Leeann Paynter initially joined the American International group of companies in January 1967, as a reinsurance clerk. The Reinsurance Department was located in the Belvedere Building at the time. Like other employees in those days, when Ms Paynter had a daughter, she left the group, but was able to rejoin about a year later.

When she first joined, working hours were 8:45 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., which was an unusually long day, but Thursdays finished at noon. "In those days, Thursday afternoon was a time to have fun with your fellow workers," Ms Paynter recalled. Employees of her department would go out for lunch in groups and socialise.

The procedure of handling reinsurance has changed significantly in the 40 years since Ms Paynter joined AIG. As the clerk in the department, Ms Paynter recalls manually calculating the sums assured and premiums, then writing them on a ruled card.

The cards were then given to a statistical typist, who used a typewriter with a special 24-inch carriage. The reserves for the sums assured and schedules for the premiums were filed in a manila folder, and each clerk took hours preparing details for the policies being reinsured. The year-end valuation was manually prepared on a calculator with a paper tape.

For those too young to recall such practices, it is worth stressing that this was the way it was done before computers made everything simpler. AIG was as advanced as anyone in the preparation of such data, which was all prepared by hand.

Reinsurance business came into the Bermuda office from various countries overseas, such as Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines (where American International is very highly regarded, having been there for many years), Singapore, Thailand, and countries in the Middle East.

Claims settlements also required much clerical time. "Staff greatly welcomed computers, as you can imagine," Ms Paynter said.

She now works in the actuarial department of American International Reinsurance Company (AIRCO), which is responsible for treaties, reinsurance with direct writing companies, and retrocessions (reinsurance bought by reinsurance companies) from external reinsurance companies.

Mrs. Paynter is the widow of police officer Russell Paynter. She has a son, David and a daughter, Terrilynn (who was the recipient of an American International scholarship), and one granddaughter Alyssa.