THEY say variety is the spice of life and if that's the case then 75-year-old Hilton Smith's days have been smeared with chilli sauce.

Mr. Smith, who can now be seen among the rows of fishing rods, reels and nets working at the Flybridge Tackle store in Church Street, Hamilton, has served in the Forces and has been an electrician, a fireman, a telephone company worker, a fisherman, a satellite dish installer, a gas station worker, a gardener and a player of many sports.

Most importantly of all, Mr. Smith is a husband and father and despite his advanced years, he is lean in body and sharp in mind.

Reporter JONATHAN KENT and photographer ARTHUR BEAN caught up with the former Mid-Ocean News Wahoo Tournament winner at the tackle store this week to talk about fishing, life and work.

Q: Did you enjoy fishing as a youngster?

A: One of the first times I went fishing was when my brother and I went to Salt Kettle. We were only catching small fish and we had about a dozen or so in an old five-gallon kerosene can, that we had taken the top off. Then a chap came along and looked inside the can and said: "Oh no, those little things should be home with their mommy." He tipped them all back into the water. I looked at my brother and he looked at me and we packed up and went home.

Q: How serious are you about fishing?

A: I did take fishing very seriously, but I didn't like to be too serious when I was actually fishing. I like to sing and laugh and joke when I'm fighting a fish. I must have been about 25 to 30 years old when I started sport fishing. The second wahoo tournament they had I won and that was in 1968.

Q: Can you remember how heavy your winning fish was?

A: Oh, it was 59 pounds, on a 20-pound test line. That was great for me, because even though I was catching a lot of fish at that time, I was not familiar with catching wahoo. Since then I have done a lot of fishing. I once tied to win the Sandys Boat Club prize with a 19-and-a-half-pound blackfin tuna on eight-pound test lines. It was not spectacular but at least it won.

Q: What is the joy of fishing to you?

A: The joy of fishing for me is competition with the fish on light tackle. I love using eight- and 12-pound test lines. The joy is in the challenge from a large fish.

Q: What's the biggest fish you ever caught?

A: I once caught a 219-pound tiger shark on 30-pound tests. That took about an hour and 15 minutes. It was on a hot, hot summer's day and they were ducking me with iced water to cool me off. I was so tired, I recall that I had to get on my knees to bring the rod up and bring up the fish. I did not use a chair. That was in 1969, the year after I won the wahoo tournament.

Q: Do you still fish?

A: I have not fished for eight years because of commitments. But I love gardening. Right now I am in the process of doing hydroponic planting - that is growing without soil. I have not finished my greenhouse as yet, but I am gradually getting the equipment necessary.

I have good luck growing snow peas. I grow carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, green peppers and last year I started with scarlet runners, the beans, I've had success with that as well. But apart from that, time is valuable to me, because I have half an acre and a lot of hedges to trim, but my wife Pam helps out quite a lot. We've been married about 50 years.

Q: Where is home?

A: Home is Harvey Road, Paget. I call it God's Country - that's because I live there!

Q: Which school did you attend?

A: Warwick Academy. My mother wanted me to go to college overseas but that was something I really wasn't interested in. My father was chief prison officer at Hamilton Prison and he was a man who believed, like I do, that people should do service for their country. I applied to the Fleet Air arm of the Royal Navy. I applied to go into the BVRC. I liked it very much and I stayed there until the end of the war. I served exactly one year from 1945 to 1946.

Q: When you were a boy what job did you hope to do?

A: I used to like electrical things and wires so much that my parents used to call me 'Wire'. I remember when I was very young I used used to get bags and put four together and make a tent. I used to take flash lights apart and make my own lighting with wires and switches. But when I came out of military service I didn't really know what I wanted to do.

Q: What else were you interested in?

A: Growing up I was always interested in sports. I played for Warwick Academy at junior, intermediate and senior levels. Then I started to play league football for the National Sports Club, BAA, Pembroke Panthers and the Youth For Christ, so I played for four different teams. I was pretty good at football and I played league cricket too. My reflexes have always been pretty good.

