front of Camden and the vivid blue ocean beyond has been a restaurant. Today, it is still a restaurant -- but only in part, for under a recent metamorphosis it has become what is officially known as the Visitors' Centre.

Structurally owned by Government but operated by volunteers of the Bermuda Biological Society, the Centre answers many needs of visitors, local and foreign, to the Botanical Gardens.

It functions as an information source not only on the Gardens but on Bermuda's flora generally, as an outlet for an intriguing variety of goods with a botanical motif, most of them locally made, and as a place to enjoy light snacks and drinks.

"We had approximately 5,000 visitors a week to the Gardens last summer, so there really was a need for something like this in a centrally located place,'' explained Mrs. Claudine Wilson, chairman of the Centre's interpretive programme.

Indeed, before its advent, assistant Director of Agriculture, Fisheries & Parks, Dr. Roberta Dow, said her Department's receptionist had been besieged by large numbers of visitors crowding the administrative offices looking for answers to their many questions.

With an eye to budget constraints, the new facility was transformed largely with the sweat of a volunteer labour force, many of them Bermuda Biological Society members.

"We have super volunteers, and that is the key,'' said Dr. Dow. "They have been great and really work hard.'' Once the corrugated roofing was repaired and professionally refinished, volunteers set to work ripping out many of the former restaurant's trappings.

Exposed wooden beams were scraped, latticework torn down and partitions removed before the long job of repainting the entire premises was undertaken.

When sections of the original carpeting were removed to make way for the cafeteria section, Dr. Dow ordered that it be saved to patch holes in other areas.

Today, both the Department and the Bermuda Botanical Society are justifiably proud of their handiwork: creamy walls, sparkling white woodwork, an efficient and immaculate cafeteria-style food area, and a restful dining room with crisp, pink linen table cloths and splendid views of the world beyond.

Sunlight streams through the large windows, giving the place an airy feel, while indoor plants and an abundance of floral motif items in the gift shop lend a colourful, semi-tropical touch.

Corridor walls are adorned with magnificent colour photographs of Bermuda flowers, and a semi-permanent display about local flora and its habitats can also be found at one end of the dining room.

In the viewing room, a locally produced, educational video of the Island's flora plays continuously on donated equipment.

"The Garden Club of Bermuda provided funds for production of the video, which was made by Panatel; the Bermuda Rose Society and the Bermuda African Violet Society provided funds for the video machine; and the Beta Sigma Phi sorority supplied the monitor, so it was a real community effort,'' Dr. Dow explained.

A information area offers a variety of free brochures.

Food for the busy cafeteria area is supplied fresh daily by a local restaurant, while Bermuda Botanical Society volunteers man the service area with cheerfulness and courtesy.

The menu includes homemade soups, pastries, sandwiches, salads and sweet breads, hot dogs, yogurts, cheese and biscuits, ice cream, and hot and cold drinks.

Deeply committed to recycling, the restaurant encourages diners to place empty soda cans and bottles in special waste bins discreetly positioned at the exit.

The current use of plastic cutlery and disposable plates is only temporary. To eliminate this form of waste, china plates are on order.

Meanwhile, volunteers have created table vases by painting the interiors of shapely soft drink bottles pink to match the tablecloths.

Work is underway by volunteers to establish a garden at the back of the Centre to provide table flowers.

Visitors to the shopping area will find an intriguing array of gifts and souvenirs with a botanical theme to choose from. They include hand-painted T-shirts with co-ordinating caps or hats, notelets, place mats, earrings reflecting what can be found in the Gardens (frogs, birds, butterflies, hibiscus and peacocks), miniature jigsaw puzzles made from the paintings of a local artist, botanical posters, prints of floral paintings by local artists, "country look'' wreaths created entirely from dried local materials, wicker trinket baskets with lifelike clusters of hibiscus flowers, floral needlepoint canvases, floral hairclips, and ceramic mugs with Bermuda motifs.

Although the Centre was officially opened a few months ago, it has kept a fairly low profile to give the volunteers who run it time to develop their skills.

"Now,'' said Dr. Dow, "we want to let everyone know we're here and invite them to come on down and enjoy an excellent facility.'' The Centre is open every day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and admission is free.

Free 90-minute tours of the Botanical Gardens, conducted by Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Parks personnel and Bermuda Botanical Society volunteers, leave from the Centre's parking lot off Berry Hill Road every Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday at 10 a.m.

As with any operation which depends on volunteers for its success, the Botanical Society would welcome many more to its ranks.

"They don't have to be botany specialists. We offer a five-session, free training course given by several of our specialists,'' Mrs. Helge von Dittel Trapnell, Visitors' Centre chairman, said. "A sense of humour is the main ingredient, as well as a love of nature and a love of people.'' Anyone interested should contact Mrs. Lolly Burnett-Herkes at 293-1963.

MEMOREIS ARE MADE OF THIS ... Mrs. Pamela Schmidt and daughter Anne, from St.

Louis, Missouri, choose hand-painted T-shirts to remind them of the Bermuda Botanical Gardens and its attractive Visitors' Centre.