for Bermuda’s full sovereignty.
16 11 October 2019 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly and Senate— Special Joint Sitting And it was a great learnin g experience for me
at that time. I was then and today committed to Bermuda fulfilling full sovereignty. And if anything, being
with Walton, and all the other members who were
there, helped to shape and solidify my commitment to that vision for our country that clearly Walton Brown,
at that period of Bermuda’s time, helped to shape.
And much of what we understand and what we believe around that issue is shaped by the words of Walton Brown. And he certainly articulated, as has a lready been said, his brilliant mind and ability —not o nly brilliant . . . But [his] ability to articulate clearly the
message around the issue that he was very strongly
committed to was a gift and made him the natural
spokesperson for the group. And as has already been said, despite hi s solidity in his commitment to many of
his causes, he had a broad church of people whom he would gather with and talk to. Even if you did not
agree with him, he was very clear and very measured
in how he argued.
Often, we find people who are staunch acti vists, which Walton was, who people on the other side
may find toxic to deal with because they are so strong
and maybe very emotional and passionate. And that
may turn off some of their opponents. But Walton was
never like that. It seemed as almost sometim es his
opponents would be drawn to him. The anti -
independence people would engage him all the time, because Walton could engage in a way that was
measured and thoughtful and articulate and clearly
solid. But he did not do things in a way that suggested
he was disrespecting his opponent.
Very true, he did not suffer fools or ignorance
gladly, and he made it very clear. And I can remember some of the points he would make, particularly around
discussions about independence, where somebody
said to him, after perhaps a long going- back -and-forth,
then the person would say, Well, we need to be concerned that Spain may itself exercise its right to take
back Bermuda because it was the first country to land here. And he said . . . you know, he would just shake
his he ad and say . . . So, that’s where the argument
went. But clearly, he felt, Well, that is where the person had to go because all the other arguments that they had tried to put to me just didn’t work .
But he would lead even those discussions,
you know. That person might come back again and try
to have another conversation with him because that is
how Walton was. And speaking to him as a person
who, from a social standpoint . . . clearly it has been
articulated by many who knew him that he was social.
And it is true. His house where he lived and where I certainly knew him was always a gathering place for
people. When he had parties, there was a cross section of people. Some people you would be surprised
were there. But they were at Walton’s house. And he
led a very vibrant social environment, when he had
parties, when he had events at his home. And you felt
like even with the opponents on the other side of the room, you were all there for the same thing, t o have a
good time irrespective of our views, because that is the type of environment Walton could cultivate around
himself.
And so, I was always drawn to that and enjoyed the back -and-forth around the politics, the social
and the man. And I learned a great deal from him. He
was clearly gifted in the areas of politics in most ar eas. He was perhaps the best pollster who operated in
Bermuda during his time when he was actively i nvolved with it. And that has been articulated by others
here about how well he c ame to the results, many
times with Research Innovations.
And most of all, Walton was committed to the
country. He was committed to his family. He was
committed to seeing what he believed was right for
Bermuda to be achieved. And that could be seen in the causes that he steadfastly, consistently stayed
with. Certainly, for the almost -30 years that I knew
him, they never changed. Sovereignty, human rights,
LGBT rights, for Bermuda to have its rightful place in
the international environment . . . And even th ough we
are a colony, he even desired to make sure that the
relationships that Bermuda would develop even in this
limited state were suitable for Bermuda to move forward with the UN, with the Caribbean and with other
countries. Walton did that, and was giv en the respo nsibility for doing that in different times under different
Premiers. So, that is a testament to the consistency in
the commitment.
Certainly, around the issue of land rights, he
took that up and carried it. And certainly, his articul ation around the issue of land rights is what motivated very much what we all believe today is important in
that area, because Walton took it up, articulated what
should be done, brought it straight to the Legislature.
And that is a part of the agenda, the unfinished work that he has presented to us.
Human rights continues to be an issue, and
other rights. Walton was uncompromising in his belief in what should be done, and pushed us, often having
some of us in his own party not on his side. But he
stayed committed to what he felt was right, always
consistent in every way with every cause that he put
his name to a nd never communicating in a way to
others, even his opponents, to be offensive, to be derogatory. He was clear and intelligent and decisive in
his message on all the things that he believed in.
Walton was a Pembroke man through and
through. I have never known him to not be living in Pembroke. He was raised, he studied, clearly, and he represented Pembroke. And of all of us who are left
who are the Pembroke Members of Parliament, I think
he is the one who is continuous in that experience. He
remained in Pembroke, ran in two different constit uencies in Pembroke, and one in which he was victor ious. But I never went to a house that he lived in that was not in Pembroke. He was truly a Pembroke man,


Bermuda House of Assembly and Senate— Special Joint Sitting committed to his parish, committed to his people and
committed to his country.
And as he would share his experience with
you, it was clear that the history of his family bore
great influence on his path in life, talki ng about his
grandfather and the experience that his grandfather
had here in Bermuda and abroad. And his commi tment to Bermuda, moving forward, shaped Walton in
what he did and what he believed in and how he
moved forward.
So, if you truly got to know him , you understood the man, what he was about, what he believed in and the purpose he felt for himself and why he was
committed to serving his country. I feel honoured and
blessed that I had the opportunity to know him for as long as I have, to have been inf luenced and to learn
from him in the way that I have, and that our party had that benefit, as well, and his constituents in constit uency 17.
I would now like to express my sincere condolences to his family, to his mother, to his brothers, to his sister, a nd all of the Brown family. Bermuda has
lost a great son. And so have they. And certainly, as a Member of the PLP, as a Bermudian, I will do my best
to see that the causes that Walton felt so strongly
about are fulfilled in their appropriate manner.
Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker.

