Never in his wildest dreams did Harrison Isaac expect to start a family again, in his 60s.

The semi-retired architectural services provider already had three children and six grandchildren.

A 2011 trip to Manila, Philippines changed his life.

“The taxi drove up to the hotel,” said Mr Isaac.

“As I took one step out of the car, I looked through the glass wall of the hotel. Inside I saw the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. She was the front desk clerk.”

He felt like his feet were rooted to the floor. He finally made it inside, but couldn’t function when Rene Rose Racal asked for his passport. She had to repeat the request three times before she got it.

“Then she said, ‘No, I need your passport’,” he said.

“I said, ‘That is my passport’. She said, ‘That can’t be, you look too young to be in your 60s.’”

Despite the significant age gap between the two of them, there was an attraction.

They stayed in contact through e-mail and Skype once Mr Isaac returned home.

“After a couple of months, we decided that the relationship was something very special and concluded that we should get married,” he said. “I guess one could say that we proposed to each other.”

They were married in Bermuda on September 24, 2012.

Their son, Matthew Malachi was born 11 months ago. Mr Harrison also has three children from a previous marriage — Harrison Jr, Erica Wilson and Renee Isaac — and six grandchildren.

“My youngest son has brought new energy to me,” he said. “I am thoroughly enjoying my life.

“I am a lot more hands-on now than I was as a father in my 20s. The first time around, the only thing I had to do was work to make sure the rent was paid.”

Mrs Isaac moved to Bermuda shortly before their marriage; Mr Isaac saw his home through new eyes.

She fell in love with the flowers and started photographing them, particularly the hibiscus, which she was familiar with from home.

“I was in my 60s before I started to appreciate this stuff,” Mr Isaac said. “Before I married Rene, I knew very little.

“I think we in Bermuda often take the beauty for granted, and we don’t know a lot about our own history.”

The Isaacs started volunteering at the Botanical Gardens a month after they married, leading tours and helping identify insect pests.

In April 2015, they opened their own business out of the Visitors’ Service Centre there. The Hibiscus Gift Shop sells Bermuda souvenirs and gifts with a hibiscus theme.

They also created the Bermuda Hibiscus Gardens Trail, a self-guided tour to help visitors learn more about Bermuda’s environment, culture and history. People who take the tour receive a booklet covering a variety of topics — from Bermuda roofs and education to the 1959 Theatre Boycott and Barr’s Bay Park.

“While on the trail, visitors have to answer questions in the guidebook,” said Mr Isaac. “At the end of the tour they get a certificate of completion.”

One visitor told Mr Isaac she’d been to Bermuda several times, but she’d never learnt as much about the island as she did on his tour.

Mr Isaac grew up in Devonshire and had a tough childhood. He was raised partly by his mother, Erith Isaac, and partly by a foster mother, Gladys Simmons.

“Everyone called her ‘Mama Simmons’,” said Mr Isaac. “She was a wonderful woman and had been a midwife, I think. She took care of me and my sister for free. We didn’t have a lot though.”

That experience made him determined to help other children in similar circumstances.

His fundraising has helped provide food, clothing, school supplies and education for children in the Philippines, Antigua and Mexico. While visiting these countries he’ll often help build homes for those in need.

“In one situation, I was in Antigua and there was a young boy living in a house by himself,” said Mr Isaac.

“He came home from school and his mother had just packed up and moved to another island, leaving him behind.”

Mr Isaac helped the boy to create a garden on neighbouring property so that he could provide for himself.

“In another situation, we were feeding people and this lady just started to cry when we handed her the food,” he said.

“She ate like a human vacuum cleaner. She lived in a place half the size of a shipping container and cooked outside. She couldn’t eat if it was raining.”

He has also helped to raise money for local charities including the Physical Abuse Centre.

For a copy of The Bermuda Hibiscus Gardens Trail Guide contact the Bermuda Tourism Authority, or Mr Isaac on 703-1500 or hegni@logic.bm.

• Lifestyle profiles senior citizens in the community every Tuesday. To suggest an outstanding senior contact Jessie Moniz Hardy: 278-0150 or jmhardy@royalgazette.com. Have on hand the senior’s full name, contact details and the reason you are suggesting them.