SOCIAL and political activist Charles Jeffers' most recent quest to ban smoking in public places has cast him once again into the community spotlight.

An anti-smoking advocate for years, Mr. Jeffers recently heard about a pressure group being formed to ban smoking in restaurants. He decided to contact those involved and was subsequently appointed spokesman for the Advocates for Non-Smoking group.

"I got involved because I think about the health of people and young children who are forced to grow up in (smoky) environments. To me, smoking is a community issue as it relates to health and good manners," he said.

While Mr. Jeffers feels every person has a right to do anything that is legal, he also believes that "your rights stop where my rights begin". And he says Advocates for Non-Smoking intends to seek out public opinion and support in an effort to spur the Government to ban smoking in public places.

The 60-year-old Bermudian attended the Central School - now known as Victor Scott Primary School - and the Berkeley Institute. Unable to graduate from high school, he later attended the Adult Education School to better his education. "I was the first male student there," he said.

IN 1966, he started his career in life insurance sales. And he embarked on a two-year insurance course, which earned him his Life Underwriters Training Certificate. He later became the local enrolment director for the Canadian Scholarship Trust, a savings plan for children's education.

After 18 years managing the trust, Mr. Jeffers moved to the company's head office in Toronto and worked as the regional vice-president of agencies. Almost a decade later, he returned home with the idea of semi-retirement.

But true to his nature, he took up a position as consultant with Heritage International Scholarship Trust and worked on developing agencies in the Caribbean region. "I travelled extensively to the Bahamas, Jamaica and the British Virgin Islands during that time," said Mr. Jeffers, adding that he was responsible for setting up the Bahamas and BVI offices.

Earlier this year, Mr. Jeffers once again became the enrolment director for Bermuda's local agency, but he says he will continue to offer consulting work on special projects and expansion efforts going forward.

He loves his life work and gets satisfaction out of having helped thousands of children get an education. "We have helped so many children earn a post-secondary education by helping their parents invest and save for the future. And we also provide guidance so we are more than just a sales organisation," he said.

A man who practises what he preaches, Mr. Jeffers also secured a post-secondary education. In fact, one of his biggest accomplishments to date is that of earning his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Studies from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario.

"I studied part-time for 14? years through the Bermuda College and Queen's," explained Mr. Jeffers. "When I started, my son was 18. And by the time I had graduated, he had his Master's degree, had married and I had a grandchild.

"Funnily enough, I graduated with my degree in 1998 and resigned from party politics in 1999. Someone said (to me) that I must have learned something," he laughed.

The former National Liberal Party leader's interest in politics was sparked at a young age during the theatre boycott in 1959. By the time he reached his early 20s, he was involved in the political periphery and ran for the Bermuda Democratic Party, which was made up of people who had been expelled from the Progressive Labour Party at that time.

He stayed out of politics for a number of years following his run for candidacy and then in the early 1970s he joined the PLP. But once again, the PLP expelled members of the party, an action to which Mr. Jeffers was totally opposed. So he left the PLP and together with the expelled members formed the NLP. He acted as chairman in 1987 and again in 1996.

On the community front, Mr. Jeffers was a founding member of the Bermuda Road Safety Council. As well, he is heavily involved in the arts scene and an active member of the Pembroke Rotary Club. Currently, his anti-smoking campaign is at the top of his agenda.

"I will always be an activist in one way, shape or form," he said.