Rev. Trevor Woolridge's promising political career met a major roadblock with his conviction for sexual assault on Wednesday.

He began in the Senate where he was a spokesman for Transport, Youth, Sport and Recreation, Education, Tourism and Community Affairs over a four and a half year period.

This continued in the Lower House after he won a seat in his home parish of Hamilton East at the 1993 elections.

Rev. Woolridge, 41, became the Opposition spokesman for Community and Cultural Affairs and then the Environment, where he was a keen critic of Government's decision to dump 165 containers of asbestos off St. David's.

A champion of the "green cause'' Rev. Woolridge believed that environmental concerns were more than just open spaces and fish.

He said that it was the PLP's job to raise the public's consciousness and educational awareness about these issues.

As a young man, Rev. Woolridge gave his mother Cynthia many a sleepless night because he was a mischievous student at Francis Patton Primary where he was classmates with current Transport Minister Wayne Furbert.

So worrisome did his exploits become, that the young Woolridge was told he would not live to see 30.

His anxious mother pronounced this verdict on her eldest son. Fortunately he heeded her warning, cleaned up his act, and threw himself into religion.

So proud was his mother with the turn-a-round in both his attitude and behaviour, that when he reached his 30th birthday she called him up on the telephone.

Until Wednesday afternoon his star was on the ascent. Not only had he lived to see the age of 30, he recently celebrated 41 years on the planet.

He had hauled himself up life's ladder, thanks to a deceptively strong will and unyielding faith in God.

Rev. Woolridge became a distinctive figure behind the wheel of his taxi, a trade he took up at the age of 21. He became -- and probably was -- Bermuda's most notable taxi-driver.

And on October 2, 1993 he was elected president of the the AME Ministers Alliance.

Three days later his victory in Hamilton East -- he earned 582 votes to place second to running mate Renee Webb -- made him the first clergyman to be elected to the House of Assembly.

With that initial success, Rev. Woolridge focused on achieving two other major goals which were undiminished despite the passage of time.

One was to become a bishop of the AME Church before he reached age 50. And the other was to become Premier.

Earlier this year, Rev. Woolridge was seeking to put himself up for election for the office of Bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Church in the US.

If he was successful, he said he was prepared to quit Bermuda for America. But he would have had to wait seven more years until a general conference of the AME was held to see if there was any support for his candidacy.

Yet, today with his political and ministerial career in tatters, such lofty ambitions now seem a trifle absurd.

In school, Rev. Woolridge, the eldest of four children, demonstrated a flair for English, geography and public speaking.

From Francis Patton, the young Woolridge moved to Whitney Institute, Robert Crawford, Knox College in Jamaica and then Allen University in South Carolina.

Aside from the church and politics, the twice-married Rev. Woolridge is the father of a daughter, Erica, 14, and son, Tyler, six.

Among his many passions are cooking, listening to reggae, jazz, classical and gospel music, and movies.

REV. TREVOR WOOLRIDGE -- Won a seat in his home parish of Hamilton East in the 1993 elections.