An insurance company employee is set to retire after notching up more than a half-century on the job.

Alfreda Butler joined Argus in 1963 — but rose to be claims manager in the healthcare group 28 years later, a position she held until she retired a few weeks ago.

Mrs Butler, 71, said: “I did have mixed feelings, but it hasn’t sunk in yet because I have have been very busy with a three-month-old baby, my granddaughter.”

She added she had seen a lot of changes since she joined Argus 53 years ago as a teenager.

Mrs Butler said: “There have been many of them — the growth of the company is one, automation, which is a must and trying to be on the cutting edge of the industry.”

Argus had a staff of 16 when she joined in 1965 and now has 150 staff in Bermuda, plus overseas offices in Malta and Gibraltar.

“As I look back on my career at Argus, I am grateful for having the opportunity to work with a great group of colleagues, one that feels like family.

“I have many, many memories of weddings and births and have enjoyed seeing my colleagues’ children doing so well.”

She added: “I have had the pleasure of interacting with doctors, nurses and our customers and take great joy in knowing that we made a difference in people’s lives.

“I will especially miss my medical claims ‘girls’.”

But she said: “I look forward to this next chapter of my life and to spending time with my first grandchild.”

Mrs Butler added: “I would have liked to do some volunteer work — there’s still time to do that once we get established because my granddaughter won’t always be with me.”

The mother of two grown-up daughters, married to Randall for 48 years, broke with tradition on her last day at work at the end of August.

She asked that, instead of a gift, money raised should be donated to the Matilda Smith Williams Home for seniors.

Mrs Butler, who was given a gold watch by the firm to mark her 25th anniversary, plus other gifts at significant milestones, said: “With the economy, there is money required and not that much coming in these days.

“I’m a person, if I’ve got just about everything I want, why should I accumulate more when I can help someone else?”

Mrs Butler, from Southampton, added that she got her original job with Argus through a lucky break — and never dreamt that she would still have been with the firm 53 years later.

She explained: “It was just nice to get a job because I came from a very poor family and there was definitely no way of going to college. A friend, who was lucky enough to be going overseas to college, left the vacancy and she put my name forward and I got it.

“She left on the same day I started so I only got one day of training.”

Ms Butler added she “semi-retired” at 65, working two days a week, but was later called back due to the illness of the manager who replaced her and went up to four days a week until she finally called it a day.

Michelle Jackson, executive vice-president, group insurance, at Argus said: : “Alfreda Butler has been a strong leader and role model at Argus for many years.

“She embodies Argus’s values of excellence and putting the customer first and has been an inspiration for so many of her colleagues.

“In her 53 years with the company, she has always been a team player, displaying excellence in all that she does.

“I join the whole Argus team in wishing Alfreda a happy retirement — she will be missed by colleagues and clients alike.

“Congratulations to Alfreda on her many achievements in the field and her countless successes helping our clients.”