It's a labour of love for kite maker Hassan Madyun ? and he should know ? he turns out about 100 of the colourful flyers every year.

Mr. Madyun said seeing a traditional Bermuda kite in the sky had become a rarity until recently.

"I felt the kite making tradition was being lost, so I made an all-out effort to make sure that Bermuda kites were flying again," he said. "I'm gone 50 and I've been making them all my life."

Between January and Good Friday he makes about 100 kites.

"It is time consuming ? one kite can take me up 14 to 16 hours to make," he said. "It's not actually a living ? it's a labour of love. If I was paying myself, I'd only be getting $2 to $5 an hour.

"I sell about 100 kites or more a year, I begin in early January putting frames together for both larger and smaller kites. I fly kites with my daughters and grandchildren and during the last exhibition I was making kites which were displayed as part of the Smithsonian," he said.

Mr. Madyun said he has been asked to go into the schools to pass on the tradition to younger people.

Mr. Madyun's kites are available at Tiger Mart Gas Station and RV's, which is located on the corner of Court and Dundonald Street in Hamilton.