Page 59 - BLACK HISTORY IN BERMUDA red

Partner Skit: Meet Sir John Swan

Swan: Hello, I’m Sir John Swan, have you heard about me?

Student: Yes I have! You were a Premier of Bermuda.

Swan: I was the longest serving Premier. But did you know I also was a successful
real estate developer and entrepreneur? I founded John W. Swan Ltd. and
between 1968 and 1978 my company built thousands of new homes. It
allowed many Bermudians to own homes for the first time.

Student: Cool. What did you do as Premier?

Swan: Well, I introduced social reforms after the race riots of 1977 as a Minister
for Home Affairs. As Premier, I reached an agreement at the USA/Bermuda
tax convention which helped Bermuda be established as a major offshore
finance centre. I also pushed for independence from Britain, though the
referendum failed and so I resigned from office.

Student: Did you do anything else?

Swan: I was the Chairman of the Bermuda Hospitals Board, a Director of the
Bermuda Chamber of Commerce, a Director of the Bermuda Employers
Council and a founding member of the Bermuda Monetary Authority.
I was knighted in 1990 and designated a Bermuda National Hero in 2016.

Student Sounds like you did quite a lot. You helped boost the economy of
Bermuda in many ways.

Partner Skit: Meet Leonard Frederick Wade

Wade: Hello, I’m Leonard Frederick Wade, but you can call me Freddy. Have you Assessment
heard about me? Indicator
Write two short paragraphs
Student: Yes I have! Aren’t you the airport?
about L. Frederick Wade, one
about what he accomplished
Wade: Close. The airport was named after me. I was a Member of Parliament
and the leader of the Progressive Labour Party. and another about a word
that comes to mind when you
Student: So why did they name the airport after you? think of him.

Wade: I think it was because I helped to lead the PLP as an MP through some
tense times in the 1970s and early 1980s when Bermuda was dealing with
the legacy of racial segregation. Then, after a heavy defeat in 1985, I became
party leader and laid the foundations for the party to win a General
Election for the first time in 1998.

Student: Interesting. It seems you did a lot to help the PLP through a lot of ups
and downs.

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