13 Nov 08 - To the Lighthouse
The fascinating story of family life at South Solitary Island Lighthouse will be the subject of the Coffs Harbour Regional Museum's next exhibition beginning on Tuesday, November 25.
'To the Lighthouse' will showcase the large collection of artifacts, photographs, film and information that the Museum holds on the lives of the Lighthouse Keepers and their families who spent years at a time living a solitary existence on the island.
"The collection includes many of the families' personal belongings - such as clothing and toys - and even a cloth used to clean the Lighthouse lamp," said Museum Coordinator Terrie Beckhouse.
"We also have architectural plans of the Lighthouse and photographs and early images going right back to the 1900s, as well as a 1950s film of the families unloading and loading the boat that was their lifeline to the mainland.
"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," she said.
The centrepiece of the exhibition will be the Lighthouse lamp. The lamp is the original four-metre, internal working light from the South Solitary 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 - the other one being on permanent show at the National Maritime Museum in Sydney.
"The Museum's collection is an excellent archive of the Lighthouse's history, but we would like to build on to the collection for future reference," said Mrs Beckhouse.
"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."
If any member of the public would like to donate any items or lend them to the Museum for this exhibition, they are asked to contact Terrie Beckhouse on 6652 5794 at the Coffs Harbour Regional Museum in Harbour Drive. The Museum is open from 10am - 4pm, Tuesday - Saturday.
