Don't ask Mrs. Mary Walker about Independence. Don't ask her age. Her traditional upbringing and traditional values precluded real answers on such subjects, at least the day we posed the questions.

But please do ask Mrs. Mary Walker about her attitude to commerce, or her way of life and she is quick to talk.

Born into an "old Montreal family'', she is the first to admit that business was the furthest thing from her mind, before she opened Lote Tree Jewels in 1980.

She has started three successful businesses in Bermuda, while just looking for something to do. She doesn't have that problem anymore. She told us she is busier than ever.

For her, Bermuda is a land of opportunity. She believes that positive attitudes are stepping stones to success.

"There aren't many places in the world where you can really start your own business with so little red tape,''she offered. "When I started Lote Tree Jewels, I was surprised how straightforward it was.'' She means no lengthy tax forms and simple company formation.

"Bermuda's a very fair place to live. I feel that I've been given respect as a business owner and as a female. I don't feel that being female has hindered me at all.

"With anything in life, you set your goals and standards. I tend to set mine very high. I like a challenge. But there's nothing in society or in the community that has impeded me.

"In this entrepreneurial society we live in, I think there is more of a chance to start a small business. It's much easier to start things here, when you think of the population of 60,000 and the unique set-up the Island has, rather than trying to start a business in New York City.'' After working with American Airlines for four years and learning about business, her interest in jewels led to the opening of Lote Tree Jewels, which she sold about 18 months ago as a going concern.

It came after an aborted attempt at a career in flower arranging. She said, "I was doing it from home, but it wasn't viable. But I had to get into something creative. Jewellery was a natural for me.'' She said the company thrived on the spend-free days of the early '80s. She made a success out of fashioning her own jewellery, marketing her "Marybeads'' here and abroad.

She took crash courses at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York and the Gemological Institute of America in Santa Monica, California.

In the mid-eighties she joined with a jeweller, Mr. Bill Wivell, to open goldsmiths, Walker Christopher Ltd. in the Walker Arcade. The business moved to Front Street, at the start of 1991 as the recession deepened.

"That really was a very good step forward for us, after being at the balcony level of the Walker Arcade. Not many tourists get there. It's a difficult place to find. And in business, location is extremely important.'' She said that the location change in fact, balanced out the negatives of the recession.

"We had a location where we could be seen, as opposed to before that. And recession or no recession, people didn't stop buying jewellery.

The company, with a handful of jewellers, have established a unique line of products, like sterling silver Christmas tree ornaments with a Bermuda motif.

The company also sends Bermuda cedar to Switzerland to be turned into watch faces, which they then market here.

In the fall of 1990, she also started Small Businesses Advisors Ltd. with a partner, Canadian Mr. David Hills.

She said, "To date we have serviced over a hundred clients, small businesses, ranging from service stations to retail stores, clubs and professional firms.

"In Bermuda, you used to be able to walk into the bank and say you want to start a business and need a loan. They might think about it for a while, but you'd probably get it.

"Now, along with current business trends around the world, more is required.

They really want to see a business plan. They want to talk to somebody who is going to help you with the business aspect.'' "Bermuda is a fair place to conduct business. It's not a giveaway, like it was in the 1980s. You have to work hard. But you can succeed.'' She has been a member of the Baha'i faith since 1976. It is a meaningful part of her life and she feels it brings help to humanity. She just recently returned from India, where she is consulting, doing some organisational work with a huge temple in Delhi. Mrs. Walker has been asked to return every year.

She is married to businessman Mr. Jordy Walker, whom she met as collegian, while visiting the Island. They have three children. The Walkers are, as she puts it, "a family of sailors''.

A general glance at Mrs. Walker, as she goes by on her bike or walks down the street, will more often than not find her with a smile on her face or at least a happy demeanour. She makes no apologies for being a very positive person.

"There's a certain way you look at life as you live it. I am always going to look at the positive in things. Things you may see as obstacles, I don't, because I could become depressed about it or feel that I'm being submerged by them. I am going to look at them as stepping stones, as challenges.

"We're only in this life once and if I'm going to look at it positively, I'm going to have a happy journey and bring happiness to other people. I think it is very important to put a lot into this world, not just take out for yourself.

"What's the point of letting something get you down? If something's not working out right, then evaluate the whole situation. Maybe it's time to change course, let it go.

"I did this with Lote Tree Jewels, and it was a wrenching decision because I loved that business. It was the expression of my creativity. I was very attached to it, emotionally and it took me a couple of years to really bring myself to terms that it was better for my life at that time to let it go.

"I was able to concentrate on the other two businesses, because I really felt that I was spread too thin. Sometimes you have these major decisions on your mind. I think it is important the way you approach them. You must approach them positively. It's equally important to see the best in people and work with them as a team.'' Her mother was an artist, her father a civil engineer, who was also in banking, investment and farming.

CHEERFUL OUTLOOK -- Mrs. Mary Walker