Growing up in Somerset, Shirley Outerbridge was always the kid who carried a first aid kit around with her for on-the-spot treatment of wounds incurred at play.

"I was the Florence Nightingale. Everybody came to me," she remembers.

Today, Mrs. Outerbridge describes herself as "a medical freak" who loves watching real-life medical programmes on television, and reading medical literature.

"I love trauma," she says. "I always wanted to be a nurse, and I wanted to go into the operating room and then write a book. I wanted to see the inside of a person and what makes them tick. I have an interest in life."

Instead, she settled for nearly a quarter of a century of service with the St. John Ambulance Brigade, during which time she has had to deal with all manner of accidents - particularly in sports - and also at times put up with abuse from the public.

Today, she has modified her duties to include driving an ambulance, and also teaching cardiopulmonary rescusitation (CPR), automated external defibrillation (AED) and first aid to people of all ages and from all walks of life.

Clearly, Mrs. Outerbridge loves her work, and says she strives to make her classes interesting because it is so important for the public and companies to know how to perform these life-saving techniques.

"The Bible says to go out and preach the gospel, and if first aid is a gospel so be it," she says. "I like to put humour into my teaching so people don't get bored, and I make their involvement more hands-on."

In terms of community service, the mother and grandmother says she would like to see more young people go into nursing "because there are a lot of young mothers out there who don't know what to do for their children (when they are sick)".

Mrs. Outerbridge also has a 30-year history of involvement with the Scouts, during which she earned several prestigious awards.

Growing up in a family of three girls and three boys, she claims she was really "the fourth boy" because she loved a challenge and wanted to experience everything in life.

"Anything the boys did I did better," she says. "I was a good sportswoman: swimming, sailing - I love sailing - running, fishing, cricket, football, I played them all, and I also did a lot of skating as a teenager."

As a self-described tomboy, Mrs. Outerbridge says her love of the outdoors led her to join the Girl Guides, but since they did "girlie" things and didn't like to go fishing, she quit. Instead, at the age of 13 she made two punts by herself - skills which, as an adult, led her to become a Scout leader.

"I knew boys liked to make things and I am quite crafty with my hands, so I taught them how to make a tent without a tent, monkey bridges (laced rope), a hammock, and shoe racks. I also taught them survival skills, how to make a bed, sew buttons on, cook - just everything - and they really enjoyed it," she recalls. "I must have taught about 400 boys altogether and I only lost three boys (to pack racing). The rest went on to become lawyers, doctors, airline personnel, music teachers and more. I feel real proud of myself."

Mrs. Outerbridge admits that she was a kindly but no-nonsense leader who dispensed discipline in a firm but quiet manner, and says she never had any trouble with the youngsters in her charge.

Today, her involvement with the Scout Association continues - this time as its medic - and she also teaches boys CPR.

Among the many certificates and awards crowding the walls of her home are the Scout Association's Long Service award and the Two Beads Wood Badge, the latter being Scouting's highest honour.

She also holds certificates and diplomas awarded by the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Princess Royal.

Never one to sit idle, Mrs. Outerbridge also works part-time as a private duty geriatric aide in nursing homes and is a qualified emergency medical technician. Yet, these are but facets of the life she is committed to living to its fullest. She is an avid knitter of special sweaters and baby clothes - including christening gowns - and is adept at sewing and alterations. She even has her own business card. She plays the piano, and is currently searching for a new one. In addition, she is teaching herself guitar and tenor sax.

"Music soothes the mind you know. I'm going to be Sil Austin (famous tenor sax player) some day," she laughs.

In fact, laughter is something which comes easily to Mrs. Outerbridge, and which she particularly enjoys.

"Laughter is the best medicine, but don't tell anybody," she jokes.

One of the Pembroke resident's favourite text books is on shorthand - a subject she knows well, but always likes to brush up on.

"It's about keeping the mind active and sharp," she says of her many interests and activities.

Proud of her Anglican faith, Mrs. Outerbridge is a regular Sunday worshipper.

"I don't to church to socialise, I go to hear the sermon, pay my tithes, and that's it," she says of the weekly ritual. "Then I go home to my table, just me and the good Lord."

Widowed 23 years ago, Mrs. Outerbridge is the proud mother of one son, Ivan, who is now married with a child of his own.

Growing up, she says the applied the same code of conduct that she meted out to the Scouts, and says that as a result she never experienced one day's trouble with him.

" I was mother and father to Ivan, and I always made sure I was home for him," she says. "I used to tell him, 'All I need from you is respect', and I have it to this day. He was a Queen's Scout (the highest level) and also a Duke of Edinburgh awardee. I kept him busy."

The word 'respect' brings her to a popular topic: the behaviour of today's young people. Part of the problem, she says, is that parents let them get away with too much.

"If a parent is working and the child is at home, that child should do the dishes, clean up the house, maybe even cook a meal. In other words, if the parent is working for the child, the child should be working to help the parent."

Mrs. Outerbridge also says she would love to be a teacher in today's classroom, or even the prisons.

"I would have Bermuda cleaned up, and the prisoners would have to work."

One of her favourite pastimes is stargazing, and she longs to have a telescope. In fact, she says she is really disappointed that Santa didn't fulfil her request.

"I guess he thought the steps to my house were too steep," she jests.

'Weather-forecasting' is another hobby. Like many of her generation, she "reads" the moon, rainbows and clouds, which she says are accurate barometers of what is to come, and she also taught this lore to her Scouts.

The sea also fascinates this inquisitive grandmother, and if she could turn the clock back, being a submarine captain or even an airline pilot would have suited her too.

"I would love to find out how much traffic there is under the sea," she says.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Outerbridge has seen a great deal of the earth as a keen traveller, and numbers Canada, the United States, South Korea and Hong Kong among the places she has visited, often accompanied by her son.

Here at home, she has also seen a lot in her lifetime, including three air crashes that occurred off Bermuda. In each case, the doomed aircraft either collided over the house where she was, or else passed overhead on fire, and she became the person who alerted the appropriate authorities to the positions where they had gone down.

Despite her large collection of awards, Mrs. Outerbridge says she feels "very honoured" to have received the Queen's Certificate and Badge of Honour in the New Year's honours list "because I have now seen my work being appreciated".

"I am very grateful, and I am looking forward to the ceremony at Government House," she says.