'Oughton was dedicated to Bermuda'

FRIDAY, FEB. 17: The Bermuda Progressive Labour Party acknowledges the passing of former Senate President, the Hon. Alfred (Alf) T. Oughton, MA, MSc, CBE and wishes to extend condolences to his family and friends, in particular his Bermuda Electric Light Company Limited (Belco) family where he spent most of his working life.

Those who worked with Mr. Oughton at Belco knew him as a man who was “dedicated to the Bermuda community and to his family, as well as by his high standards, hard work and ability to run a tight ship”. The employees and management at Belco knew that Mr. Oughton found personal and professional satisfaction in working to ensure that others may enjoy a good quality of life and standard of living.

Those Bermudians who sat around the Senate table with Mr. Oughton between 1993 and 2008, remember him as being an honest broker who was politically neutral in discharging his duties, in particular once he was elected as Senate President in 1998, a position he held until his retirement in 2008.

On June 24, 2011, Mr. Oughton was the recipient of the Bermuda Health Foundation’s Salute to Service Award for his stellar work in the community, in particular for the thorough Health Care Review Report that he produced in May 1996. At that time, Premier Paula Cox, JP, MP, noted that she was pleased and honoured to be able to acknowledge the former Senate President. Premier Cox said “In the private sector and, as a retired person, Mr. Oughton demonstrated his love for our country and its people through both word and deed. As we address issues of health both physical and financial, Mr. Oughton can be remembered for “The Oughton Report” a comprehensive review of Health Care in Bermuda. Then, today and into the future, he will be remembered as a model for community service”.