The Deputy Speaker recogni ses the Honourable Member Lawrence Scott.
Mr. W. Lawrence Scott , MP, Government Whip :
Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker.
With protocol having been established, Mr.
Deputy Speaker, I may not have the vintage that
some Members have in this Chamber with their sen-iority and being seasoned, but as one of the younger
Members in this Chamber, and the fact that I may not
have gone to the Berkeley Institute, there may be
some Ministers which say that means that I didn’t
count, others would say that I can still boast of having
been a classmate of Walton Brown in the “Class of
2012,” the elected class of 2012.
And one thing that stands out is that soon after being elected . . . it was myself, Walton Brown, and
Minister Wilson who would spend a lot of time outside of Parliament together. And Walton would culture me
on quite a few things and aspects in life. And although
there are Members that can say that he was wise b eyond his years, for me, as a you nger Member of not
just Parliament, but of society, his age was timeless
because I still felt as though I could relate to him. I did not feel as if he ever talked down to me, but counselled me.
And the thing that stands out about . . . well,
one of the man y things that stands out to me was that
he always believed in people noble in nature. So it
was not about the action that they might have done or
the position that they were taking at that time, it was who they could become, where they could go, what
they could achieve. And that goes as far as to the
wider community and the country as a whole. And his
belief, and my understanding of his belief, in Bermuda
as a country being . . . and our nobler nature to be
able to do things on our own, to be able to be an independent country, there was no need for us to be
tied to anyone or anything else.
I will share a story that many in here will a lready know . . . that [during] the Budget Debate of
2013, where Walton was very policy and procedure
driven, where if you do not have enough Members in
the Chamber, any Member of the House can call for a
quorum —and for those that are listening who might
not be familiar with parliamentary procedure, the
Budget Debate is that of the Opposition. It is the O pposition’s duty to carry that debate. And right after
lunch, with the first Budget Debate of our Opposition, the Honourable Walton Brown looked around and said
that there are not enough Members in this Chamber to
carry the debate and asked the Speaker (Speaker
Horton, who is in t he Chamber now) to call for a quorum. And the Whip at the time, the Honourable Lovitta
Foggo, had to do her duty and round everybody up to
show that they were in the House and that they did
have enough to continue.
And the moral of the story there is that Walton
saw how important this duty of service is. He ensured that the policy was followed at all means and all costs,
even though that meant holding his own team me mbers to account. And that is something that speaks to
his integrity and his honour and his character.
And one thing that Walton was, he was reli able and consistent. And for me, as the current Whip, and with our caucus meetings, Mr. Deputy Speaker,
you are one of those who shows up on time, if not early, every time. Every time without fail Walton was
there early, if not on time. And what that allows for is
. . . that, I believe, is part of the foundation of what we
have seen today —Members on both sides being able
to speak to and remember how pivotal of a role he
played.
I think the best way for m e to express that is
by (and I am not going to sing it) the first verse of S imon and Garfunkel’s song, Bridge Over Troubled W aters:
“When you’re weary, feeling small,
When tears are in your eyes
I will dry them all
I’m on your side
When times get rough
And friends just can’t be found
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down”

That, to me, captures one of the major roles
that the Honourable Walton Brown provided, not just
18 11 October 2019 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly and Senate— Special Joint Sitting for this Parliament, but for the country. Because when
it came to the controversial issues —immigration,
same -sex marriage—behind the scenes . . . and the
colloquial would be “that back channel,” that bridge
over the troubled waters, which plagued our Island at the time, was Wal ton Brown. He was the one that
would reach out to the other side and say, Hey, al though we are divided in these aspects, this is where
we are of like mind. Why don’t we build on that?
So, for me, I think that losing that pillar of our
community, losing that reinforcement in the bridges
that connect us, it is not just sobering, not just hum-bling, but it is gratifying in the sense that it allows us to
be grateful for the time that we have spent with him,
the laughs that we have had, and the memories that we share.
And as I take my seat, the last quote that I
would like to use to encapsulate and capture MP
Brown’s essence is just one line out of a poem that is
near and dear to my heart and to the hearts of other Members in this Chamber. It is a line from the poem If
by Rudyard Kipling. And the one line that I want to
focus on is: If you can . . . walk with kings and not lose
the common touch . . . that . . . that . . . that was him.
He was a Member of the Cabinet, he was a Member
of the Senate, he was a Member of the House of A ssembly, but yet he never lost the common touch. So, if
you can walk with kings and not lose the common
touch.
Thank you.

