Letter from the Editor
	Features
	Norah Head's "White Lady" turns 100 Double Island Point Lighthouse My interesting life at Double Island Point Lighthouse LoA Committee member profile - Kristie Eggleston
	Australian News
	Lighthouse to the rescue Nobbys Head Lighthouse - future use Salvaged light a beacon for tourism
	Notices
	Cape Byron Trust researching lightkeepers Beacons by the Sea: Stories of Australian Lighthouses - off to Albany
	Letters
	Robert William Garroway - first keeper on Maatsuyker Seeking information on John Henry Sellwood - QLD lightkeeper Cape Hotham Lighthouse photos Lionel Rex Coleman - Lightkeeper at Maatsuyker Island
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Letter from the Editor

Welcome to the November Bulletin, edition 7/2003.

This edition contains historical memoirs from Madeline Leck, who grew up on Double Island Point in the early 1900s, some current news from the mid-NSW coast, and a report on the important role of the Point Lonsdale Lighthouse.

Norah Head Lighthouse celebrated its Centenary earlier this month. Hundreds of people toured the lighthouse and attended other events held to commemorate the occasion. Another feature of this edition is an introduction to the Double Island Point Lighthouse in Queensland by Denise Shultz, the LoA President. Double Island Point is going to feature in a few editions of the Bulletin and Prism over the next few months, as we chronicle the memoirs of Madeline Leck. The first instalment of Madeline Leck's memoirs memoirs reveals aspects of her mother's difficult life as the wife of the Assistant Lightkeeper at Double Island Point. Following our tradition of profiling the committee members of Lighthouses of Australia Inc, my own profile features in this edition of the Bulletin.  The LoA reports on a great story that tells how lighthouses still save lives.  Winsome Bonham has been keeping LoA Inc abreast of developments at Newcastle by sending us newspaper accounts about the future use of Nobbys Head Lighthouse. Winsome Bonham relays news of preservation efforts in Nelson Bay in NSW. Old lantern room has a new life. The Cape Byron Trust is researching the lives and families of lighthouse keepers at the Cape Byron Lighthouse in New South Wales. The Beacons of the Sea: Stories of Australian Lighthouses exhibition presented by the National Archives of Australia has finished at Port Adelaide, and will next be on show at Albany in Western Australia. We have a few letters from readers: two offering information and photos about their relatives who were keepers at Maatsuyker Island; one who is seeking information about a relative who was a keeper in Queensland; and news from the Northern Territory Library, which received a donation of rare photos of NT lighthouses.

Enjoy reading this Bulletin, and if you are not a member of Lighthouses of Australia, and would like to be involved in preserving, promoting and protecting Australia's lighthouses, join now!

Kristie Eggleston
LoA Bulletin Editor
Email Bulletin Editor

Features

Norah Head's "White Lady" turns 100

Double Island Point Lighthouse

by Denise Shultz, President & Prism Editor, LoA

On Friday 18 May 1770, Captain Cook on his groundbreaking voyage of discovery saw the point "distant three or four leagues". He named it Double Island Point "on account of its figure. The land within this point is of a moderate and pretty equal height, but the point itself is of such unequal height that it looks lie two small islands laying under the land".

Indeed, the bird's eye view shows the point like a rocky island, joined to the mainland by a narrow isthmus of sandy dunes, pointing roughly north-east. Two kilometres NE lies the Wolf Rock, just one of the many dangers surrounding ocean poses to the passing shipping traffic.

That Double Island Point would be a good place to build a lighthouse became obvious as early as 1864, five years after Queensland became a separate colony, gaining independence from New South Wales. A few lighthouses were built during this period, among them Bustard Head, Sandy Cape and a challenging North Reef. The lighthouse at Double Island Point had to wait due to a lack of financial resources and government cost cutting.

