While current taxi drivers occupy themselves with the pros and cons of GPS, the dangers of the job, and other matters related to the industry, retired driver Victor Woolridge is happy to look back on a gentler era when politeness and civility were the norm, and the worst thing that ever happened to him was the purloining of his picnic cooler by an unscrupulous boat captain.

?I am very glad I am not out there driving today,? says the man whose contribution to the industry ultimately earned him the Queen?s Certificate and Badge of Honour ?for being a great ambassador for Bermuda in his 48 years of work as a taxi driver?.

In fact, so ingrained is Mr. Woolridge?s sense of diplomacy that he draws a veil over his thoughts on the current state of the taxi industry, including the contentious GPS issue.

A man who unfailingly took pride not only in the appearance of his vehicle but also his own ? ?I always wore a white shirt and tie? ? the former driver will only say: ?The dress code today is not what it was. We always took pride in our appearance. That is one of the things that should be noticed because taxi drivers are top ambassadors for Bermuda.?

Mr. Woolridge remembers well the days when he switched from horse power to horsepower.

?At 18 years old I was working for Mr. Harold William Frith, driving his horse and cart as a delivery man during the week, and his horse and carriage to drive the family to church on Sundays,? he remembers.

Mr. Woolridge loved those days, and would probably have stuck with the real thing had not the Motor Car Act of 1946 made general motorisation legal.

?That really changed everything,? he says. So, with an eye to the future, Mr. Woolridge applied for and successfully became one of the Island?s first independent taxi drivers, thus setting the seal on a 53-year career which only ended with his retirement four years ago.

Remembering the days when the taxi industry was in its infancy brings a smile to his lips.

?I drove an Austin 8 and linked up with, I think it was, Trott?s taxi service. The despatcher would give me a fare and when I?d finished it I would have to go back to get the next order. There were no radio cabs in those days!?

Of course, as the years progressed so too did Mr. Woolridge?s choice of vehicles and the number of visitors to whom he gave tours reflecting his love of our history. With the purchase of a Singer Vogue convertible (an upscale vehicle in its day), it soon followed that a surrey top would be added. He loved the vehicle as much as his passengers loved him.

?I met a lot of interesting people, and passengers were always friendly and polite,? he says.

In fact, he earned one of the prized ?blue flags? flown by top drivers as qualified tour guides, and became an outstanding ambassador for the Island.

Many repeat visitors booked him in advance, and would have no other to show them the delights of the Island. Virginians Ms Finney and Ms Knipe were cases in point.

?They came here twice a year at Christmas and Easter and stayed for two weeks,? Mr. Woolridge remembers. ?They loved Bermuda so much that Ms Knipe said to me, ?Arnold, if I die here I want to be buried here?.?

Her request proved prophetic, for she did die here and, in accordance with her wishes, was duly buried in a St. George?s graveyard. ?Ms Finney returned twice more after her friend?s death, and on the last visit she told me, ?Arnold, I don?t think I?ll be back any more?. When she died her family let me know, and said I was being remembered in the funeral programme,? he says.

Inevitably, VIPs and important missions also figured in Mr. Woolridge?s long career.

When the ?Big Three? conference between Prime Minister Winston Churchill, US President Dwight Eisenhower, and French Prime Minister Joseph Laniel was held in December, 1953 Mr. Woolridge was entrusted with ferrying important papers day and night between the Press/telecommunications headquarters at the Castle Harbour Hotel and the Mid-Ocean Club, where the leaders met.

In fact, the assignment was so busy that he recruited his nephew, Stanley Woolridge, to help him.

?We were under heavy security delivering those papers back and forth day and night,? he remembers.

During a visit by the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh, his mission was to carry what he terms ?the Queen?s cameraman? as he followed the Royal progress.

?When the Queen went to Dockyard by boat, I had to bring the photographer back to Hamilton in 18 minutes,? Mr. Woolridge recalls. ?I had a Police escort, and made it back in 17 minutes. The roads were beautiful then ? not crowded ? and it was fun to travel at that speed.?

Other world-famous passengers he says he drove included Edward and Robert Kennedy, Dr. Henry Kissinger, and Lucille Ball.

?The Kennedys were here with their wives. They didn?t want to do much sightseeing, but have a picnic at the beach, so we stopped and picked up refreshments on the way.

?They didn?t have a cooler for their drinks, so I went home and got mine. I waited for them at the beach, and then took them to where they were going for a boat ride. In loading their things on the boat, the captain took my cooler. I said it was mine and he said it wasn?t. So he just put it on board and took off.?

Remembering the Kennedys as ?friendly people?, he found Dr. Kissinger just the opposite. ?I drove him under Police escort and was with him during his entire stay. He just sat in the corner of the cab and didn?t say a word,? the friendly Bermudian recalls.

Surprisingly, perhaps, Lucille Ball was not a huge conversationalist either, but said enough for Mr. Woolridge to remember her ?a lovely person?.

She was also ?very tiny? and accompanied by female ?chaperones? he says.

Asked if he has a favourite memory of his many years as one of Bermuda?s best ambassadors, the former driver says not. ?All my memories are good,? he assures.

Of his driving record, Mr. Woolridge is very proud that, not once in all his years behind the wheel, has he ever run afoul of the law.

?There is not one scratch on my driver?s licence,? he smiles.

Or, for that matter, was there on his taxis. Each day began with his beloved vehicle being washed and polished to perfection before hitting the open road for a long day and evening?s work.

For many years Mr. Woolridge regularly left home between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m., returning only for a dinner break before heading out again, often until around 3 a.m. In later years, however, he dropped the night work because it was becoming ?too dangerous?.

However, the retired taxi driver ? who declines to reveal his age ? still drives his own car. Although he admits that while he misses driving his taxi ?very much?, and many a night dreams he is still driving passengers, he wouldn?t want to be out there now, given the abysmal standard of driving on today?s roads.

?I?ve seen so many changes, and the driving habits are the worst,? he says, shaking his head ? a sad commentary on the changing times for a man whose love of his country runs deep. ?There aren?t too many of the old drivers left, and they are lovely people.?

Looking back on a working life that also included employment at the US base in its early days, driving a Government bus, and also crewing on the Furness, Withy vessels, and , which allowed him to see the world and develop a lifelong love of travel,Mr. Woolridge says his days of exploring other places are far from over.

One of the joys of retirement is being able to spend more time enjoying life with his wife, Lucille.

?All credit goes to her for taking care of me, and my clothes throughout my career,? he says. ?We now have time to spend together and we are enjoying it very much.?

Mr. Woolridge retains an abiding interest in politics, and is proud to note that in the past he actively campaigned with the likes of the late Sir Henry Vesey, his son Ernest, Chauncey Outerbridge and William Zuill.

Today, however, it is nurturing the growth of flowers and vegetables in his garden that more immediately occupies his attention.