Thank you.
The Chair recognises the Honourable Member Kim Swan.

Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. Swan JP, MP, PLP Bac kbencher : Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, on this sad occasion, on
behalf of my PLP branch in constituency 2, my wife
Cindy and my family, I offer my sincere condolences
to the family of our dearly departed colleague Wal ton
Brown, Jr.
To the family gathered here today, my heart
goes out to you especially, as you know most int imately the life of Walton Brown, Jr., as a family member.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, the spirit of Walton
Brown was captured in this very room today as it was
the first time in my time in Parliament, that we did not turn to the east in prayer —a position Walton Brown
observed in every session he attended in Parliament.
In recording the life of Walton Brown, from my
lens, the most poignant memory I have w as a photo
that was captured of a very young Walton Brown with
his family at a historic protest in the 1960s. Proverbs
22:6 states, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”
In the lead- up to the 1995 Independence Referendum I found myself on the same side of this i m-portant issue as Walton Brown, Jr. [He] was the
spokesman for the Committee on Independence and
those of us who supported independence from the
UBP, were definitely a minority there, I will say , we
respected the position advanced by Walton Brown, Jr.
I remember proudly voting for independence on that
day and standing at the polling station in St. George’s
with my friend, Phil Perinchief, in 1995— 24 years ago.
And there was a division amongst those of us who
supported independence at the time. And during this
period in 1995, Walton Brown, Jr. was a peacemaker attempting to bridge the divide that emerged between
those who were supporters of independence.
Today, as we mourn the passing of Walton
Brown, Jr., independence for Bermuda remains long
overdue. And I thank Walton Brown, Jr. for the great
work he has done to advance the great importance of independence to Bermuda fulfilling her true potential.
Walton and I both have been talk show hosts
at HOTT 107.5, Inter -Island Communications. And I
know I speak on behalf of Inter -Island Communic ations in extending heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Walton Brown. We shared that Sunday
evening slot, and I remember when he interviewed me
as Opposition Leader, a political adversary. He said,
We are just going to have a conversation. And we had
a conversation and he could make his points very
succinctly, without a lot of rancour, quite different from myself, who is trying to take a page today o ut of his
book and be a lot more quiet spoken. Imitation is the
greatest form of flattery, they tell me.
In later years —more recently —I was able to
interview him as a Minister and a political colleague. It
meant a lot to me to have him there in the studio. The
work of Walton Brown, Jr. is reflected in his book,
Bermuda and the Struggle for Reform: Race, Politics
and Ideology, 1944– 1998, which was also used by the
Joint Select Committee examining the events of D ecember 2
nd, 2016, of which I was chairman. And we
used his book to put in context immigration and the
immigration policies that evolved in Bermuda, so si gnificant was his work. So I would commend persons to
read his works.
In closing, I offer my condolences to his
mother, his sons, siblings, famil y and friends. I would
say Walton Brown was the conscience of the Pr ogressive Labour Party. As diverse as we are, we have
founding members —many who have passed on— who
held great principles near and dear to our heart. And if
anyone would look at L. Frederic k Wade, the late
Dame Lois Browne- Evans, C. Eugene Cox, and ot hers who have passed on, and see the issues that [Walton] held near and dear to his heart and a dvanced—just the big three —he was in line with them. I
think it is important to make note.
May God comfort his entire family and friends
during this difficult time, and may Walton Brown rest in
peace.



Bermuda House of Assembly and Senate— Special Joint Sitting The Deputy Speaker : The Deputy Speaker recogni ses the Honourable Neville Tyrrell.

Mr. Neville S. Tyrrell, JP, MP, PLP Backbencher :
Thank you for recognising me.
Madam President, Mr. Deputy Speaker,
Members of Parliament, both former and present, members of the Brown family, extended, otherwise,
and friends, I wish to express the heartfelt condolences of myself and the entire Tyrrell family for your loss .
Mrs. Brown and family, we will keep you in our pra yers during this difficult time.
It has been a loss to me of a friend and colleague, and I say “colleague” because in the “Class of
2017,” he was in my class. So I feel proud about that.
Walton’s passing was certainly a shock to us
all and it will be difficult to replace this brilliant son of the soil.
Walton was sort of a person that, you know,
did not suffer things gladly, and one of them was repe-tition. And a lot of it has already been said today, b ut
there are a couple of small things that I would like to
share with you that certainly brought Walton and I t ogether.
During his period as Minister, Walton actually
sat directly in front of me. I was on the Backbench and
he was on the Front bench, so we had the opportun ity—several opportunities —to chat whilst debate was
going on. And I certainly picked up a lot from him. But I certainly remember one time when we were, as a
caucus, prepping for the debate on the marijuana Bill
(up to 7 grams), and I told him that I felt a little conflicted in speaking because I had always preached to my children and my grandchildren about the smoking
of marijuana because it was illegal. It was not legal, so
I felt conflicted. But I understood the Bill, what it i ntended to do, and it was to protect our young people
from getting a record that would stay on them for their life and cause them not to be able to even leave the
Island or further their education. And when I di scussed that with him, he said to me, I remember him
saying to me, You believe what you have said to your
children and your grandchildren?
I said, Y es.
And he said, Well, look, speak your conscience, be principled about it, and just say it.
And it gave me the spirit to speak on that Bill
that day. And I am glad I did. And, as I said, it was
certainly as a result of Walton.
It was mentioned earlier (without giving any
secrets of caucus) that Walton was always early at
caucus and so was I, and Mr. Deputy Speaker, you were one of the four as well that was, you know, us ually early. And one of the rules that the Whip had (or
has and still has) is that the last person in the room
before starting at 5:30 has to say the prayer. Well, we all know Walton’s position on that, and I always said
to him, I see why you come ear ly, but I am waiting for the day when you come late. And he gave me a smile
that just said, Yeah, you wait.
I always found my brief exchanges with Walton very enlightening. I found him so knowledgeable.
In fact, it was mentioned here, I thought Walton was older than me, I really did. Because he was so
schooled in everything— you can put your glasses
back on, Mr. Deputy Speaker.

