He is to newspapers what Johnny Barnes is to greetings: a regular fixture on the early morning scene.

For more than 30 years Rev. James Todd has been a man for all seasons, standing outside Coral Cleaners on Victoria Street, rain, blow or shine, dispensing copies of The Royal Gazette to all and sundry as they begin their day.

He may not be as flamboyant as the Crow Lane greeter, but he is nonetheless a popular figure who has a ready smile for his customers, and is always dressed for success in a suit, collar and tie - even on a sweltering day.

"You never know where you are going to have to go to, but if you are smartly dressed you are ready for any occasion," he says.

If his attire is one trademark, Rev. Todd's push bike, with its wide wire basket up front to accommodate bundles of newspapers, is another. Every day, he can be seen riding it around certain areas of Hamilton as he completes the round of home and office deliveries which follow his street sales.

Rev. Todd has been selling The Royal Gazette for more than 30 years, and where once he sold 20 copies a day, today the count is 200 on the street, excluding deliveries.

He rises well before dawn, and his working day begins when his son-in-law drives him to Hamilton to collect his papers. By around 6 a.m. he is on location on Victoria Street, and his work ends when the last one has been delivered around mid-morning. Home deliveries are a special part of his routine because the householders are always friendly, and for the lonely ones, his visit is a highlight.

"Sometimes they offer me a cold drink or a cup of coffee," he says. "Everybody is so nice to me. They look forward to my smile every morning, and consider me a friend."

On rainy days, Rev. Todd simply dons a raincoat and carries on. An umbrella would just get in the way, he says.

Now, selling newspapers might seem a fairly unremarkable occupation, and many people get up in the wee small hours to go to work, but what makes Rev. Todd so remarkable is the fact that on July 24 he will be 86 years old - or rather 86 years young, for he is someone who thrives on hard work and believes in keeping busy.

Over the course of his long life he has worked at a variety of jobs, using what he calls his God-given talents and strong hands to carve out a living. Growing up in Pembroke, however, the lad wanted to be one of three things: a doctor, a minister or a lawyer.

In the end he was called to become a minister, but not before he had spent some years repairing and shining shoes.

"I learned how to repairs shoes - that was a gift God gave me, and I had two shops: one near the Mechanics' building on Church Street, and another in Washington Lane," he says. In time he became a familiar figure outside the old New Windsor Hotel on Queen Street, where he did a brisk business shining shoes.

As someone who has always enjoyed whatever he does, Rev. Todd worked hard, and recalls that he stitched the shoes by hand. But the calling to become a minister eventually became too strong to ignore, so in 1948 the young businessman left the shoe business in the hands of his staff and headed off to Zion Bible Institute in Rhode Island. Three years later he graduated as a minister in the Pentecostal Church of God. It was the beginning of a new path which he looks back on with pride.

"When I came back home I opened a church in Hamilton called Zion Tabernacle. I was the preacher and held morning and evening services, and there was also a Sunday school," he says. "It was a great success, and later on I changed the name to Church of God of Prophecy. I even had it incorporated, and we had a bible school called the Church of God school for young adults. I helped out all 'round."

While he no longer preaches, Rev. Todd remains a faithful member of the congregation who also loves to let his baritone voice loose on his favourite hymns.

"The church is still going strong and I am proud of that," he says. "I grew up in the (biblical) knowledge, but I always wanted to be a humble individual and that is what I am," he says. "I never let all the success in life go to my head. If my head was too big my shoulders wouldn't be able to carry it!"

Since the retired preacher's faith has always been the bedrock of his existence, he thoroughly recommends it to others, and he also wants adults to guide young people into the church.

"My faith means everything to me, and I know the Bible backwards," he says. "Faith gives you stamina and inspires you. It is something you want to do. My advice to others is to try and encourage young people to go to church because God really is the answer. In life you must have an anchor, and God is that anchor. Yes sir! Without God you cannot make it. With God you can do anything. Today, many seek substitutes but they always come up empty. You have to follow religion all your life. 'Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all things will be added to you'."

Over the years Rev. Todd always combined preaching with day jobs, including gardening, painting and being a general handyman. When mowing lawns, he pushed the machine to the job, and carried the other tools on his faithful push bike, which he describes today as his "best friend".

"I am versatile and I like to do different things," he says. "Anything I do, I like."

A widower, Rev. Todd had four children, and one stepson. Three children have predeceased him. Today he lives with his daughter and son-in-law, an arrangement that clearly pleases him, but so long as there are papers to sell, and a pedal cycle which works, he has no plans to put his feet up.

"I have had a full life, and as long as God is with me I plan to keep on going," he says. "Everybody knows me and that makes me feel good."