For the past 17 years Peter Woolcock has been tickling the Island's funny-bone with his weekly cartoons in the Friday edition of The Royal Gazette, and just as faithfully for the past 12 years, the annual collection of his work, entitled `Woppend,' arrives on local bookshelves as Christmas approaches. Now it's a case of `lucky 13' as the latest edition makes its appearance.

Not only do these books provide an amusing look back at the Bermuda year, but also they provide a potted history of issues that exercised the population at any given time.

Small wonder, then, these editions have become both collector's items and timeless records to enjoy.

In fact, it is interesting to look through old editions and realise just how absurd some of the issues of the day were that held the population in thrall. Surprising too is just how little has changed in terms of unfulfilled promises by politicians of both parties.

The question always arises: How does this much-loved cartoonist manage to hit his topical target dead-on week after week, year after year, without ever being mean or offensive?

The answer lies in the man himself.

A skilled cartoonist with a long, successful international career behind him, Mr. Woolcock is, at heart, a genuinely nice person.

Although it is by no means easy, and there are times when he must be sorely tempted to be much more barbed, he unfailingly looks for the right balance that will still make his point.

Of course, there are occasions when someone or some group takes umbrage, but they are very rare indeed.

While admitting that it is a fine line he treads, the cartoonist also admits he has no wish to emulate the viciousness of some well-known cartoonists in London and New York.

"Dear, oh dear," he mutters of their venom.

Mr. Woolcock begins the process of searching for a subject on Mondays. He reads the newspapers cover to cover, and more often than not something obvious presents itself.

"The hardest thing of all is choosing a subject, but it is also instinctive," the cartoonist says. "You know whether or not a subject will lend itself to a drawing, and of course there are lots of subjects which I cannot begin to tackle - AIDS, battered wives, and drugs included. They don't lend themselves to my type of approach."

There are occasions, however, when nothing stands out, at which point Mr. Woolcock asks editor Bill Zuill if anything interesting is coming up.

"There is this running joke between us, and he says, `I'm afraid not, it's a rather slow week'," the cartoonist says.

It is a situation well-known to media types, but somehow by his starting deadline on Wednesday the cartoonist has pinpointed his subject, and is off to the drawing board to meet the lizards, Leroy and Lucy, to decide how to present it.

"I put my mind in neutral and think of some lunatic angle to do with the chosen subject," is how Mr. Woolcock puts it.

The first rough sketch is always tried out on Ethel, his wife of 50 years, who is the final arbiter. "If she giggles and says, `Really,' I know I am on to a winner, but if she says `I just don't get it,' I know I must re-do it," the cartoonist. "She is the only one who sees my work before the editor."

Just how long it takes Mr. Woolcock to complete a cartoon is "a moveable feast", and largely depends on the amount of detail required.

"I always hope that I can deal with the subject fairly economically, but some demand `a cast of thousands'," he says.

And no, he has neither a favourite subject nor a favourite cartoon. "It has always been a source of satisfaction to me that everyone seems to have a favourite cartoon. If they all said the same thing I'd think: `What's wrong with all the others?' " he laughs.

Not surprisingly, since politics achieve heightened prominence in our small community, politicians, and particularly the Premier, are frequently featured in the Woolcock cartoons.

owever, as Leader of the Opposition, Miss Smith was the one subject that gave Mr. Woolcock difficulty, although the two were friends.

"Everyone has their individual profile which is similar to a Police profile, but when it comes to drawing we all have our individual shape which, after observation, a cartoonist can whittle down with a few strokes delineating the basic elements of how the person is seen," he says.

"But Miss Smith seemed to change her hairstyle every time I saw her. It was up, it was down, it was full, it was swept back."

The two discussed it, and the cartoonist asked if she could possibly settle on one style for the sake of consistency. His suggestion was dismissed with the explanation that she was merely exercising the female prerogative to change her mind.

"I realised that I wasn't going to get any co-operation, but then suddenly Fate intervened," Mr. Woolcock relates. "It became obvious that the lady has a penchant for hats, and they were not common garden variety head gear. We were talking wild and wonderful. The solution had landed in my lap!"

Mr.Woolcock writes the explanatory notes which accompany each cartoon in `Woppend' upon completion of each drawing, and never subsequently amended.

In addition to his weekly Royal Gazette cartoons, Mr. Woolcock's work is also much sought-after as a gift for special occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries, and retirements.

As for any thoughts of his own retirement, Bermuda's best-loved cartoonist says: "Not until they take the pencil from my gnarled fingers and find that I've been dead for two days!"

`Woppend 13' is now available in local stores, and the price, which hasn't changed in years, is $12.95 per copy.