[Laughter]

He was just so knowledgeable
and he taught me some things, certainly, on human rights and sovereignty. Those were his two main su bjects that he would talk to me about and, as I said, I
learned quite a lot from him. I am certainly going to
miss him.
I came upon a quote very, very recently which
I think, in my opinion, describes Walton. And I would
like very much just to repeat it. It is a short one, it is
from . . . those of you may know him as Stokely Carmichael, some know him as Kwame Ture, and it says,
“There is a higher law than the law of government.
That is the law of conscience.” And that is something
that, you know, Walton always, always expressed,
you know, speak your conscience, be loyal to your
position.
And as I said, I will miss him . I will miss his
presence. In this setting here he sat two seats down
from me and, as you can see . . . well, it was empty
until my colleague just sat in it. You know, he will be
missed and I hope his legacy lives on. And I say to my friend and colleague, rest in peace.
Thank you.

The Deputy Speaker recogni ses the Honourable Member Tinee Furbert.
Mrs. Tinee Furbert , MP, PLP Backbencher : Thank
you, Mr. Deputy Speaker.
I start off with condolences to the Brown fam ily and Walton’s friends and the constituents of [constituency] 17.
I have a connection with the Brown family. My
godmother is Walton’s cousin, and growing up as a young girl she used to take us to all the Brown functions, so I am very familiar with the Brown homestead
and al so visiting Walton’s home when he used to have
functions at his home. And I just remember how closeknit the family was, and still is. And so I know that
Walton’s leaving us is a great, great, great loss. So my greatest condolences to the family and I hope that
this pulls you even stronger together.
When I heard of the death of Walton, I was
actually in the office and I was actually going through
my phone. I was showing one of my colleagues some
pictures of a recent trip that I had been on, and we were tal king about experiences and memories and
how important experiences and memories are so that
20 11 October 2019 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly and Senate— Special Joint Sitting we call fall back on them, those memories, in making
us remember when we felt good and how we can be
joyous about certain experiences and memories that
we have been through. And then I ran down to the
Cabinet building to be with my colleagues and then I suddenly remembered that my daughter had a netball
game and I said I needed to be there because, kno wing Walton and Walton’s family, family is very i mportant. And so I left to go be with my daughter at her
netball game. She appreciated that.
There is something that I do remember in r egard to Walton. There is a quote that I would like to share and it says “To be yourself in a world that is
constantly trying to make you something else is the
greatest accomplishment.”
And knowing Walton and his convictions and
him being himself, that definitely was a great accom-plishment. (I lift my face up and his face is staring right
at me . . . Walton).
But Walton was very deliberate on his feelings, particularly what I remember is his feelings, how
he felt about us giving allegiance to the Queen. And
every time when it would come for us to read the oath,
I would look up to see what it is that Walton would do,
because we knew deep dow n inside where our all egiances should lie. And that is something that I do r emember about Walton—his commitment to our Island
pushing forward with independence, his commitment
for our Island pushing forward [concerning the] land
grabs and comprehensive imm igration reform. There
was also something that he felt very strongly about
and that was how we report in our community about
our public school system versus the private school system.
I remember Walton as being a professor and
how knowledgeable he was. I used to often listen i ntently to him when he did speak because he made such sense. And he could speak on topics off the top
of his head. It was like, Walton, where are you storing
all of that information? But he was a great speaker
and he will definitely b e missed.
And I just want us to remember that . . . I
mean, me particularly, I serve a living God. And I say
“living” because I feel as though He is always with me
and I know that Walton will continue to be with us and
we will remember him with the things that we do and
we will remember his presence in this House. We
should not let his ideas, his thoughts, his research, his
literature fall on deaf ears. So I urge our community,
like another Member has said, to go and buy his
books, go and study his literat ure. Talk to your elders.
Talk to those who came before us.
There is a quote, something that reminds me
of Walton because he said this all the time. And it is: If you don’t know your past . . . or something to this
tune, If you don’t know your past, how can you deli berate and properly plan your future? And I think that is
very important for us, because at times we make decisions without having the research and knowledge behind it, and that is something that I definitely will
take away as a memory from Walton.
Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker.

