bookshelves this weekend, it will mark the culmination of three years' dedication and hard work by a niece who wanted to capture the essence of her late, beloved uncle's life and times for present and future generations. A senior lecturer at the Bermuda College, Miss Lightbourne had never written a book before, but she was always fascinated by the wonderful tales her uncle spun, and the more she heard them the more convinced she was that they should be recorded for posterity. One day, as The Royal Gazette's Nancy Acton reports, she resolved to do something about it... "... You know, uncle,'' she said, "you should be putting all this in writing.'' "Oh, everybody's telling me I should write a book, but why don't you write it?'' was Mr.

Lightbourne's response.

Caught off-guard, his niece promised to consider his request, and went on her way.

"I eventually thought, `What a great idea','' she recalls. `Why not family? Why not a Bermudian?' So I pursued the challenge.'' Thus it was that Miss Lightbourne set out on her first journey as an author in what would become a true labour of love.

"I thought it would be lovely to raise public awareness and also to do it while Sparky was still living,'' she recounts.

Given that Mr. Lightbourne was a colourful, popular and much-loved figure in the local community, there was a lot of ground to cover and material to research and collate before she could begin writing.

In much the same way as Mr. Llewellyn Emery had recorded his splendid memories in "Nothing but a Pond Dog'' to such wonderful effect, Miss Lightbourne felt the book about her uncle should be similarly appealing.

Certainly, there was no shortage of people to interview. Everybody knew Sparky, as he was popularly known, and his various careers had brought him into contact with countless people from all walks of life, including visitors.

"While he was best known as a sightseeing tour guide and local bus driver, he was also a marine pilot during the Darrell's Island (airport) years,'' his niece recalls.

Before that, he had been a pantry boy in the officers' mess of the ocean liner, Monarch of Bermuda.

Then there was his role as a troop leader in the Boy Scouts, not to mention his post-retirement role as a shuttle bus driver at the Marriott Castle Harbour Hotel, and a whole host of accolades and accomplishments.

Married to the former Betty Wilson for 52 years, he was the father of nine children, all of whom would be asked for their recollections.

Setting about her task, Miss Lightbourne devoted all of her spare time to the project. Patiently pecking away at her computer, she recorded chapter after chapter, often far into the night.

Finally, with the manuscript written, Miss Lightbourne was ready for the next stages, all of which would be challenging and require great patience.

To editor Liz Jones fell the task of proof-reading, while Mr. Marsh was charged with layout design.

"I've been a royal pain to him, I'm sure,'' Miss Lightbourne smiles.

Joining the production team was Mr. Edwin M.E. Smith, an artist and graphic design lecturer at the Bermuda College, whose task it was to design the book's cover.

Illustrations are always an important part of a book, but Miss Lightbourne had another concept in mind: a compact disc (CD) containing the actual voice of her uncle giving some of his famous tour guides, accompanied by photographs of points of interest.

"This is a miracle,'' she admits of the finished product. "Sparky did the audio component in his house. He sat in his living room one day and from memory recorded two separate tours, including his famous one on the passion flower.'' The recording has taken on even greater importance since Mr. Lightbourne did not live to see the finished product.

For the accompanying photographs, the author turned to top photographer Mr.

Roland Skinner, in addition to using some of her own for budgetary reasons.

So, too, did Mr. Stewart Minors, the computer technician, who helped her to put it all together.

"It was an enormous task involving many sleepless nights,'' she says.

Indeed, the author claims the CD is a local milestone.

"It is a computer-driven, digital audio presentation which will be attached to the book, and is the first multi-media book Bermuda has ever produced.'' Sadly, while Mr. Lightbourne was alive when the project started, he passed away on February 19 this year -- just one week short of his 77th birthday.

For this and many reasons his niece is thankful that she took up the gauntlet he threw down three years ago.

"He wanted me to do the book, and I consider it a living tribute to Sparky.

It covers the gamut of his life, and I think we should honour those people who have made contributions to the country. Bermuda has never passed through a war, but we have had many ambassadors of goodwill, and people who have made great contributions to Bermudian life.

"I think this is the way to celebrate their contributions so we can pass them on to all future generations.'' Despite having to shoulder the whole responsibility of writing and piloting the project through to completion herself, Miss Lightbourne has no regrets, and she is especially proud that, apart from the printing, which was done in Canada for economic reasons, every aspect of her book has been locally done.

"I am grateful to have been afforded the opportunity to do this,'' she assures.

`Light the Spark' was pre-launched at a special reception last November at the Marriott Castle Harbour hotel, which Miss Lightbourne described as "an attempt to raise public awareness that the book would be coming out in the foreseeable future, as well as an opportunity to celebrate Sparky while he was still with us''.