Bulletin - Vol 8 No. 4 July/August 2005

Commonwealth Lighthouse Service Reunion

By Lew Dickson, ex-CLS Queensland

This year's Annual Reunion was once again held at the 18 Foot Sailing Club, McConnell Street, Bulimba, Brisbane. It was well attended by ex-C.L.S. personnel, their partners, friends, and invitees from Brisbane, the Gold & Sunshine Coasts, and intra state and interstate. Amongst the latter were "Prism" editor Denise and husband Paul en-route to Sandy Cape Lighthouse for a short vacation.

Denise emailed me regarding the possibility of a day trip to Cape Moreton Lighthouse on 2 July. I replied suggesting a reschedule of her agenda to attend the reunion and forwarded invitations. The venue is ideal being situated on the banks of the Brisbane River and overlooking the prestigious suburbs of Hamilton and Ascot. The walls are adorned with pictures of crack 18ft, 16ft, 12ft & 10ft skiffs dating from early 20th Century, a fitting nautical environment for people who have derived their living from an association with the sea.

Credit must be given to Bob Todkill who instigated these annual reunions back in 2000, ably assisted by former N.S.W. regional L.H. engineer Jack Duvoison. Bob is the longest serving C.L.S. person in Qld living, having been shipwright on both S.S. Cape Leeuwin and M.V. Cape Moreton, then Snr. Carpenter New Farm Lighthouse Depot and finally a desk job in regional office.

I was delighted Denise and Paul opted to attend for I was able to introduce them to many former and present lighthouse people including:

• John Sugarman, Manager of Aust. Maritime Systems who can open the doors to any lighthouse in Australia they wish to visit

• Captain John Nicholson, former regional controller, SA & Qld

• Mike Komesaroff, ex-central office engineer who wrote a history of "C.L.S. It's formation and early development", an extract from which "The Golden Years" featured in an LoA Bulletin (Oct 2003)

• Ken Baker, 2nd generation lighthouse mechanic and technical officer, central office Melbourne, now residing in Inglewood, Victoria, who was also depicted in an LoA Bulletin (Oct 2001) getting optic and apparatus working at the disused Vlaming Head Lighthouse, Western Australia

• Ian Cameron, up from the Blue Mountains in NSW and author of "Montague and After", LoA Bulletin (June 2003) & Prism No. 3/03

• Col Gladstone (personal friend of Steve Merson) a Victorian who started out in the Wills Street Depot, who became foreman mechanic Darwin and then N.F. depot Brisbane and finally resident Supervisor Maritime Aids, Thursday Island, responsible for the Torres Strait area

• Mike Pitcher, ex-MV Cape Moreton crewman, a wordsmith and poet who will be making available to Denise several of his illustrated poems depicting life and events during his service

• Dudley Fulton, ex-Lightkeeper who appeared in the ABC "Australian Story" along with Stuart Buchanan about the restoration of Bustard Head Lightstation

Jack Duvoison gave an address of welcome, read out apologies, and we observed a period of silence for the passing of Seaman Fred Williams and John Spearritt, former supervisor of Cairns depot.

John Sugarman once again generously provided the drinks float for the Bar, which added considerably to the conviviality of the occasion.

All photographs by Paul Shultz

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