There is never a good time to leave something you love, as Geraldine Lambert has found out in the weeks leading up to her retirement after 38 years of working with Bermuda's mentally challenged young adults.

This week, in the quiet of the Orange Valley Centre and trying to control her emotions, the administrator of the facility completed the packing process to make room for her successor. She reflected back on a career that has seen the Centre go through many changes... starting under the Ministry of Health, switching to Education and now again the responsibility of Health.

A qualified teacher who majored in elementary education and has a Master's degree in Special Education, Mrs. Lambert has been administrator of the facility since 1967 and was there when they moved to their present location in Devonshire in 1985.

"Overall I've been extremely happy in my job," said Mrs. Lambert without hesitation.

Since she believes it was God's will for her to be in the job, she did wonder about the timing of her retirement, especially since she is still a few years away from the mandatory retirement age of 65.

"I honestly believe that it is God's will that I be here," she says.

"With all of the ups and downs that we've had, he's the one who brought me through. Since I was so convinced that this is what God had planned for me, I thought `are you convinced that he now wants you to leave'?

"How do you decide that you are leaving because you want to leave or do you decide because God is saying it is time to move on? I had three more years that I could have stayed and I spent many, many months before I made that decision, asking God to guide me, to show me what to do. I believe he did do that."

Officially Mrs. Lambert retires on December 31, but she will make herself available in January to help her replacement, Karen McCottry, settle in. Mrs. McCottry, until recently at CedarBridge, previously worked under Mrs. Lambert as a teacher and was then her deputy. Mrs. Lambert is happy with the appointment.

"One of my major concerns was who would take over and now knowing that, I have no concerns that it will be in good hands," said the departing administrator.

"Some time back I always said I would leave at 60, I was only 27 when I became the administrator and when you are dealing with people it does become quite stressful.

"Sixty is the earliest that one can retire and get your pension, and I was just approaching 60 when the change (transfer of facility back to Health in 1999) took place and my thoughts at that time would be let's stay on until we are able to get the new staff in place and the facility functioning the way one would like it to function and have it ready for whoever else would come in.

"Also I was waiting to see exactly what (the new) Government was going to do with the facility, just where their thoughts were in terms of our people (trainees). I decided afterwards it was time to go."

Unlike the school system where students move on to higher education, some of the trainees at the Orange Valley Centre have been there for many years and, understandably, Mrs. Lambert has developed an attachment to all of them.

There are 13 of them there who range in age from 22 to 40 and are cared for every day by a staff of 11 which includes three case workers, four paraprofessionals, a cook, a general attendant and a secretary.

Of the 13, nine live at home with their families, one is in a Group Home and the other three reside at St. Brendan's. They come to the Centre every day to be taught basic skills.

"Most of the trainees have been with us for the last 25 years," she revealed.

"I love the job and over the years people have said to me `how, come you haven't tried something else'? There were many times that I felt I would branch out into other areas, especially when elementary education was also my major," she stated.

"But there was something about working with the challenged that was so rewarding... just to see the delight in the trainees when they accomplish something.

"The minor progress was absolutely rewarding. It seemed like every day one child would come up with something that made you feel this was all worthwhile. So you hung in there and constantly looked for avenues to explore to help the trainees. There was always a challenge and because our trainees are mentally handicapped and with physical disabilities you are always looking for a device to help them express themselves."

The sign outside the Centre still refers to Mrs. Lambert as Principal, which was what she was when the school was under the Ministry of Education.

"When we were under Education, we had teachers, paraprofessionals, students, but when we moved to health we became case workers, paraprofessionals and trainees," she explained of the terminology.

A facility to meet the needs of the mentally challenged was opened in 1962 by then Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Simon Fraser, and was called the Day Training Centre.

"They saw the need for a facility, in fact their view was to have a nursery for mentally handicapped children," recalled Mrs. Lambert who started with the Health Department two years later after returning from England.

