Fifty years ago Valerie Lewis left England and jumped on a plane for Bermuda.

She was 23 and had just finished university when she answered a job advert in a Sunday newspaper for a pharmacist in St George.

Next week, half a century later, one of Robertson’s Drug Store’s finest will hang up her white coat for the last time as she retires.

Over the decades Mrs Lewis, now 73, has become a popular and familiar face behind the counter at Robertson’s where she has helped countless visitors and locals.

“I had no idea what to expect when I first got here,” she said.

“But within three months of arriving I met my husband.

“I remember my first impression as I got off the BOAC 707 was how hot it was. I thought that the heat must have been coming from the engines, but as I made my way away from the plane it just did not get any cooler.”

When Mrs Lewis first began work at Robertson’s many of the ointments and medications had to be mixed from scratch by the pharmacists.

And she was working behind the counter when a fire broke out in the pharmacy in April 1977 and destroyed the building.

She told The Royal Gazette: “When I first started we used to open from 8am to 9pm.

“There were quite a few cruise ships coming into St George’s back then so the town used to be pretty hectic.

“But the pharmacy was not as busy as it is today.

“Back then we would type out the label, and the only information on it would be the person who it was for, their doctor and how to take it.”

She added: “Over the years I have seen many people come and go.

“I still remember seeing the building burn down in fire of 1977. I had been working behind the counter when a customer pointed out the smoke coming up through the floorboards.

“I ran out of the fire exit and thought I had better call the fire brigade.

“It got worse and worse and you could hear the aerosol cans bursting like gunfire.

“It was terribly sad to watch the building burn to the ground.”

Mrs Lewis’s last day at work will be next Thursday — 50 years, almost to the day, since she began work there.

She said she was looking forward to spending more time with her family and her two grandchildren as well as taking trips abroad.

“Everyone is always so happy at Robertson’s — it’s like a big family.

“The internet has meant that these days people want to know more about everything that is prescribed and you have to be on your toes.

“But I have loved getting to know everyone in town.

‘Right now I feel good about retirement. I am sure I will be sad when I leave on the last day.

“But I am looking forward to doing all the things I have not had time to do; I have a lot of craft work to do and millions of paperbacks to read.

“I’ll be able to do more gardening, swimming and clean out the house.”

Joy Rothwell, co-owner of Robertson’s Drug Store, said: “What does 50 years say about someone? It says, trustworthy, reliable, committed, hard working and so much more.

“Throughout that time Valerie has stayed committed to the quality of the product and the service we provide.

“She has been our manageress, head pharmacist and principal buyer and many roles other than that.

“She is a part of the fabric of the community of St George’s whom she has served with care and compassion and needless to say, she will be sorely missed by them, the Rothwell family and all the staff at Robertson’s.”