The Governor's right-hand man got off on the wrong foot when he started his army career.

But Thorold Masefield's aide-de-camp soon discovered a taste for command -- and got stuck into climbing the military ladder.

Capt. Smith admitted: "I absolutely hated it. I did not want to join. I was not looking forward to serving in the Regiment.

"I was 22 and I actually had a problem with 19-year-olds bossing me around.'' But Capt. Smith soon realised a simple rule of the chain of command: "It was better to be dishing it out.'' And by the second week of boot camp he had volunteered for officer training and was soon taking part in a rigorous six-month training course which culminated in Quebec, Canada.

After that, he served as section commander for three years and travelled to the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, England.

"Here we are nine years later and I am a captain of the Bermuda Regiment,'' he said.

"If you asked me nine years ago if I would be here, I would have said no.

"But the Regiment is an excellent organisation and it offers great growth and development opportunity for anyone.'' Now 34-years-old -- and a self-dubbed "geriatric'' -- he officially took over from Capt. William White as Mr. Masefield's personal assistant on Monday.

At the time of his unwilling entry into the Regiment, Capt. Smith -- husband of Royal Gazette Lifestyle reporter Nicole Williams Smith -- had just returned to the Island after completing a bachelor's degree in marketing from Acadia.

He later returned to school to receive an MBA from Webster University and his professional career included positions with John W. Swan Ltd., IBM, and the Works and Engineering Department.

But for the past six years he has been with the Department of Tourism as the manager of sports promotion. As an avid cricket player and coach -- last year he trained the Bermuda youth team -- Capt. Smith admitted he loved working in tourism, but saw the chance to become ADC as "the opportunity of a lifetime''.

But the post is by no means easy.

He has already logged in 15-hour days and admitted that as an ADC his personal life was put on hold.

"It comes second to his responsibilities of the position,'' he said.

"For a married person this position requires a very understanding and supporting wife and I enjoy my wife's unwavering support and for that I thank her,'' he added.

Capt. Smith went on to say he would draw upon both his military and professional skills as the "manager of Government House'' and emphasised the importance of teamwork.

He said attention to detail and organisation were two of the key abilities he would bring with him from the Regiment.

Another talent was a little less obvious: reconnaissance.

"I need to know how long it takes to get from Hamilton to St. George's. The Governor has to arrive at a specific time -- to the minute, to the second,'' Capt. Smith explained.

And he said his years with the Department of Tourism had prepared him for the many social activities he will attend at the Governor's side.

But overseeing the continuing renovations to restore Government House to a home "befitting the Queen's representative'' is one aspect that many of his predecessors did not have to face.

Nevertheless, Capt. Smith said he looked forward to the challenge and believed his natural character would see him through any crisis.

"I have a positive attitude. I believe that I have good interpersonal skills, a sense of humour and I don't take myself too seriously,'' he said.