to retire as Editor on his 65th birthday.

The new Editor is William J. Zuill who has been the Assistant Editor for the past six years. Mr. Zuill, 34, has been with The Royal Gazette for the past 12 years.

The announcement was made yesterday by W. Roger Davidson, Chairman of the Board of Bermuda Press (Holdings) Ltd., the parent company of The Royal Gazette Ltd. on behalf of the Board of Directors.

Mr. Davidson said, "Mr. White has had a distinguished career with the Company since 1965 when he started as a reporter, advancing to a number of senior positions when he was appointed Editor in 1976. Under his editorial direction, the newspaper has evolved: adding sections for the community, reorganising the news presentation and improving the overall design of the paper. Everyone in Bermuda is aware of his forthright editorials encouraging discussion on a wide variety of subjects affecting the Island.'' Mr. White has been Editor of The Royal Gazette for over 22 years having been appointed on July 1, 1976. Prior to that he was Assistant Editor of The Royal Gazette for three years and Editor of the weekly Mid-Ocean News for five years. Yesterday Mr. White said: "First let me wish my successor, Bill Zuill, the very best of everything. This is one of the most difficult and demanding jobs in Bermuda and some people are very hard to please. But he is well trained and well prepared and I think he will do an excellent job. His father was one of my predecessors as Editor.

"I used to say I would retire when I was 50. Now I'm about to be 65 and it's simply time to go. I will miss it here. I have never really worked anywhere else and had my first job at The Gazette when I was 15. These have been difficult and challenging years as Editor but I have never been bored. Now I plan to write my book.'' Mr. White was awarded an OBE for services to journalism in Bermuda.

White to step down as Gazette Editor He also served for long periods on the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board, the National Alcohol and Drug Agency and has been President of the TB, Cancer and Health Association, the Bermuda National Trust and is now Chairman of the Trustees of the Bermuda National Gallery.

Mr. Zuill, a graduate of Tufts University, has been with the newspaper for 12 years, advancing from summer school trainee to Assistant Editor.

Mr. Zuill said: "I feel very honoured and humbled to have been chosen as Editor and look forward to making The Royal Gazette an even better newspaper with the assistance of the best group of journalists in Bermuda.'' He added: "I am very grateful to Mr. White for all the support and advice he has given me since I first joined the The Royal Gazette as a summer student in 1984. In the last six years I have seen firsthand how he has always put the newspaper first regardless of the pressures brought to bear on him and I have learned a great deal from him.

"I am also very grateful to the other journalists, both those with whom I have worked in the past and those who are still my colleagues, for freely giving me the benefit of their knowledge and experience. I appreciate it and hope I can continue to draw on them for help and advice.

"I greatly look forward to continuing to improve the newspaper and to helping to ensure it covers all aspects of Bermuda life in an accurate and fair manner.'' David L. White William J. Zuill