Thank you.
The Deputy Speaker recognises the Honourable Renee Ming.
Mrs. Renee Ming , JP, MP, PLP Backbencher : Good
afternoon, Mr. Deputy Speaker and listening aud ience.
First of all, I would like to let the Brown family
know that they are truly in my thoughts and prayers ,
and I also bring condolences on behalf of my branch,
which would be constituency 1.
I am going to start this because it would
seems like so informal the way I am talk ing to you
right now because family , a group of people who are
related to each other . . . well, maybe 24 years ago,
Barbara’s nephew decided he was going to marry this
girl from St. George’s, named Renee Anderson ( at the
time). And so I have been in the Ming family for over
24 years because I think I dated Raoul for five years
before marrying him.
And so one of the things that always stands
out when it comes to family is they have a very strong family tie. But if you want to stay in good standing with
the family , you must go to the annual family picnic
every year. I do not care what you have, biding the
fact that you are in the hospital or something like that ,
or off I sland, you had better find your way down to
Clearwater Beach. And it used to be the Sunda y after
Cup Match, but now it is the Sunday before Cup Match. And so it is at that time that was my first encounter with Walton and his family. Barbara was act ually one of the first people when she met me, to give
me like the biggest hug and welcoming me into the
family, even though at that time I was still outside of the family in terms of marriage. So the ties to the Ming/Brown family go back years.
It is amazing that when you look back on
things and you reflect , and having been around them ,
Walton is very common in his family —his mannerisms—because the men in the family are generally
cool, calm and collected. I have never seen my father -
in-law upset. I have seen him be passionate about
things when speaking, but never be upset. And so the
men in the famil y are cool, calm and collected.
I see Deanna over there looking at me shaking her head. That is because the women are the complete opposite, and they can let you know exactly
what they are thinking and where you can get off. And
so, if you have been around enough, you can appr eciate that . And even over the last week I have had a
few laughs at some of the things . . . even though . . .
through your sadness you try your best to find things
to make you smile and, at least, be happy about. And one of the things that we know is that we are not


Bermuda House of Assembly and Senate— Special Joint Sitting mourning at this time. We are celebrating the life of a
person who was amazing.
And it is funny because as a Member of Parliament you prepare for everything. Right? So you
think about what you are going to wear, what you are
going to say, and this morning I remember thinking
. . . let me get out the traditional black dress. And then
I thought about it and I said, Well, Walton was really
not a black -dress person; he was as colourful as you
could get. So what you see today i s representative of
how I felt he was , and he was colourful. I did feel
awkward when I walked into the room at first when I saw all my colleagues in all these dark colours, but if
you know the person that he was, he was extremely
colourful.
So my family s ide of Walton probably started
in the early 19 90s. But my real conversations with
Walton started in 2012. And that was when I became
actively involved in big politics. And I remember him
saying to me, I didn’t know you were interested in pol itics. And then from there the conversation went on. It
was probably a good thing I was a Member of the
Progressive Labour Party because I wonder how
those conversations would have been if I was big pol itics on the other side. Maybe he would not have
shared so much, but he was not that person anyhow,
he would have embraced me any which way . But I am
just saying it made it a lot easier I am sure. (Ben is
smiling at me. )
I remember in the Senate, when I was a Se nator, and we used to have a lot of conversations back then because I did not know some things , and history
is very important during the legislative process. And
he would at times say that I could think about this or I
could refer to this or I should read this , and whatever.
But one time where I really had to call him
was the Peppercorn Ceremony in . . . I think it was
2013. And, of course, the Peppercorn Ceremony is down in St. George’s and it is a big thing for St.
George’s. And my colleagues know I email out like,
Who is coming to the Peppercorn Ceremony? to make
sure that like, they are in St. George’s. But when the
“God Save the Queen” song came on and Walton did
not stand up, I almost died. I was like, What are you
doing? You are in St. George’s! You have to act proper! You know , this is the Queen’s event.
So he said to me, Call me later and I’ll tell you
about it , because I was fit to be tied.
Like, I was , What’s happening? You had be tter stand up. You have got to stand up.
And I was telling everybody else , Hit him ! Because he has got to stand up, right?
So [we had] our conversation later, about two
days after that , and it [took] about two hours when he
explained his position to me. And so I wish somebody
had told me prior to the Peppercorn Ceremony be-cause I was having about five heart attacks, I swear,
as I was having him . . . He’s got to get up ! Telling
people to hit him. But I came to respect that position and understand the “ why” behind it. And then, that
conversation actually led us into greater conversations
on independence and immigration.
And during my time in the Senate the work on
controversial immigration Bills that came and som etimes having that discussion with Walton helped me to
understand— either sometimes the position that our
party was taking, or positions from our people, or the
historic nature of why immigration was so emotive and remains so emotive even in our country.
So it is amazing how you reflect on things as
time . . . and time is just one of those things where we
do not . . . we think we have got so much, so much of
it, and we just ne ver . . . we just never ever know.
One thing that Walton always told me, he was
that he was going to come on my Saturday walks. And
for those that do not know, I do a walk every Saturday morning and he was always coming. He and a few
others, but I will not name them here today, Mr. Deputy Speaker.

