Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2023L01287:reg:2023:p15
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2023L01287
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 2023 (pt 15/17)
Character Range: 38818–41584

officially opened on Monday 2 April 1906. The Master Warden, J.E. Risby, and members of the Marine Board made the journey to the lightstation for a short ceremony, followed by lunch with the keepers and their families. Afterwards, the official party left on board the SS Mahinapua, and observed the light, which was lit for the first time by the Superintendant's wife.[26]
  3.6 Lighthouse keeping
The first Superintendent stationed at the lighthouse was Mr George Johnson, accompanied by his family, his assistants J. McGuire and E. Davis, and their families. The keepers and their families tended to crops and livestock, including sheep, chickens, cows, draught horses, and pigs, which afforded them wool, meat, and dairy products. Devoid of native animals, feral cats were prominent on the island and keepers were forced to keep their chickens in fully enclosed runs.[27]
Figure 12. Tasman Island Lightstation before removal of original lantern house, 1910. Image courtesy of the NAA: A1861, 1958 (© Commonwealth of Australia, National Archives of Australia)

Light keeping on island lightstations was already an extremely isolated livelihood, and Tasman Island's colossal height and the inability to make telegraphic connections isolated inhabitants even further. Originally forced to rely on signal flags for communication, pigeon post was eventually introduced on the island after successful trials at the nearby Maatsuyker Island Lighthouse.[28] The pigeons at Tasman, however, were unreliable to say the least. Due to the number of birds of prey lurking off the coast of Cape Pillar, and the extremely comfortable lifestyle the pigeons were given at the station, most were reluctant to fly far from the Island and those that did rarely reached their intended destination.
Access to the island in the early days was either by 'the Zig-zag', a perilous access path down the sheer cliff-face, or via hoist in a basket up to the landing on a ledge 80 feet above sea level by steam crane. From there, an engine-driven tramline carried goods or people up the remainder of the cliff before they had to be transferred onto a horse-drawn tramway.
In March 1927, a new crane was being installed on the cliff edge approximately 100 metres above sea level when a beam suddenly gave away. Two riggers who had been working at the top of the crane were thrown down the cliff. William Groombridge was thrown onto the rocks below and swept out to sea while the second man, Orlando Patterson, was knocked unconscious and miraculously saved after his leg became entwined in some wire, holding him above the water. After a failed attempt to send for help via pigeon post, the lightkeepers were finally able to attract a passing ship the following day using distress signals. The