The second quarter winner of the Visitor Industry Partnership's Sunshine Award advised young Bermudians to get involved in the hospitality industry yesterday.

Ruby Woolridge, a switchboard operator at Grotto Bay Hotel, won the award for tracking down a visitor's camera and mailing it to them.

Speaking to The Royal Gazette, she said: "I would encourage young Bermudians to get into the hotels, not just for the awards.

"For things like the lasting friendships. I have enjoyed 30 years in the hotel industry and I love it, I love it," she said.

Mrs. Woolridge said she maintains overseas friendships with former guests who she met when she first started out.

"I got to meet people from all over the world, all walks of life. It's a wonderful experience - to really show them a Bermudian experience," she said.

Mrs. Woolridge was nominated by American visitor Sue Robson, who was on the Island celebrating her husband's 40th birthday. The couple left their camera in a taxi after being dropped off at the Grotto Bay Hotel.

The couple said they made futile calls to three taxi companies and before leaving the next morning, they asked the hotel's desk clerk if anyone turned in a camera.

"Ruby, a hotel employee, overheard my conversation with the desk clerk and got involved," said Mrs. Robson.

"She took down all the specifics - my name, address, phone number, when I lost the camera and the type of camera. Although she was sincere in her attempt to help us, I didn't feel too optimistic about the outcome," Mrs. Robson said.

"Ruby was so kind, she didn't want us to leave Bermuda on a bad note," she added.

Mrs. Woolridge told The Royal Gazette: "With 30 years in the industry, I knew a few people and our taxi drivers are very honest people. So I rang a few people and two phone calls later, I tracked down the camera."

Mrs. Woolridge contacted the Robsons, via airport paging, as they had passed through American Customs and told them that the camera was on its way in a taxi.

She told the Robsons: "We want you to leave Bermuda with a good feeling, and come back to see us."

Unfortunately, airport employees told Mrs. Robson she could not go back through the Customs and Immigration area to collect the camera.

Mrs. Robson said: "So as we sat on the runway preparing for take off, I phoned Ruby from my cell phone."

Mrs. Woolridge told her not to worry and that the camera would be sent to the Robsons' US address.

"Ruby not only found my camera once, she tracked it down a second time from the cab driver who brought it to the airport, then mailed it to me," said Mrs. Robson.

"More important than the camera itself are the wonderful memories from the pictures we had taken. If Ruby had not gone out of her way to help us, we would never be able to look back at the beautiful places we saw and reminisce about our wonderful trip to Bermuda," said Mrs. Robson.