[Laughter]

So I guess he will not make it on
that walk now , and that is something, I guess, I will
have to take up with him at another time. Because I
used to tell him , I’m gonna teach you some things
about St. George’s .
And he would say , I’m coming MP, but at se ven o’clock in the morning, I don’t know if I could make
that.
So maybe we should not put off those things
we think , because he used to say , I will come, but I
never got a date, so I would leave it at that.
I do want to say one thing, though. Our colleague was definitely an avid listener. You could be on
a rant and complaining about something and Walton
would always listen. And he would say uh-huh, and
give you the shake of mm-hmm, and let you get out
what it was that you needed to say , and then he might
just sometimes give you a very completely different
perspective on something.
I know in the House, the last time we sat,
there was a Bill that we were debating , . . . and I r emember bouncing something off of him, and then I
would come back with another question. And I do r ecall one thing he did say to me many years ago . He
always said, You should trust your gut . And that is
something that I have never forgotten and probably
am very true to. Because my colleagues and those
persons who have sat on committees know that I will
ask a million questions to ensure that I am making the right decision , and always being in the best interests
of Bermuda and her people.
I was reading the newspaper yesterday and
hearing the update with regard to the land grabs . That
is something else that was near and dear to Walton’s
heart. And I know that the Ming family will be happy to see that that continues to progress. And I hope that
22 11 October 2019 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly and Senate— Special Joint Sitting the legacy of W alton lives through that inquiry b ecause there is much information, I am sure, that will
be released and garnered and things that the public
just needs to know. And so I am hopeful that his leg acy continues with that land grab [situation] . And I am
hopeful that the Ming family get some of the answers
that they too —for many, many years —have looked
for.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, life is about relationships. And even in our political realm we create, we
build, we develop relationships. And I think that my
other coll eagues have hit the nail on the head when
they said Walton was just one of those people who
had relationships on this side and this side. And it is
probably something that we could all learn from him, you know, going forward in our behaviours, in how we
speak to one another, and how we just address our
colleagues who, in the grand scheme of things, are just like us. I do not think anybody believes any different in this room. We have the same common ground
of where we want to get to, sometimes it is just how
we get there.
And so, if our takeaway could be from our colleague, it would be to remember that as we move
through and we navigate this political world . . . because one day I will not sit here. I may sit somewhere
else. And I would hope that whatever the legacy I
leave behind is one that others would want to follow.
So, in closing, Mr. Deputy Speaker, my question will be for my colleagues : So what now? What will
we do to continue Walton’s legacy?
And with those comments I thank you, Mr.
Deputy Speaker.

Thank you.
The Deputy Speaker recognises the Honourable Minister Wayne Furbert.

Hon. Wayne L. Furbert, JP, MP, Minister for the
Cabinet Office : Good afternoon, Mr. Deputy Speaker.
I stand here this afternoon . . . first of all, let
me give condolences to the Brown family, in particular
his mother , and to his good friend, the Honourable
Kim Wilson.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, to be honest , I was not
going to speak. I find it hard to stand this morning or this afternoon to pay tribute to a per son I called a
friend, the Honourable Walton Brown.
It has just been over two years since I lost
another good friend, the Honourable Shawn Croc kwell. At that time I remember going home and sitting on my wall and singing the song “ Gone too Soon. ”
Tuesday when we heard about the loss of
Walton, I had to stand strong for my friend Kim Wi lson. But I tell you, when I went home, I cried like a
baby. It was late that night when I sat on my bed and I
said, If I did it for Shawn, I’ve got to do it for Walton.
And I put the words . . . and I will repeat them:
“As I lay me down Heaven hear me now
I’m lost without a cause
After giving it my all
Winter storms have come
And darkened my sun
After all that I’ve been through
Who on earth can I turn to”

The words go on to say:
“I look to you
I look to you .
After all my strength is gone . . .
I look to you .”

His death has saddened us all. It was unexpected. You see, on Friday night, Kim and I with Wal-ton were together. We were a team that hung out ho ping that Cabinet came out early, which was unusual.
But when Walton was in Cabinet, Kim and Walton
called me. When I went to Cabinet, Kim Wilson and I
called Walton. So, every Tuesday we hung out and a
lot of Fridays we snuck out of the House.

[Inaudible interjection]
Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Yes, that is true.

[Laughter]

Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Well, Mr. Deputy Speaker,
Walton was a good economist , and despite Kim being
a lawyer , so was she. Because Mr. Deputy Speaker,
they drink wine and they drink wine and they drink
wine. I drink Perrier with Rose’s lime. And then they
divided the bill by three.