Things didn't start to move until January 1883, when George Heath, the chairman of the Queensland Marine Board visited the site and proposed a third order light to be placed on the headland. The plan was promptly approved by the colonial government and W.C. Clark, who already built Bustard Head and Low Isles Lighthouses, was successful in his bidding. He failed to finish another two lighthouse (Dent Island and Cape Cleveland) which were also contracted to him, on a the account of bankruptcy. For the sum of £6900 he was to build both Double Island Point and Pine Islet Lighthouses. The progress was once more delayed. The power of the light was to be increased from fourth order to third but though the treasurer approved of the improvement, the £1000 in budget needed to cover the cost of it was forgotten. Only after this error was amended could the building go ahead, and finally in October 1884, the timber framed iron clad lighthouse was put to operation.

At first, there were three keepers who lived with their families in cottages close to the lighthouse, but in 1932 it was decided to build new dwellings and also reduce the number of keepers to two. Double Island Point is one of the windiest places, which might have been the reason for relocating the new cottages further away from the lighthouse, sheltered behind the hill. Today, only remains of foundations are what are left of the original cottages.

The lighthouse itself, though devoid of its original third order lens, remains popular with tourists who drive north from the bustling resort town of Noosa along spectacular Teewah beach, stop to admire the twisted remains of the wreck of Cherry Venture and continue a couple of kilometres to the lightstation's gate. Those who make the climb are rewarded with being, at least for a while, a part of a very special place.

Email Denise Shultz

My interesting life at Double Island Point Lighthouse

Memoirs by Madeline Leck, edited by Denise Shultz & Steve Merson

Editor's Note: Madeline Leck grew up on Double Island Point lightstation in Queensland in the 1910s, when her father was Assistant Lightkeeper. In this first part of her story, we chronicle some of her memories of her mother's difficult life on the lightstation. Madeline is now in her 90s and LoA is grateful to have had the opportunity to record a vast amount of her recollections of life on the lighthouse, as well obtain copies of photographs from this era. (Some of the photographs reproduced here have been digitally enhanced). Further recollections will be published in both Prism and the Bulletin.

How different life was back then, especially for women. With their husbands keeping the night watch and consequently needing to sleep part of the day, as well as doing mechanical repairs around the station when not on night duty, the women got little help around the house. Generally these women had a large family to look after and not a single kitchen appliance to help with the task of cooking and cleaning. Madeline remembers how her mum coped with five children at an isolated place, and despite experiencing severe heartache, managed to keep the family happy. 

What is it like being a mother at the lightstation?

Nothing of any great importance seemed to ever happen on Double Island Point lightstation. For the men, life revolved around their work and in their spare time there was fishing, hunting and general maintenance. The women spent their time looking after their households, and having a baby was the one big event. 

A month before the due date, our mother would take us to stay with her parents in Maryborough, so she could regularly visit her doctor. We quite enjoyed holidaying with our grandparents. My father could not leave the lighthouse, and he was quite happy with his two free days a week.

About a month after giving birth, mother would be strong enough to return to the lighthouse. It was a seven-hour trip by sea on the monthly stores boat, with all the provisions aboard. We were well known to the crew, and they were ever so kind to mother, knowing she was a poor sailor. They always had a cup of tea ready and tried to make her as comfortable as possible. She was a quiet and gentle lady and the crew had the highest respect for her.

Without modern appliances, keeping house was hard work. Mother boiled her laundry in kerosene tins that were first scalded and washed clean of any trace of kerosene. The open laundry was at the rear of the house and the tins sat on the bench. When it was windy, we would often hear a mighty loud noise, clang, clang, clang, as our poor mother's wash tubs sailed down the hill to the rocks below the lighthouse. It was Dad's job to go down and retrieve them.

To iron, mother had to heat Mother Potts irons on top of the wood stove, but despite that, her ironing was always perfect. Mother always kept us neatly dressed, even though there were only three families in residence and no visitors were expected to drop in. 

When my father was on night duty, he would retire shortly after lunch to get his sleep before going on watch at 10 pm, so we had to keep quiet. Mother would give us our evening meal at around 5 pm, then a bath, and dressed in our pyjamas, she would take us for a walk along Rainbow Beach before bedtime. 

