OTHERS can only watch on in wonder, as one of the oldest salesmen in the country continues to clinch deals with the big companies. Gerald Taylor is a grand young 83 and an inspiration to his colleagues at Telecom EC where he works on telesales.

The sprightly octogenarian refused to leave the workforce when he reached retirement age and instead furthered his career, prompted by his desire not to become idle.

He explained: "I've always tried to keep myself mentally and physically active. In addition, my wife sadly passed away six months ago so I am determined not to slip into a routine of doing nothing."

Gerald, from Heyhouses Lane, St Annes, joined Telecom EC last July and his politeness and professionalism has earned him the respect of all his colleagues.

Sales manager Christine Aston commented: "I would say Gerald's efforts at work have made him our most valued member of staff.

"And for this reason we leave him in charge of the larger company deals."

Gerald's career record is impressive reading. Born in Egypt, he went on to be educated in both South Africa and England and passed entry exams to Oxford University.

He became pronounced in politics and economics as well as fluent in Arabic and French.

Forced to cut short his education for financial reasons he then moved into the media and film industry, including a spell as general manager at ITN where he developed his own style of reporting.

He explained: "I employed the likes of Robin Day and Ludovic Kennedy as newscasters, rather than newsreaders.

"They had character. Their job was not simply to read the news from cue cards, but to create atmosphere."

He says his longevity is really down to an active life.

"As a youngster I played tennis, squash and was also selected for England's youth rugby team trials," he explained.

And he intends to be just as active in the world of work for as long as possible.

Gerald added: "I suppose I will eventually stop working when I cannot physically keep up with everyone else, but at the moment I am coping quite well."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.