[Laughter]

Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: That is what made them
good economists. And so the person that lost out was
me. And that is sad .
Mr. Deputy Speaker, we were supposed to go
away last Friday to New York, the three of us plus our
spouses and whoever Walton wanted to bring. But we
did not go. It was all planned. We were supposed to go see T he Temptations Friday night , Saturday we
were supposed to go see a play, and eat at a steakhouse, because Walton wanted to go to a steak place
in New York. But my wife could not make it so I was
not going to go by myself , so we had to cancel.
But Mr. Deputy Speaker, Walton was an
amazing individual. He was a deep thinker. He had
amazing intellect. He could debate an issue, as people have said, and not get aggravated about it. He had
to teach me a few things. Because normally most of
us stand up and interpolate. I did not see Walton i nterpolate many times. He just sat there calm and
peaceful.


Bermuda House of Assembly and Senate— Special Joint Sitting He was a great pollster. He was such a great
pollster. Jamahl may remember the reason why I was
kicked out of another place was because they believed Walton’s polls. Read my book , I will tell yo u
how I finished that one off. I am revealing some today
. . . but that was Grant Gibbons. I said, Grant, I don’t
understand it. All these years you believed those pol lsters in New York , but you now you are believing Wa lton’s polls.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, I still have the print from
Friday night. And Kim just said to me, When are we
going to lunch? It brought tears to my eyes because it
was the same thing Walton used to say , When are we
going?
That is what Walton wrote on Friday: What
time are we meeting today?
Kim wrote : Where?
Walton wrote : Lobster Pot.
Kim wr ote: Okay, what time?
Walton wr ote: 12:30.
I stuck my thumb up and said I’ll see you . (I
was too busy in the Cabinet doing work ).
Kim wrote : On my way , walking.
Walton wrote: Okay.
I walked in late. And, as usual, I went around
shaking everybody’s hands in the restaurant. Walton
would get angry at me and say some other things which I cannot say in this Honourable House today.
But the first word started with an “N.”
We stayed together for about five hours that
day—five hours. Kim had to go to City Hall and look at
some artwork , and I went along with Kim. And we
came outside and had my last hug with Walton. B ecause we hugged each other every time we left . Every
time after dinner, every time after lunch, we hugged.
So, it was a shock to us.
So, Mr. Deputy Speaker, if you will allow me
to [sing] this:
How can we say thanks
For the things that Walton’s done for us?
Things so undeserved
Yet he gave to prove his love to us ;
The voices of a million angels
Cannot express our gratitude
All that we are, and ever hope to be
We partly owe it all to Walton .

My salute to you , brother. May God bless , and
his family.

The Deputy Speaker recogni ses the Honourable Senator Crystal Caesar.

Sen. Crystal Caesar , JP, Junior Minister of Home
Affairs and Economic Development: Thank you, Mr.
Deputy Speaker. Thank you for indulging me.
First, I would like to just say my heartfelt co ndolences to the Brown family . Legislative colleagues ,
former and current , friends and family , I debated whether I was going to follow such a heartfelt tribute
to my colleague. But in his honour, I feel it would be
remiss if I did not. He had a profound impact on my
life and I thought that I should share.
Henry David Thoreau in 1849 wrote an essay
with regard to civil disobedience. That essay spoke to the need to prioritise one’s conscience over the di ctates of laws. And around that ethos is how Walton
and I became such good friends. And I actually consider him a mentor. And why I say that is because in
. . . I want to say late February, early March 2016, I
was sitting in my office doing work, listening to a par-ticular popular show in which Walton was the guest.
And he sent out an appeal to the public in general with
regard to some legislation that was going to be tabled,
which he actually found quite alarming. And I had known of Walton back from my college days and from serving on a couple of boards with him , so I had a lot
of time for him and a lot of respect.
But this parti cular day what he spoke about
actually , for whatever reason I still do not know , appealed to me. And this was around the legislation that was called Pathway s to Status.
As we all know, Walton was a very learned
man on issues of sovereignty. And when I heard him speak , something in me became alarmed, but also it
ignited something in myself. So he sent out the call to attend a meeting at the Young Men’s Social Club and I did so along with two of my colleagues. And we li stened to him and what that legislation could possibly
mean for the country. And I must say that it was
alarming, to say the least.
And through that meeting I developed a co nnection with Walton that has actually brought me here to stand as a Senator today. After that meeting he and
two of my colleagues put our heads together as to
what we could do to heed the call of expressing our civil disobedience. Some of you may not know, but he,
myself and the two others came up with the ideas for some of the protests at some of the public meetings
that had been held. In addition, I was one of those . . .
I am not a morning person, but he convinced me to
get up early one weekday morning and stand down on
East Broadway and interrupt traffic to make the Island
understand and note what this legislation could poss ibly mean for the country.
I cannot say that I was ever one who was that
learned or even that into issues of social justice, but again, he awakened something in me that, still to this
day, is alight.
And from those protests one may recall the
group IRAG —the Immigration Reform Action Group—
being formed in which many young people (people
even younger than myself ) became very knowledgeable on issues of immigration that would affect Berm uda. Through that collaboration I can proudly say that, along with W alton, we were able to have that partic ular piece of legislation pulled. It was withdrawn.
24 11 October 2019 Official Hansard Report
B ermuda House of Assembly and Senate— Special Joint Sitting During that time I developed a fondness, a dmiration and appreciation for Walton because I can be
deemed somewhat of a spitfire, and he was very
calming, very astute. So he would let me have my say
and then he would say , Okay Crystal, now think about
it this way , and I appreciated that.
When I heard the news on Tuesday I was
overcome with emotion because I felt as though . . . a
deep relationship that had just begun would no longer be. But God knows all and He knows why He brought
us together those two years ago, almost three years
ago now , and why He would allow Walton to come
into my life and the lives of those close to me, s o
much so that we —the four of us , the other two ladies
that I spoke of —sort of called ourselves the “ Undercover Panthers ,” because we all did things silently, but
in a very revolutionary manner.
And so I felt I had to speak on the relationship
that we developed and the impact that he had on my
life. And I have to thank his family for sharing him with
us. I appreciate it , and I can only hope that I will continue the work that Walton has begun and continue to carry and shine that light , that fire, that he lit in me.
Thank you.

