When applications were invited for the colourful position of Town Crier of St. George?s, David Frith?s interest was piqued. He was confident that he could ably perform many of the functions required of the post.

As Pipe Major of the Bermuda Islands Pipe Band, not only had he had many years? experience ?crying? and reading ?proclamations? at conventions and similar functions but also he was well used to posing for photographs, signing autographs, and interacting with the public. Most of all, he was a retired banker who ?wanted something to do with an income attached?.

?Because I didn?t have a regular 9-5 job holding me back, the idea of being the Town Crier was appealing,? he says.

Also important to some, perhaps, was the fact that Mr. Frith was no ?townie? who could be construed as usurping the post from a true blue St. Georgian. His mother?s side of the family had deep St. George?s roots, and in fact he was descended from Bermuda?s first settler, Christopher Carter. Another ancestor had been in charge of dredging the Town Cut channel, and even the house in which he currently lives is owned by a Carter descendant.

?From an historical standpoint, I love the town and my roots in it are very strong,? Mr. Frith says. ?I have lived here since I was 16. My mother was curator of the St. George?s Historical Society Museum; my father was curator of the Wilkinson Trust Carriage Museum; and when I was about 16 or 17 I worked in the St. George?s branch of the Bank of Bermuda as a teller.?

So with all that background, Mr. Frith was delighted that his application was successful, and he now is looking forward to putting his own distinctive stamp on the post. Certainly, he is taking his responsibilities very seriously.

?I see the Town Crier as the focal point of our World Heritage site, and as a liaison between each of the elements that I feel are important for Bermuda, and St. George?s in particular, namely: the Government, Tourism, the Corporation of St. George?s, and the St. George?s Foundation.?

Mr. Frith would like to see all of these bodies working together to make St. George?s more of a ?living? town.

?I think they should make more of the St. George?s merchants and town folk, and more of the period costume idea,? he says. ?I think part of why the Town Crier is such a (high profile) figure is because he is in period costume.?

Meanwhile, thanks to the kindness of the former Town Crier and now current Mayor of St. George?s, E. Michael Jones, Mr. Frith is cutting a colourful dash in one of his predecessor?s costumes until such time as his own is created.

?I am not a design-conscious kind of person, but I am going to be involved in the design, and it will be unique. The Mayor and Town Manager are putting me in touch with people they feel will be appropriate in helping to deal with that aspect.?

Similarly, Mr. Frith is also ringing his predecessor?s bell until he acquires one of his own. The bell, which dates from circa 1760, was a gift to Mr. Jones from a previous town crier in Lyme Regis, England, with which St. George?s is twinned.

?The Town Crier?s bell is a very personal piece of equipment,? Mr. Frith notes.

Contrary to popular belief, it is not decibels that a Town Crier needs in order to be heard, but the ability to project the voice well and enunciate clearly.

?(Former Town Crier, the late) Bob Burns is in the Guinness Book of Records as having the highest decibel level, but he never entered competitions, so the loudness of the voice is not an element that is absolutely necessary,? Mr. Frith says. ?You need to have a projection that is suitable for the occasion, but the clarity of the cry is more important.?

Like most Bermudians, he readily admits that he ?talks too fast? and is, in fact, going to have to work on several aspects of his delivery.

?I have got to learn to generally talk slower and very suc-cinct-ly,? he says. ?I also have to lose my Bermudian accent and become ?veddy British?. Enunciation is the key. It needs to flow, and you need to have a reasonable level of levity ? to do things to be funny. People need to have fun and laugh.?

The new Town Crier is also brushing up on his Bermuda history ? something he says he once left to his late mother.

?I have gotten into Bermuda history pretty strongly now. I have been on all three walking tours of St. George?s that are done during the November-March tourism programme, and the guides each have their own little things that they talk about, so I have learned something new every time. I have also started reading William Zuill?s history of Bermuda, and become quite interested in facets of it, particularly since there are references to Christopher Carter in everything you read about the Island?s history. Knowing that I descended from him makes it pretty exciting.?

Part of Mr. Frith?s duties include the weekly ducking ceremony on King?s Square, and here he is working closely with the veteran duckee, Alison Outerbridge Lunn.

?Alison and I had a chat about the flow, and she pointed out the individual elements which are important for me to cover. It is a lot of fun, and will become more so the more I do it,? he says.

Speaking publicly and being able to interact easily with the public is something he feels he?s good at, and will always enjoy.

?I don?t have a problem talking in front of people, nor with people from all levels of society.

?As a banker I dealt with people from all walks of life, and I treat everybody the same,? Mr. Frith says. ?As a piper I?m used to having my picture taken with tourists. Being photo conscious is one of the major factors in being the Town Crier.?

The new incumbent does make it clear, however, that he is his own man, and does not aim to mimic those who preceded him in the post.

?Each of the previous incumbents brought his own flair to the job, and each had positives and negatives to his character, and that is what the job is: an acting role. (Mayor) E. Michael (Jones) is a hard act to follow in all respects. I just hope I can make my own mark. It is like everything else: you get out of it what you put into it.?

Proudly suggesting that he is ?probably the only Town Crier in the world who is also a piper?, Mr. Frith makes it clear that, despite the importance of his long-standing role of Pipe Major in the Bermuda Islands Pipe Band, that will not supercede his new responsibilities.

?Town Crier comes first because that is my job. Piping is my hobby, and Pipe Major is an elected position by members at the AGM.

However, I don?t anticipate my Town Crier duties jeopardising my functioning as a bagpiper?.