Every Friday, mum baked - her bread, cakes, biscuits and tarts were absolutely scrumptious. She also made her own jams, pickles, chutney and preserves as my father would not eat anything out of a can and we were taught to do likewise. Dad often remarked, "If you saw how it was made, you would not want to eat it". 

Our only entertainment was a wind-up phonograph, but sometimes our mother would sing for us. She had a wonderful voice and could play every musical instrument from accordion to the tiny Jew's harp. She was also an excellent dancer, having learnt to dance from the age of three.

I often marvel at the way mother and father accepted life. Dad loved the work related to the sea, indirectly saving lives. Mother, silently taking part, was a very quiet, reserved lady, who never much cared for the company of outsiders. Content with her responsibility of husband and children, she had more than enough work to fill her days. 

On one of our regular walks along the beach, mother came upon a bottle with a note inside, written by a soldier sailing off to World War I on a troop ship. The writer asked the finder to post the letter enclosed on to his mother whose name and address was supplied. Mother complied with the soldier's request and in return, the soldier's mother sent her an enlarged studio photo of her son, the author of the bottled message. We never learned if the soldier was fortunate to return to his loved ones. 

Mother's brother Charles, affectionately known as "Mexie", also enlisted to fight for king and country in WW1. Like others who were keen to go, he had put his age up to 21. A civic send-off was organized by the citizens of Maryborough for these young men. Unfortunately, because the authorities could not organise a boat to bring her ashore, my mother was the only member of her family who could not attend the send off for her brother. She never saw Mexie again. He was wounded at Gallipoli and died of wounds in a hospital in France. A caring nurse found his parents' address among his personal papers and wrote them a lovely letter. 

After being denied the opportunity to attend her brother's farewell, Mother grieved to such an extent that her health suffered. Her voice was affected and she could not speak a word for two weeks. Her speech returned briefly, and then abruptly disappeared again. The doctors declared that her vocal chords were all right. 

Interestingly, they said that Mother lost her voice because of a dream about her brother - in the dream, Mexie was riding a white horse while she rode another horse beside him. When Mexie started to gallop out of sight, she tried to call out to him to wait but could not utter a word. It was three long months before Mother could speak again.

On one occasion, a ship had got into strife near Double Island Point, and two crew were reported missing. While on watch, my father spotted two men climbing the treacherous cliffs under the lighthouse. He immediately raised the alarm and all came to their rescue. When brought up from the rocks, the shipwrecked sailors were exhausted, cold and hungry. Their clothing had been completely torn off them and their bodies were very badly gashed and bleeding from being thrown against the shore in the rough seas. 

Too weak to understand what was happening, they were brought to the cottage. Mum's heart went out for the unfortunate seamen. She saw to their comfort, bathed and dressed their wounds, gave them nourishing food and made them comfortable. She also gave them Dad's clothes to wear, until they could be supplied with their own. Given plenty of rest, they were gently nursed back to health by Mother. She was like Florence Nightingale. The two men were most grateful for the care that was given to them. Later, their families wrote and expressed their gratitude. As a result, a lasting friendship was formed between the families involved.

Mother occasionally accompanied my father to visit our very dear friends and nearest neighbours, Mr Elliott Gorman and his wife Mary, who was previously our governess. Returning from one such visit, my father had a narrow escape in a landslide. I remember him saying that the sea was slowly eating into the shoreline at Inskip Point and eventually it wouldn't be there any more.

It hurt us to see how terribly seasick Mother always became. We were returning to the lighthouse and the sea was too rough to cross the bar. The captain decided to drop anchor and the steamer was pitching, tossing and rolling like a cork. Mother was on the top deck, so violently seasick that I could not bear it. For her sake, I wanted to stop the rocking of the boat, so I went below decks, took hold of both handrails with all my might and tried to steady the ship. Despite my efforts, mum's seasickness did not subside. 

My dear father passed away in October 1954, aged 73 years. My dear mother, God bless her, passed away peacefully in her sleep on Christmas morning 1975, aged 90 years and 4 months.