Early lifeGustarvus Lightbourne (affectionately called Gus) wasborn on January 27, 1921 to Mr. and Mrs. EmmanuelLightbourne of Blue Hills, Providenciales. He attendedthe Blue Hills School in High Rock and was taught by Mr.Aaron Gardiner. Boys usually attended school until theyreached the age of 14, when they would learn a trade orgo fishing for a living. Gus was brought up by his grandparents,who made sure that he attended school.Gus’s life was filled with challenges and hardships. OnNovember 30, 1934, the General Express, a boat carryinghis father, his mother and two sisters, disappeared fromhis sight in rough weather, never to be seen or heard fromagain. This must have been a horrifying experience forthis young boy who had just become a teenager, yet hestill managed to move on. Those who knew Gus say, “Healways prepared for the worse.” Perhaps this early experienceinfluenced that attitude.Another attitude apparent in Gus and his sons wasconfident self-reliance. In the 1980s, when the flightinstructor consistently failed to show, Gus’s younger sontaught himself to fly an airplane. Gus’s elder son taughthimself plumbing with the new materials marketed in the1970s.Young men look forward to owning a boat and in the1930s, Gus took on the job of building one. Gus andhis “regarded” brother Livingstone Swann had gone intothe interior of Providenciales and found the branchesthey considered suitable timbers for framing the size hewanted. They had all the timber in the backyard when Gusengaged a boat builder who was too busy to get to hisjob. While waiting, Gus set the stern and transom into thekeel. When Gus’s grandfather Thomas Lightbourne (“OleOlemer”) saw what the boys had done he heaped encouragementon them. Gus finished the boat and, at age 18,was the owner of the G.L. Progress.This boat made several trips to Haiti which was oneof the TCI’s main trading partners. Gus would take conchand other marine products from the local fishermen toHaiti to trade. In return, he brought back essential equipment,food items, clothing, etc. His bold initiative openedthe gateway for a variety of goods and services to reachthe previously neglected Caicos Islands. During World WarII, when Turks & Caicos would otherwise be shut off fromthe rest of the world, boats like the G.L. Progress madeseveral trips to Haiti to keep supplies coming in.As it stood then, the bulk of the Islands’ internationaltrading activities took place at the ports of Grand Turkand South Caicos. For people in the other Caicos Islandsto purchase items for their survival they had to travel toSouth Caicos or Grand Turk by small sloops. With Gus’sinitiative, they now had direct contact with internationaltrading partners — The Bahamas, Dominican Republic andHaiti.Gus loved building boats. He built several and bestowedon them fancy names such as the Glancing Shadow, theSmack, K.C.M. Orlando (Livingstone Swann, Gus andLivingstone’s brother Barrymore went on to marry threeof Edgar Howell’s daughters—Kathleen, Christiana andMyrtle, and Barry spent time picking oranges in Orlando,hence the boat’s name) and the Cassius (from the boxingchampion Cassius Clay). The Cassius was not a sailboat,but was built for an outboard motor. Her faster speed(from the same horsepower) and easier manoeuvrabilitymade her competitive for all-around efficiency with thelarger longboats built by Daniel Delancy. Gus not onlyloved to build boats he also loved to race boats. He pilotedfrom the lee side and his competitors thought, “What nonsense”until after the race.Gus Lightbourne had a character larger than life. He isdescribed by many as a man who would tell you a pieceof his mind in a heartbeat. He was a no-nonsense fellow,straightforward and plain-speaking, who did not stand forfoolishness. You knew where you stood with him becausehe cut no corners. He was also described as being a sharpfellow for his intellectual/engineering ability. This earnedhim the nickname “Sharper.” He fell in love with Kathleen“Katie” Howell and on September 28, 1944 they were married.This union produced four children. Only two of themsurvived past infancy.Life’s challengesGus’s life was filled with challenges. He got shipwreckedaboard the Lady Austin in 1941 while on a trip toMayaguana, Bahamas. In September 1945, while fishingoff Blue Hills on the G.L. Progress with a crew of five men,a dangerous hurricane impacted the Islands. They weretotally unaware of the hurricane’s approach because, atthe time, they did not have modern warning systems.Their mast broke and they drifted at sea for 12 days withoutfood and water. Through it all, God was with them.Gus named the first land they sighted Atwood Cay(Samana Cay is the more popular name today). With thisinspiration they struggled with wind and current, withoutsuccess, to get to Acklins. They finally ended up onCrooked Island, Bahamas. They may have sold whateverequity was left in the G.L. Progress to get themselves16 www.timespub.tc
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