It is not a question of `what has Dorothea Butterfield done to earn the Queen's Certificate and Badge of Honour?' but rather `what hasn't she done?' for this is a very active Bermudian who thanks the good Lord daily for the gift of life and believes in celebrating its blessings to the fullest.

From childhood, Mrs. Butterfield was raised with a set of core values which have stood her in good stead throughout her life. They include integrity, diligence, making the most of every opportunity for self-improvement, and giving back to the community through volunteerism. As a result, she has always used her time wisely and well, filling her 70 years with a balanced combination of work and play. In fact, given the opportunity to do it all again, she probably wouldn't change a thing.

Mrs. Butterfield might be a septuagenarian in calendar terms, but in real life that is a mere detail for she is always on the go, both here and abroad, works out at the gym, and has no plans to slow down any time soon.

Naturally friendly and not afraid to "put her foot forward", her personality and skills have opened many new doors for her, as a result of which she has scored many "firsts" as a woman of colour.

Her path to success began modestly enough in Somerset, where she was raised by her great aunt, Portia Bean, a teacher. Her early education was at the then-Central School (now Victor Scott) and the West End School, following which, due to a lack of funds, she had to skip high school and go out to work. Later, through a succession of evening courses at the then-Sixth Form Centre however, she more than made up for those missing years.

The first "stop" on Mrs. Butterfield's long and varied career was as an employee of Lespere tailoring, where she made men's jackets. Later, she joined the fabrics store, House of Hamilton, where owners Cora and Jack Hamilton thought the world of her - so much so, in fact, that when she married Ashton Butterfield her wedding dress was made at the establishment, and when her 25th anniversary rolled around, although no longer an employee, the couple donated the fabric for her celebratory dress.

In 1957 Mrs. Butterfield joined the Savings Bank department of the Hamilton Post Office, where she remained until 1962. During this time she had her only child, son Michael Ashton Butterfield.

One evening, while reading The Royal Gazette, she saw an advertisement for a position at the Bank of Bermuda, whose slogan was `Bermuda for Bermudians', and decided to "put them to the test".

"I called Sir Henry Tucker and made an appointment, and when I got there he referred me to Mr. Derisley Trimingham," she says. "When I met Mr. Trimingham he said, `We have no space in the bank's front line tellers to take you on'. I said, `Well, I'm not at all surprised but you advertise the Bank as `Bermuda for Bermudians' and I thought I would take up the challenge'."

Less than a month later the bank executive summoned her back. It was a Thursday, and he wanted her to start work on the following Monday. As a Government employee, however, Mrs. Butterfield was required to give a month's notice. Not wishing to lose her, Mr. Trimingham successfully negotiated an early release from the Post Office, and thus began, on June 19, 1962 a 27-year career which saw her rise steadily from teller to supervisor of the Savings Department in 11 years.

"I became the first female of colour to hold that position in any of the banks in Bermuda," Mrs. Butterfield says proudly. "I had about nine staff under me, English girls and Bermudians of colour, and they were all super. I always told them, `Success goes to all those who put the effort in', and in fact I still hear from some of them today."

15 years later, the bank put its valued employee through a working "tour" of its various departments in order to broaden her grasp of investments, while still having her oversee the Savings Department. In the process, she met clients from all over the world, some of whom became friends and invited her to be their guest in such countries as Greece, Cyprus and England, where she was always treated royally.

In 1978, Mrs. Butterfield was promoted to banking officer. By the time she took retirement in 1989 during the bank's centenary year, she had served in both the Front Street and Church Street branches, and had overseen many changes, not least the successful conversion of the Savings Department from manual to computer operation for which she was responsible.

She was also the partial beneficiary of a new, hotly debated bank policy whereby the mandatory retirement age for female employees was raised from 60 to 65 in line with males.

Looking back, Mrs. Butterfield says of her much-loved career: "I think the Bank of Bermuda is one of the best places anyone can work. They look after their employees so well."

