Lighthouse life beacons | Art & Theatre

Craig Mctear | 25th November 2008

THE fascinating story of family life at South Solitary Island's lighthouse is the subject of Coffs Harbour Regional Museum's latest exhibition.

To The Lighthouse, which will be fully installed next week, showcases the large collection of artefacts, photographs, film and information the museum holds on the lives of the lighthouse keepers and their families.

“The collection includes many of the families' personal belongings, such as clothing and toys, and even a cloth used to clean the lighthouse lamp,” museum co-ordinator Terrie Beckhouse said.

“We've brought the exhibition right up to date too, as it will include photographs of the lighthouse and keepers' cottages as they are today.”

The centrepiece of the exhibition will be the lighthouse lamp, which is the original four-metre, internal working light from the lighthouse.

The lighthouse is now one of only two operational lighthouses of its kind in the southern hemisphere, and the lamp is one of only two in Australia.

“There must be people living locally who had direct or indirect links with the lighthouse and its families, and we're particularly interested in any accounts of day-to-day life on the island and photographs illustrating family life,” Mrs Beckhouse said.

If you would like to donate items or lend them to the museum, contact Terrie Beckhouse on 6652 5794.

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