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Remembering the Life of the 'Ocean Vet'Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Where do I begin? How do I find the words? How do you even begin to describe the impact that one person can have not on your own life, but on an entire country?
'Ocean Vet' Burnie dies in diving incident
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Dr Neil Burnie, the noted veterinarian and fisherman who is well known for his research on marine species, died yesterday after running into difficulties while diving at Horseshoe Bay Beach.
Tributes to an admired custodian of the sea
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
The late veterinarian and ocean activist Dr Neil Burnie has been described as one of Bermuda’s best-loved characters and legendary custodian of the sea.
Bermuda Mourns The Loss Of Dr. Neil Burnie
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
The island is today mourning the loss of Dr. Neil Burnie, the well-known veterinarian and colourful character with an unmatched passion for Bermuda’s marine wildlife.
Staff at BAMZ respond quickly to Hurricane Gonzalo damage
Thursday, November 06, 2014
It takes a great deal of time and energy to prepare your home for an impending storm — making sure your home is secure, that you have an ample supply of food and water, and, if you have pets, making sure they are kept inside and safe.
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All the latest updates and news from the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum, and Zoo, one of Bermuda's leading visitor attractions!
9/28/2012 9:00:00 AM
Simon Jones
FRIDAY, SEPT. 28: A heartbroken wife has spoken of her family’s devastating loss after the death of her husband from cancer.
Tim Hasselbring — a much loved and respected conservationist, educator and businessman — died last weekend after a two-year-battle battle with cancer. He was 38.
His wife Nadia described him as a “devoted” dad who was “besotted” by their one-year-old daughter, Havilland.
She told the Bermuda Sun: “Tim was utterly besotted with her. It was mutual.
“They could just sit there and beam at each other.
“No one could make her giggle like he could, no one could make as many funny faces, do as many silly voices for her puppets, or console her so reassuringly when she cried.
Torn apart: Tim Haselbring pictured with
his devoted wife Nadia, in July 2009.
*Photo supplied.
“Tim said that one of the most wonderful things that he had ever done in his life was to rock his little baby to sleep at night. “
Mr Hasselbring was diagnosed with metastatic cancer in late 2010.
But he continued to work tirelessly and live life to the full until the disease spread to his brain in May.
His wife added: “The enormity of his loss is devastating to us, and it is hard to imagine the future without him.
“But a spirit as strong and as well-loved as Tim’s will always be with us, surrounding us like the sea that was so much a part of him.
”Mr Hasselbring was born in northern Japan in 1974 where his father was a teacher at the Department of Defence overseas school system.
And he came to Bermuda at the age of seven when his parents worked at the Chaffee School on the US Base.
Great Dad: Tim Hasselbring with his baby
daughter Havilland on Charles Island last November.
* Photo supplied.
Mrs Aguiar-Hasselbring said: “He had an idyllic childhood in St. David’s, where by all accounts he spent most of his time peering into tide pools. In almost every childhood picture he’s holding a creature.
“Tim loved Bermuda and, aside from his years at university, where he studied biology, he remained here and has always been deeply, elementally connected with the natural world.”
The popular family man went on to found the Bermuda Shark Project as well as captain the Aquarium ship, taking hundreds of children out on educational tours of the island.
He also ran an alternative energy company that was looking to harness the power of wave energy in Bermuda.
Mrs Aguiar-Hasselbring told the Sun: “Tim moved at speed. He didn’t stroll or saunter, he bounded.
“He leaped from docks onto boats and took stairs four at a time with his great long legs. His mind was even faster than his body.
“He was a prodigious reader and had a wonderful ear for language. He was a cook, a carpenter, a boat captain, an artist, an inventor. A friend once said that he didn’t think there was a single thing that Tim wouldn’t be good at.
“But he was a modest person. His love of learning and the satisfaction he took from work were not tied to ego or ambition—they were pure.
“He was the funniest person I knew, and the best storyteller. He was a generous friend and a profoundly devoted and loving husband.”
• The family has set up an education fund for Havilland in her father’s memory. Donations can be made to HSBC account 002-111136-013 or via PO Box FL 145, Flatts, FLBX.