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Kite master shares expertise

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Master at work: Eugene O’Connor Sr gives kite making tips to Tyler Komposch, 8, of Saltus

A prolific creator of Bermuda kites, Eugene O’Connor Sr, has mastered the craft over many decades and has always enjoyed sharing the tricks of the trade with the Island’s young people.

Along with son Dennie, Mr O’Connor gave a group of primary school students a tutorial in building the traditional wood and paper kites for the Bermuda National Trust’s spring camp.

“The headpiece of the kite — that’s the tricky part,” Mr O’Connor told youngsters, as he showed them the right way to choose their colours and where to start sticking on the paper. “Dip your brush in the glue pot and put it on lightly, like you’re painting,” he said.

Students aged 8 to 11 gathered around the O’Connors in the Trust’s historic headquarters, “Waterville.”

There they were treated to a class in advance of Good Friday, when the classic Bermudian tradition takes flight.

The camp brought together youngsters from Northlands, Port Royal, Prospect and Somerset primary schools, as well as Bermuda High School and Saltus. Over the four-day camp, children will also learn about making bluebird boxes and painting Easter eggs, as well as Easter baking, exploring Spittal Pond and St George’s, and using material from a beach clean-up to make art, education officer Dörte Horsfield said.

Kite master Eugene O'Connor Sr shares the tricks of his trade with Tyler Komposch, 8, of Saltus, among others (Photo by Jonathan Bell)
Kite maker Eugene O'Connor Sr and his son, Dennie O'Connor, showing spring camp students at the Bermuda National Trust how to make traditional Bermuda kites (Photo by Jonathan Bell)