He was determined to finish a month-long job to refurbish the Clearwater playground.

To see him there, topping off a sand pit, no one would have thought it was one of his last work days as foreman of the landscaping crew for the Parks Department. Mr. DeSilva retires today after 41 years of public service.

And after helping him plant 70 palm trees, two dozen shade trees and other shrubs and re-doing the play surface, his co-workers were ready to celebrate, but they were well aware that all festivities would wait until Mr. DeSilva completed his last job.

After arriving on the Island from the Azores in 1959, Mr. DeSilva began working for, what was then, the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.

One of his first jobs was to remove and burn Bermuda Cedar trees at the Port Royal Golf Course, those destroyed during the Island-wide blight.

His boss, senior superintendent Martin Brown, said he reckoned Mr. DeSilva was one of the men responsible for introducing Casuarina trees to substitute the dead cedars.

Since that first job, Mr. DeSilva has been involved in every area of the Department.

He has been responsible for playgrounds, nature trails, planting, fixing walls, beach raking and field mowing.

And Mr. DeSilva, one of the first Portuguese men to work for the Department, has been with it through all its developments.

Mr. Brown said: "He was here when it was just the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries so he's seen all the changes and he's been here through a dozen guys like me as his boss or as the Director.'' But despite the many changes within the Department, Mr. DeSilva continued working.

Independent Senator Walwyn Hughes was one such person Mr. DeSilva has seen come and go.

Assistant director when Mr. DeSilva went to work for the Department in 1959, Dr. Hughes later became the Director, then the Permanent Secretary for the Environment before leaving in 1985.

Dr. Hughes said Mr. DeSilva was a "fantastic employee all those years'' and that he was a great example for others.

He added: "Mr. DeSilva was a hard worker. He was a skilled and tireless worker.'' And he noted that Mr. DeSilva had a hand in shaping most of the parks that were developed in the past 30 years.

"All the parks that are on the Island, Manuel DeSilva's landscape gang did the real work,'' he said.

"Everybody else planned it, but he put it into shape,'' he continued.

And Mr. Brown, who has worked in the Department for two years, had similar sentiments about Mr. DeSilva, who he called a "phenomenal'' employee.

"His work ethic after 41 years puts us all to shame,'' Mr. Brown said.

Leader of the gang calls it quits "He's gone at the same pace and his job knowledge is so vast.'' But Mr. Brown noted Mr. DeSilva's diligence often caused him to miss out on some of the finer points of the job.

He recalled one of his favourite memories, when Mr. DeSilva missed the opportunity to see two topless women sunbathing on the beach when they were cleaning up after Hurricane Gert.

When Mr. DeSilva heard that someone had complained about the women he remarked: "See how hard I work -- I didn't even get to see the girls.'' Mr. Brown added that Mr. DeSilva was very direct.

"If you've asked him something he doesn't agree with, he'll have no problem telling you, but if you ask again he'll do it anyway because of his honour,'' he added.

And he said his work ethic was a great example to his younger co-workers.

Mr. Brown said: "He has certainly set an example for the younger lot in the Department -- Bermudians and other Portuguese men.'' Mr. Brown also said Mr. DeSilva's honesty did not prove a deterrent to those around him.

"They may begrudge him that at some times, but they can never take anything away from him.'' Modest, Mr. DeSilva said it depended on the person -- that it was easy to teach someone who wanted to learn.

Avoiding praise, Mr. DeSilva smiled and said: "In 41 years I've enjoyed my work and everything about it. The bigger the job, the happier I am,'' he added.

Mr. Brown said Mr. DeSilva has "had a big hand in shaping Bermuda as we know it today.'' But it would be an understatement to say the man had only made a physical contribution in landscaping the Island.

He has also helped shape the characters of those who have come in contact with him.