Gazette today turns the spotlight on newly-appointed Minister of Transport, the Hon. Maxwell Burgess, MP for Hamilton West and the Rev.

Trevor Woolridge, Progressive Labour Party MP for Hamilton East.

As Youth and Sport Minister in the late 1980s, the Hon. Maxwell Burgess rocked from one crisis to another.

The Opposition screamed for his resignation over his handling of a Commonwealth Games boycott and development of the National Stadium.

After recapturing his Hamilton West seat on October 5, an "older and wiser'' Max is back as Transport Minister.

"I was a Cabinet Minister at 29,'' Mr. Burgess told The Royal Gazette .

"When I think back, it was a very trying time for both myself and my young bride.

"I've learned from the lessons of the past.'' Now 40, Mr. Burgess says he has matured. "I believe that I can bring the experience, if you will, of the past decade, with me,'' he said.

"Because I'm still considered young by some, and I was around with those older than myself a decade ago, my real role will be to serve as a bridge between experience and youth,'' he said.

A sharp dresser with an easily recognised flat-top haircut and trademark smile, Mr. Burgess has been frequently stopped on the street and congratulated since his election victory.

"I make no qualms about it. I could be found at the back of town having a drink with some friends and truly be having fun. I could be the next day at Government House performing an official function and hopefully bring the level of dignity there that is required.

"But I'm committed to making sure that the voices that may not have been heard before, get heard now.'' Born and raised in Hamilton Parish, Mr. Burgess is a self-described "hustler''.

Growing up without a father, "I was almost community property from a very young age,'' Mr. Burgess said. "I have fond memories of having delivered papers throughout the Hamilton Parish area, going to get groceries for neighbours.

"If there was something to be done, if there was a hustle on Radnor Road, you had to get up early in the morning to beat me to it.'' Mr. Burgess was 16 and studying accounting at what later became Bermuda College when his brother Gregory died. "I understood responsibility from that day forward,'' he said.

Mr. Burgess was forced to leave school so his younger sisters Mary and Vera could continue their education. With the help of a teacher who believed in him, Mr. Burgess got a job at Butterfield & Steinhoff chartered accountants.

Twenty years ago, he joined John W. Swan Ltd. as a real estate agent, and has been there ever since.

The teacher was one of a series of mentors who Mr. Burgess credits with helping him achieve what he has. As a youngster, he was "informally adopted'' by a Hamilton Parish doctor and his wife. His grandmother, Mrs. Ethel Burgess, taught him the importance of integrity, while his mother Colita was "tough but fair''.

Mr. Burgess decided on a career in politics at a young age, and initially supported the Progressive Labour Party. At age 15, he remembers "only too well'' spending the day at the polling station in Hamilton Parish where party leader Mr. Walter Robinson and his running mate Mr. Elbridge (Gospel) Simmons were defeated.

Chairman of the PLP youth wing as a student, Mr. Burgess tried unsuccessfully for a spot on the PLP ticket in 1980, before making his first run with the UBP in 1983 and winning.

"My political views in no way changed,'' Mr. Burgess said. "What clearly changed was the route by which I thought I could get them accomplished. I recognised that this country had to make some fundamental changes.

"The UBP, as I saw it coming up as a young boy, was an economically sound party in its policies as a Government, but I was never persuaded that its social conscience was half the size that it should have been.

"I believe that the PLP clearly understood the social agenda, if you will, but lacked in the ability to understand that you couldn't disseminate a dollar until you earned one.'' Mr. Burgess wanted "to get a mitt and get in the game''. But with his appointment as Youth and Sport Minister came controversy over the Commonwealth Games and the National Stadium. Defeated at the polls in 1989, he blamed editorial criticism from The Royal Gazette .

"I made some mistakes in the past, but having to admit those mistakes was character building,'' he said. "The lessons learned from them can only serve me in good stead for the future.'' Asked about his ambitions, Mr. Burgess said his main one was to be a good husband to his wife Kathy and father to 14-year-old daughter Kim, who attends Warwick Academy.

"My advice to young politicians is to assure that you recognise that your wife is truly your partner,'' he said. "The absence of that will spell a short career in one regard or the other.'' And political ambitions? He was "committed'' to Premier the Hon. Sir John Swan, who particularly because of his contacts related to the US Naval Air Station was "the man for the job during these times''.

But, "like any astute politician, I would weigh up my options if Premier Swan were to announce that he thought he had done his job and was planning to move on.'' How his colleagues viewed him would factor heavily, he said.

POLITICAL COMEBACK -- The Hon. Maxwell Burgess had a rough ride as Youth and Sport Minister in the late 1980s. Returned to office on October 5, he says the experience will serve him well as Transport Minister.