He married and his children were born there. William, the youngest, because assistant keeper at Pencarrow, the lighthouse where he was raised, from 1880 to 1885. Her three sons considered New Zealand home, so all three of them returned after they finished their education. Her dedicated work at the lighthouse was considered inappropriate for the daughter of an English squire, so she was forced to tell relatives she was the widow of a wealthy New Zealand landowner. But her father would not let her tell anyone what her position had been in New Zealand. Mary’s desire was for her children to get a “proper” education, so after ten years as a single mother of six at an isolated location, she returned to England and reconciled with her father to live with him. However, Mary’s work ethic spoke for itself, and her keeper’s logs were considered “commendable, the lighthouse kept in an orderly and efficient manner.” Eventually, she was given an assistant keeper, a man, who resented having a woman as his superior and complained about her to the officials.

In addition to caring for her children, she had to trim the wicks every three hours and clean the 180 prisms daily. Old Pencarrow Light above, new light on shoreįortunately for her, a new keepers’ cottage was built near the tower, and she began to receive supplies.

The lighting event was given a detailed description in the newspaper as a grand celebration with “hundreds of visitors” ferried to the lighthouse while a band played. The new lighthouse was finally built, and in 1859, New Zealand’s first permanent lighthouse was lighted, four years after George’s death with Mary was its first lighthouse keeper. With no widow’s pension, Mary became the lighthouse keeper. George drowned, leaving a pregnant Mary with five children to care for. Sadly, George never got to see the new lighthouse because his small boat was overturned when he was rowing back to the lighthouse during a winter squall. Appeals to the government for better quarters and a better light went unheeded for several years until a shipwreck with the loss of thirty live got the attention of the governor who then approved a new lighthouse. In gales, the couple and their growing family took shelter in a cave, fearing the house would blow away. The nearest fresh water source as well as firewood required a hike across the terrain. Although the view from the cliff was beautiful, the couple’s home was meager and constantly blasted by the wind. George and Mary married, and George took the position of the first keeper at Pencarrow Head lighthouse, which was initially a light in the bay window of the couple’s small dwelling. So George left for New Zealand, and shortly after Mary sailed to the country as well, taking the position of a governess to the future mayor of Wellington. Mary’s father forbade the relationship, but the lovestruck couple would not be deterred. But when George Bennett was hired to work on their estate, the two fell in love. Mary was the daughter of an English squire, where she lived a comfortable life of prestige. However, for many years, her contribution went unnoticed. But for John, nothing was more heartbreaking than the introduction of electric lights, and the lighthouses that were left empty forever.Įvocatively told, The Last Lighthouse Keeper is a love story between a man and a dying way of life, as well as a celebration of wilderness and solitude.Mary Jane Bennett was New Zealand’s only female lighthouse keeper and was the head keeper of the country’s first permanent lighthouse. As one of Australia's longest-serving lighthouse keepers, John spent 26 years tending Tasmania's well-known kerosene 'lights' at Tasman Island, Maatsuyker Island and Bruny Island.įrom sleepless nights keeping the lights alive, battling the wind and sea as they ripped at gutters and flooded stores, raising a joey, tending sheep and keeping ducks and chickens, the life of a keeper was one of unexpected joy and heartbreak. In Tasmania, John Cook is known as 'The Keeper of the Flame'. People asked how we stood the isolation and boredom, but in some ways, it was more stimulating to have your senses turned up. I loved the life of the island, because I knew my body was more alive than it was on the mainland. Noble work that can ultimately redeem a lost soul. 'John Cook's ripping life story exposes Tasmania's old kero-fuelled lighthouses: relentless physically and emotionally demanding labour, done under the often cruel vagaries of nature. A story about madness and wilderness, shining a light onto the vicissitudes of love and nature. A beautiful memoir from John Cook, one of Tasmania's last kerosene lighthouse keepers.

Life of a lighthouse keeper