DUE to the circumstances, as you see, of my being confined to a wheelchair for the past six to seven years, I have no other alternative, but to call on my son to present my appreciation of your response, which he will read to you.

First of all, I give thanks to God, for allowing me life for 90 years, with good health for 82 years. Second, I owe thanks ? I should say we (my sisters Enith and Naomi and I) ? owe thanks to our maternal grandmother Janie Tucker McCarthy, who, due to the loss of our parents at an early age, actually adopted the three of us.

She brought us up and had us schooled, introducing us to the Anglican Cathedral Church worship, all of which caused me to recommend this Cathedral Hall as the venue for this occasion. Incidentally, the three of us are still blessed with life and attending members of the Cathedral at ages 90, 87 and 85. Next, I owe thanks to my deceased wife, Florence, for our 49 years of happy marriage life, and to our son Winton and daughters Veronica and Carol, who are lovely children to me and vice versa, and our grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Last, but not least, thanks to Sunny Vale Seniors Rest Home, the matron and staff for their tender loving care of me for the past six to seven years.

Another experience for which I am thankful is becoming a member of the Grand United Order of Oddfellows at the age of 21. At the present time, I am the oldest member on their register and have been inspired by and enjoyed the Grand United Oddfellowship of Alexandrina Lodge No. 1026 as a fraternal organisation with a religious foundation.

Having had the privilege of winning the Cathedral Sunday School Scholarship at age 13 years for high school, I attended Mrs. Neverson's Excelsior Secondary School. Graduating four to five years later, I was ready for the challenge of manhood and began looking for a job or a vocation.

UNFORTUNATELY, in the 1930s, my Cambridge High School Certificate hanging on my wall could not guarantee me a job, not in Government or in commerce. My primary school classmates who chose to learn a trade, such as carpentry, masonry, plumbing, electrical, were financially better off. I had no other alternative, but to accept, job-wise, what was available to certain segments of Bermudians.

Allow me to inform you of the variety of jobs and occupations I experienced in trying to reach greener pastures. With my push bike for transportation, I was employed at several black-owned companies as an office clerk and bookkeeper for several years on low wages. I then decided to accept a Government job as a postman in Paget, in which capacity I was employed from 1936 to 1941.

Because I became a married man in 1940, with the Second World War declared in 1939, and ending in 1945, I decided to get employment at the Bermuda Railway Company, a wartime essential. Within six months, I was promoted to the post of train driver, which I adjusted to, except the night shift, which didn't blend in with newly-married life.

As soon as the war was over, I bolted elsewhere and elected to adopt as a trade interior painting and decorating. My first post was at Elbow Beach Hotel, where I was a staff painter for five years. Then I worked at Coral Beach, Hamilton Princess Hotel, Belmont, Inverurie and Castle Harbour. All those hotels underwent renovations after the war and my job as a painter occupied ten years of my work life.

In 1965, I decided on Government employment as a stores keeper at Prospect. I moved to the Quarry Stores after 15 years and retired at 65 years of age in the year 1980.

I was then offered a good job at Canber Electric, where I worked for a number of years before deciding, despite offers to continue on, to end the whirlwind cycle of my life's various labours. The story of my life should convince you of that.

My labour struggles for my family were not in vain. I consider my reward being able to provide for them, with the financial assistance from my father-in-law, Charles Ball.

THERE is an expression, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy". I assure you I am not in that category. I like social life and have been involved, when younger, in literary and social clubs. I loved dancing, especially house parties, with a few cocktails, just enough to feel happy, but not to the level of getting high. I prefer to be a "cool operator" and always believed "it's not what you do, but how you do it".

I have always been interested in literary and political meetings and active in membership, of not only the Lodge, but also the Bermuda Workers' Association, the Bermuda Industrial Union and Dr E.F. Gordon's political efforts. Not being naturally vocal, I served often as recording secretary and on negotiating teams.

I have been a strong believer in moderation and have observed it in everything I have done in life, which I believe has contributed to my 90 years.

But I assure you, I am not like the batsman who having reached 90 at the wicket is anxious to make a century. I am quite thankful to the Lord for allowing me 90 years and jokingly exclaim the Biblical verse: "Lord, Now let thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word, for my mine eyes has seen thy Salvation."

In conclusion, I wish you all a Healthy, Happy and Prosperous New Year.