Just before have the final
speaker, the Premier, I just want to . . . I was just
passed a note from Cole Simons [JP, MP, Shadow Minister of Education and Economic Development] who is overseas that he wants me to read. He says:
“Please pass on my regrets to the House on
the passing of the Honourable Member Mr. Walton Brown. The House has lost a Member of high intell igence, a Member committed to the development of Bermuda’s young people and a Member who was
passionate about Bermuda’s constitutional reform and
human rights. He was a gentleman and respected other people’s views and perspectives, even if he did not agree with them. It was, indeed, a pleasure to work with him as a fellow Member of Parliament and he will be sadly missed.”

Oh, Madam Attorney General ,
you have just got to let us know now.
Please, continue.
Sen. the Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons, JP, Attorney
General, Minister of Legal Affairs : Thank you, Mr.
Deputy Speaker.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, I think it would be remiss
of me not to rise today and give credit where credit is due. So I would like to take this time on behalf of all Honourable Members and women to honour Mrs.
Brown. There would be no Walton without his mother. She, in my mind, is the most singular important per-son who should be honoured today. As a mother of
three young men, I honestly believe that in our chi ldren’s eyes we actually are God. We are the pr oviders, we are the protectors, and we are the bearers of
life. So , Mrs. Brown, I hope to never walk in your
shoes too early.
I would also like to thank the OBA for bringing
their Pathway s to Status legislation because it was
through that exercise that I am standing here today. And the gentle giant that you have all portrayed is un-known to me because in debating that legislation in a private conversation with Walton he shouted at me and insulted me and called me a “backseat protestor.”
I did not sleep that night. I was actually a consultant down at the Cabinet Office, and I went to work
the next morning and corralled the staff and we marched up at the House. And from that moment I
was branded a troublemaker. But I am happy to stand in this Chamber and be a troublemaker because what
we have chosen to do, what I have been called to do by the man sitting in the front row , is to engage in a
very particular and special type of service.
And my challenge to my colleagues today is
to consider the portrait of the man that you have
painted today quite eloquently, but not just to continue
to speak, but to actually do, because oftentimes we
find ourselves commemorating our colleagues only to return the next session to continue business as usual.
So to colleagues who ha ve stood today and
made quite heartfelt speeches about what I would
characterise as the way forward in terms of our preparation, our narrative, our respect for each other . . . I
encourage you to put your money where your mouth is and to serve in a way that can be commendable and not just say, but to do.
Thank you.

Final speaker, Mr. Premier.
Hon. E. David Burt, JP, MP, Premier: Thank you,
Mr. Deputy Speaker.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, there has been a lot that
has been said today in honour of someone who we will all dearly miss. The only thing which I would ask of Honourable Members and the listening public is to keep the Brown family in your thoughts and in your
prayers. Make sure you recognise that there are three
young men that no longer have their father, there are
siblings that need love and healing, and there is a mother who wants so desperately to be with her son. And so for us to remember and to recall them and to provide them with the love and support , not only up
until next Friday, but thereafter.
A lot, as I said, Mr. Deputy Speaker, has been
said, but I think it is incredibly touching the comments which were said by the two Senators who spoke last ,
because I remember Pathways to Status . And I remember speaking to Walton, and Walton said quite


Bermuda House of Assembly and Senate— Special Joint Sitting plainly and simply, I f we do not take action, this will
pass. It is because of him it did not. And the country,
in my view and in our view, owes him a tremendous
debt of gratitude.

ADJOURNMENT

Hon. E. David Burt: So with that, Mr. Deputy Spea ker, I move that this Honourable House do now adjourn
until November 1st, [2019].