Sylvia Lightbourne never thought she would be working well into her seventies.

She spent nearly 40 years employed as a barmaid at various venues across the Island but quit all of those roles in 2006 — except one.

Ms Lightbourne, 76, could not give up her involvement with the Ex-Artillerymen’s Association.

“I wouldn’t say I’m a fixture,” she said. “I’ve certainly been around a long time.”

She is at the Victoria Street club every Sunday morning, serving breakfast and drinks.

“I’m glad I’m doing it,” she said. “It keeps me busy.”

Over the years, she has noticed drinking habits change. But the one constant thing is the way she feels about her customers.

“I love meeting people,” she said. “I try to be a people person.

“When I first started, people liked a lot of cocktails; nowadays people tend to like their drinks straight up, and that suits me just fine.”

Ms Lightbourne is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. She was once Noble Grand with the Mayflower Lodge and is president of the Golden Hour Club, a seniors’ group that meets twice monthly at the Bermuda Red Cross.

“I don’t do it alone,” she said. “I have a committee that helps me. I have been involved with them since I turned 65.

“We have about 40 members, and they come out regularly to play games and socialise. We have speakers come in, and sometimes choirs around the holidays.

“The members are mostly women; we need more men. A lot of men don’t join because they don’t think of themselves as senior citizens.”

She said members did not often talk about their troubles but financial struggles were a common problem.

“We seniors don’t like to bother people with our problems,” she said. “We’re proud people.

“The cost of everything — from medications to food to electricity — is going up, and our pensions aren’t increasing. It can be very difficult.”

Ms Lightbourne was born on Princess Street in the City of Hamilton, the middle child of ten.

“I had five brothers so I had to learn to play cricket,” she said. “We had a great time playing in the street. Children would come from all around to play with us. Princess Street was the place to be.”

Her father, William Lightbourne, was a pilot on the lower ferry and her mother, Olive, cooked.

“People called her ‘Ma Lightbourne’,” she said. “People would come to our house constantly for her baked goods.

“I had a wonderful time growing up. Everyone looked out for one another.”

Ms Lightbourne married at 26 but divorced after only a few years.

“I had four children under the age of five to take care of,” she said.

By day she worked for The Royal Gazette laying out advertising. She would then go to the airport, where she worked until 10pm.

“It was difficult at times but we got through it,” she said. “I couldn’t have done it without the help of my parents.

“I’ve had a good life. There haven’t been many obstacles. Whenever I’ve had a problem I’ve worked through it.”

In her spare time, Ms Lightbourne volunteers with the Bermuda Red Cross selling raffle tickets and tags. She also likes to knit and crochet and spends time on Facebook in the evenings.

“A few years ago I wasn’t hanging out as much with people, so I decided to sign up for Facebook,” she said. “It wasn’t easy learning the computer. Whenever I made a mistake my grandchildren would say, ‘Granny!’. I said, ‘Just be patient, I’ll learn’. If I have a problem I call them and they help me.”

She admitted that not many friends her age were on Facebook, but it allowed her to keep tabs on her ten grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

“My advice to young people is to start saving your money, and take care of your health,” she said. “If you have health you will be able to work and save money for much longer.”

• Do you know an outstanding senior citizen? E-mail jmhardy@royalgazette.com or call 278-0150.