Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2020L01271:front:0:p14
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2020L01271
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Character Range: 36963–38951

occulting or revolving gear is worked by a clockwork arrangement, and winding up massive weights in
  the centre of the tower. This gear, instead of working on rollers as with other revolving lights, is floated in a mass of 850 lbs of mercury and the weight of the machinery so floated is about four and half tons. A great deal of wear and tear and friction is avoided 13.

 The equipment and mechanisms installed permitted rapid bursts of light from the tower which was reported as lasting one-fifth of a second, six times every minute.

3.6             Lighthouse keepers

 The Cape Byron Lighthouse was manned from its construction in 1901 right up until 1989, thirty years after the introduction of electricity to the lighthouse. Alongside the chief lighthouse keeper and their family, there were also assistant lighthouse keepers who lived with their families on the precinct in their own cottages. The first chief lighthouse keeper stationed at Cape Byron  was William Warren  and he was accompanied by two assistant light keepers, one being Mr Richard Sullivan. Both men had previously worked on the Solitary Island light. A comprehensive list of the names of those stationed as keepers at Cape Byron has been collated
 and a copy is available within the Cape Byron Lighthouse museum. In addition to their lighting duties, the keepers were required to carry out minor maintenance duties on the precinct such as painting structures and managing the roads.

 By 5 December 1959, the same year the lighthouse was converted from kerosene to electricity, the role of 2nd assistant keeper was made redundant. Thirty years later in 1989, the lighthouse was officially
 de-manned. The cottages which had hosted the keepers were repurposed. The assistant lighthouse keeper's residence was converted into a tourism destination with  accommodation  services.  The chief lighthouse keeper's quarters was converted into an office complete with meeting rooms, an interpretative centre and shop.