As fulfilling as it was, however, banking was by no means the be-all and end-all of her life. As a small child she learned early the lessons of civic responsibility, and became a dedicated member of many local organisations.

"Along with my sister (Mrs. Lovette Brangman), we used to go to a lot of meetings, and coming along we knew a lot about the friendly societies, so it was part of our upbringing to be civic-minded in the community, and do whatever we could," she says. "As a little girl I used to take the Anglican church magazines around, so I knew everybody in Somerset. I knew what it was to go around knocking on doors and I was never lost for words."

Today, she numbers membership of the Garden Club of Bermuda, the Business and Professional Women's Association of Bermuda, Meals on Wheels, Sandys Boat Club and St. John's Ambulance among the organisations with whom she has volunteered or remains active. In fact, she is proud to have been the first woman of colour to hold the office of Treasurer at both Meals on Wheels and the Garden Club of Bermuda. She is also vice-president of the Seniors' Learning Centre, and a Justice of the Peace.

As a blood donor, Mrs. Butterfield contributed a total of 23 pints to the Red Cross blood bank before diabetes forced her to stop. For years she quietly sponsored personal bursaries to help deserving students at the Sixth Form Centre and others who otherwise could not afford to pursue a higher education.

"I am so proud that one I helped two years ago has now got his CPA qualification," she says.

Now she is about to extend a similar helping hand to her godchildren, and will finance their books.

To mark her 25th wedding anniversary, instead of giving her husband a gift, Mrs. Butterfield donated the funds to allow a deserving student to further his or her education at the Bermuda College.

Her beloved St. James Church in Somerset, of which she has been a lifelong member, is another beneficiary of this Bermudian's kind heart, often receiving gifts acquired in her many travels which she feels will be useful.

With friends around the world, many of them made in the course of her working life and civic duties, it is hardly surprising that Mrs. Butterfield is an indefatigable traveller, as the pins crowding the map in her home attest. Whether it has been to attend conferences or simply as a tourist, the list of countries she has visited is almost endless. New Zealand, Mauritius, the Seychelles, Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Hawaii, Gibraltar, many countries in Africa, Germany, Russia, Hong Kong, Japan, Egypt, the Holy Land, and all but one island in the Caribbean are just some of the destinations she has enjoyed. In fact, the only continent she has not yet visited is Australia.

Following the death of her husband 16 years ago after 30 happy years of marriage, Mrs. Butterfield has travelled more and more, and until about four years ago she always went alone, but then realised that it was more fun to share the adventures, so she travels with a friend.

It would take a book to detail even the highlights of such journeys, but one in particular stands out: being among those who participated demolishing the Berlin Wall.

"For $5 you bought a hammer and a little bag and chipped away," she remembers.

Soon she will be off again, but first she is supervising a major construction project at one of her properties. A veteran of similar projects, she is a firm but fair employer who is blessed with an excellent team of long-standing, but also makes it clear that anyone who doesn't deal with her honestly is politely but firmly dispensed with. When the current project is completed, she and her bachelor son will move into its two separate apartments because she has decided that, at her age, the time has come for him to be nearer.

With no advance voting arrangements in place, since she will be away during the General Election she will miss casting her ballot, and for the first time in many, many years has apparently not been asked to serve as a returning officer at the polls.

Compensation, perhaps, has come in the form of receiving the Queen's Certificate and Badge of Honour during the Queen's birthday honours, which Mrs. Butterfield says came as a complete surprise. When she received the call from Government House last week asking her if she would accept, her response was: "Are you sure you've got the right person?"

To her amazement, a personal invitation to the Queen's Birthday party at Government House on Saturday was hand delivered to her door, where she had a wonderful time, and found the Governor to be a delightful gentleman.

Looking back on her wonderful life thus far, this gracious and accomplished Bermudian simply says: "God has been good to me and I give him all the praise and glory."