A series by Suzanne-Jo Leff Patterson
A long dynasty of
Lighthouse Keepers stands proud in our South African history. Some families
have had three generations follow one another and here, close to home, from the late 1860s to early 1880s,
Rosemary Dixon-Smith’s own great-grandfather, Thomas Gadsden, was Keeper of the
Bluff Light Durban. In the late 1870s he was promoted to Head Lightkeeper and
alongside him, as Assistant Lighthouse Keeper, was his brother-in-law, D W Bell.
In this series of anecdotes
to preserve the manned history of South African lighthouses, as well as to recognise
and honour our Lighthouse Keepers and those closely associated with lighthouse
life, we hear evocative stories from their ancestral lines and from our few
remaining, active, Lighthouse Keepers.
The Lighthouse
Keepers had to be men of resilience, often supported by their wives, children
and colleagues. Men of strong character with
total commitment to duty, Keepers and their families would face the harsh
realities of loneliness and isolation, danger and wild weather, and on
occasions, experience shipwrecks and the loss of lives.
It is this solidarity and the common purpose of these men and women that
brings to mind the Latin inscription which I read on the etched glass panels
set into the heavy cedar door of Cape Byron Light, New
South Wales , Australia :
“Olim periculum nunc salus” - Once perilous, now safe.
Along every
coastline, these men and women have
kept vigil at the numerous lights around the globe. Throughout the world on
stormy nights, with howling tempests, their nocturnal duties have ensured that
those searching beams have swept out
and across the sea, guiding sailors along their coastal courses. Many a captain
would have felt a sense of relief in sighting a light after the deep darkness
and dangers of foul weather.
These lights, with
their engaging, resilient and dependable structures, fully exposed to all the elements,
stand firm against screaming winds and thunderous seas, defying Nature’s wildest
tantrums. Bearing testimony to this durability was the Lighthouse of Alexandria
which, having been built in the 3rd century, stood for nearly 1,500
years. This is the
maritime history that is nearing its end, as the men and women of these South
African lighted towers continue to be replaced by the mechanical automation of
our modern technology. Their stories are
part of each of us and before they are lost, we will record them for posterity.
To be continued.
1 comment:
Very moving!
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