his duties.

"I want to bring in a personal style -- I'm a relaxed individual,'' Mr.

Gurney said. "I like people and I like dealing with them -- I do care about people and I'm very happy to talk to them.'' He admitted: "There is a pomp and circumstance attached to the office itself -- but while I work within that framework, I hope I will bring a human touch to what I do.

"I hope people do feel they can come and talk to me. I won't have all the answers, particularly to start with, but I hope I can at least steer people in the right direction.'' The qualified soccer ref was speaking as he kicked off his four-year tour in Bermuda yesterday by being officially sworn in by Governor Thorold Masefield at Government House.

Mr. Gurney, 43, originally from Manchester, has been with the Foreign Office for 25 years and Bermuda is his seventh overseas posting -- although his first to an Overseas Territory of the UK.

He said: "It's obviously going to be very challenging -- there are a wide range of issues ahead.

"You constantly face new issues and new challenges -- there is an election coming up and there are many other issues.

Mr. Gurney accepted that the issue of Independence for Bermuda "hasn't gone away''.

But he said a recent poll had found that 75 percent of Bermudians "don't really want Independence''.

He added: "I would respect the views of the majority.'' Mr. Gurney -- a fan of Manchester City -- said one of his soccer heroes was the team's Bermudian striker Shawn Goater.

And he did not entirely red card the possibility of turning out as a referee in Bermuda soccer matches.

But the US-qualified soccer judge said: "I'm not holding out any hopes -- I'm a bit rusty.'' Mr. Gurney is also a qualified scuba diver and founded the Foreign Office diving club, Diplomatic Divers.

And he revealed he could bring a mini-boom to an area the Island's tourist chiefs are keen to promote overseas.

Mr. Gurney said: "My colleagues are already planning a trip here.'' Mr. Gurney -- married with two children -- will be joined in Bermuda by wife Denise before the end of the month. The couple's children, Kate, 14, and Tom, 12, will remain in school in England.

Mrs. Gurney is a complimentary medicine practitioner who runs her own business in the UK.

Mr. Gurney said: "She would obviously like to work on it here -- whether she'll be able to do that, I'll just have to wait and see.'' Mr. Gurney joined the Diplomatic Service in 1973 and has served in Turkey, Pakistan, Canada and Ghana.

In 1985, he was appointed London Desk Officer dealing with the UK hostages like Church of England envoy Terry Waithe held in Lebanon.

He was desk officer at the Foreign Office in London for Algeria, Morocco, between 1996-97 and his last job before Bermuda was as Director of Visa Operations, in charge of a worldwide network of 160 offices.