"It opened at the time that St. Brendan's put on that new extension and we were given a lower floor there. It was a facility that was run by the Ministry of Health from 1962 to 1970 or `71 and at that time the same thing was taking place in England when they recognised these facilities - Centres at that time - should be the responsibility of Education, so we were transferred to the Ministry of Education.

"However, it was 21 years before we moved into this facility, in 1985, at which time we changed the name from Day Training Centre to Orange Valley Centre. The name change came about because of location and we were looking at the end of an era."

Mrs. Lambert says Government has treated the Centre well through the changes.

"Our type of facility was unique, you just didn't have in many parts of the world a facility for the more severely challenged, and I proved this as I travelled," she stated.

"We remained under education up until 1999 and in April, at the beginning of the financial year, we became the responsibility of the Ministry of Health.

"Basically that was because of the age level that we have. Our trainees now range in age from 22 to about 40."

The facility is similar to Opportunity Workshop, though the trainees at the Centre are more severely challenged. Some are also in wheelchairs.

"The bulk of the people that are there (Opportunity Workshop) have come from us at some point," said Mrs. Lambert.

"The difference is that the trainees at the Opportunity Workshop are higher functioning and capable of doing far more. That's not to say we won't continue to work with our people, but there comes a time when you have to face reality.

"That's one reason why you can't put the two groups together is they function totally different. Our facility was designed to service up to 24 and the maximum we ever had here was 22."

"At that time we were dealing with children and we could accommodate them, but today they have grown, gotten bigger, heavier and are in wheelchairs, the maximum that I can see in this facility is 20."

Over the years Government has integrated the physically challenged into the public school system and Mrs. Lambert is in favour of inclusion...to a point.

"There are a number of disabled or challenged folks who will definitely benefit from inclusion," she believes.

`But there are others who are not having their needs met and if they are not having them met then you are doing them an injustice. Basically I'm 100 per cent behind inclusion, but inclusion is not for every child all the time. It has to be done on a needs basis, an individual basis."

The trainees at the Centre are divided into three groups and each group has a case worker and a paraprofessional to assist them with their daily learning.

"It's absolutely essential to have that number of persons because of the dependency, a good many of them have to be toileted, fed and lifted," explained Mrs. Lambert.

"The emphasis is trying to teach them skills that will make their lives as meaningful as possible. So you are constantly searching for ideas to stimulate them and bring the best out of them. When you find positive areas and their strengths, that's what you work on."

Three of the trainees are able to go out on day release, one to Lindo's to pack groceries, another to a laundromat in Warwick and a third one to the A-1 in Paget where he packs groceries.

"We would like to do more of that but they are limited because each time they go an adult goes with them," said Mrs. Lambert.

"They are not at all independent, but our goal is one day they will be able to do on their own."

Adding Mrs. Lambert: "I believe that the folks that are here are still learning and benefitting from this facility as opposed to being more institutionalised. I just pray that the powers that be will see fit to keep it open.

"There have certainly been ups and downs, and you have to expect that, but overall I'm leaving with very mixed emotions. Because of my health and strength I do have I want to be able to do some other things, mainly I want to spend more time doing the Lord's work.

"But at the same time I know I will miss these folks here, I'll miss the trainees and I'll miss the staff. Over the years I have had some wonderful, wonderful staff members and one could not have accomplished what they have without the help of them.

"Individuals who work with the trainees have to be caring and compassionate. You have to accept the fact that they are people and we all require the same nurturing and care and love you would give anybody. You have to accept them as they are."

Mrs. Lambert, who lists travelling as one of her passions, is also a member of the Salvation Army White Hill Corp and various charities, including the serving on the executive of the Girl Guide Association and is a past president of the Hamilton Lioness Club.

"I want to keep involved with charitable organisations, I used to be on the trustees of WindReach who are very much involved with our trainees," she explained.

She also praised a number of other organisations within the community "who have been extremely supportive of this facility". They include: the Committee of 25, Altrusa Club, Bermuda Riding for the Disabled, The Continental Society, Hamilton Lions and Lioness Clubs, Aberfeldy Nurseries, Butterfield and Vallis, BGA, the MarketPlace and Lindo's.