Cal Brown has seen it all.

After 50-plus years of pumping gas, he remembers a time when horse and carriages ruled his native St. George's and you could count Bermuda's cars on one hand - actually on just one finger.

Calvin Mountrose (Cal) Brown, has been a fixture at the Causeway Shell Station at Blue Hole Hill, having worked there for the past 10 years.

But he got his start pumping gas when you still needed to 'pump' the gas and when the classic British automobiles became the first cars to traverse the Island. While reminiscing he began to list them - the Mini Minors, Morris Minors and Sunbeams. Then there were the motorbikes like the BAS Excelsior, the mobylettes, mosquito motors and whip wheels - all of which is lost on today's generation.

And yet after 52 years, Cal, 67, says he's "working as hard as when I started, it might be a little harder. With school kids getting bikes right when they go 16, it's a lot busier. We all used push bikes when I was 16. Back then it took a long time to get your mobylette."

Cal still remembers the date - May 27, 1951 - when he got his start at Stuart Spurling's service station in St. George's.

Spending lots of time at the gas station when he wasn't delivering groceries, it wasn't long before the 15-year-old Cal was offered a job. "I've never been tempted to change jobs. I like people and I like to work. I still see some of the same people here I first knew in St. George's, but everybody knows me nowadays."

But back in 1951, Stuart Spurling wasn't even aware of his new employee.

"I started work Monday and come Friday everyone was getting their pay cheques but me." A confused Cal went to see Mr. Spurling, who had no idea the teenager had started working for him since he was just so used to seeing Cal hanging around the gas station.

Cal eventually received that first week's pay which was followed by the wages he earned during the 33 years he spent at the Rose Hill station. It was in 1984 that he moved to the Van Buren Shell Station in Flatts where he worked for nine years.

But in 1993, Cal happily settled in at the Causeway Shell station, where he has been for 10 years and is closer to his Wilkinson Avenue home in Bailey's Bay. But the St. George's native still considers the Old Town home.

One day sticks out in his mind from most others.

At Rose Hill he was fixing a tyre when it blew.

Doctors managed to re-attach his pinky finger which had been barely hanging on to his hand when he entered the hospital. He also dislocated his knee in the blast and was forced out of work for a number of weeks.

Cal says he might be ready to ease up a little on his career.

"Maybe I'll start coming in at 10 or 11," he said, instead of his customary 6.30 a.m. start.