Maybe that runs in the family. My late daughter Thelma, she went to Warwick Academy too. And in the 12- to 14-age group, she ran the 150-yard dash in 17.6 seconds, taking it down from 18.4 seconds. Unfortunately I lost her 24 years ago. She was an occupational therapist at the West Middlesex Hospital and then she went to St. Mary's in Paddington, but unfortunately she passed away.

I also played badminton and did some target shooting with rifles and pistol shooting, with a Smith & Wesson .38 revolver. But I could never fall in love with pistol shooting.

I did a bit of archery too. And one thing I found out was that you could be very accurate with a bow and arrow in comparison with a pistol. When you see on the movies somebody shooting while they're running around and they still hit their target - that's baloney. And anyone who's shot with a pistol will know that. I loved boxing too and although I never went in the ring, I did a lot of sparring with people like Dr. Joseph Marshall in the school grounds at Warwick Academy. I think I would have been pretty good at it, but I'm glad I never went into the ring. You get a lot of bangs.

Q: Do you think all the sport you played in earlier years contributed to your being fit and well now, at the age of 75?

A: I think so, yes. For my age, I think I'm quite fit.

Q: What did you do after your wartime service?

A: After the BVRC, I went to work at the Eagle's Nest Hotel for about six months, then I went to the Naval Annex and did electrical service up there. Then I went to the Bermuda Telephone Company where I worked for more than 35 years.

I feel that people should also do voluntary work so I joined the fire brigade which was under the Hamilton Corporation at the time. I joined them in 1948 and I was with them for 42 years of voluntary service. Then permanent staff came in and they eventually got rid of the volunteers, but I was there until more or less retirement age. I ended up as captain of all the volunteers. There is one thing about all that that I have reservations about and which hurt me.

People today you see in the Queen's Birthday Honours for doing lesser things than I did. I'm not complaining about that. But when I retired I did not even get a handshake. I got a thank-you over the telephone but that was it.

I stayed with the telephone company and then took early retirement with a golden handshake which I was not originally going to take. But after thinking about it, I decided to take it and I'm glad I did.

The general manager of the telephone company, Desmond Walker, who I had a very good relationship with, was going to retire in two years so I thought I'd take it.

Q: Have you worked consistently since retiring?

A: Before I retired I had four jobs offered to me. I turned them all down. I had made up my mind that I was not going to be committed to another job. I stayed at home for a year and believe it or not, when you stay away from work I think you start to fade fast.

I realised I had to go out and get more active. A friend was installing satellite dishes and he asked me to help him. So I did. I was with him for about a year and a half, but then he went out of business.

I had some friends who took over the concession for the gas station at the airport and I helped out there for about eight months. Then one day, a new employee literally cursed me. So I told them: "Sorry gentlemen, I won't be working for him."

After that I started at Knick Knack and its subsidiary Flybridge Tackle. The manager at that time was Gary Rego and he had leukaemia. Unfortunately, about three months after I started, Mr. Rego passed away.

Q: Have you travelled much?

A: I think I've covered between 45 and 50 countries, including islands. I try to cruise once a year - so far I've had 11 cruises. I love southern gospel music and I go to Kentucky and I used to go Nashville and I've been going down there for 24 consecutive years.

Russia was quite interesting, as was Berlin. I've been to seven or eight countries in the heart of Europe. I've been to Alaska twice and I love it. I cruised up the River Rhine for three days going through eight locks and that was interesting. And I love Israel very much.

Q: Based on the wisdom you've accumulated, what would you say to young people about what to do to live a happy life?

A: First of all, I would say finish your education and get as good an education as possible. Then find a job and if you like the job, stick with it. Don't change jobs for more money. I know they say money talks. But you must like your job if you want to be happy.

Do not go from pillar to post, because if you get established somewhere, you get benefits and a pension. That is just my opinion. Keep your interests going and stay away from fast food.