Woman Likes Life At Lighthouse

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29748, 15 February 1962, Page 2

Woman Likes Life At Lighthouse

Life on a lighthouse island means almost complete isolation from the

usual social contacts of a city, but Mrs P. J. Coleman. the wife of the new keeper of the Godley Head lighthouse, formerly of St. Albans, has no desire to live in a city again. For the last few years Mrs Coleman has been living on Cuvier Island in the Hauraki Gulf’ where her husband was one of the three lighthouse keepers. The fresh air and everchanging variety of the sea were more than adequate compensation for the lack of civic amenities, she said “After the freshness of island life towns have a stale atmosphere about them and I feel closed in whenever I go into one. Life on Cuvier Island has the same kind of peacefulness found in the country. There is no mad rushing around trying to do everything and ending by doing nothing ” However, Mrs Coleman the mother of three children —SJ, 19 months and seven weeks—has little spare time Because a supply ship, the Hauraki, called only once a fortnight, bread and butter had to be made by hand. Each of the three families

had a cow and grew much of their own vegetables. The wives took an interest also in growing flowers. With only two other families on Cuvier, they found it best to be friendly but not familiar, Mrs Coleman said “We would get together for a cup of tea and a chat every so often but as we all had to live close together it was best not to see too much of each other and run out of conversation ”

Birthday parties for the children were very much a community effort. When one of the five children had a birthday everyone would pitch in, with parents enjoying themselves as much as the children. The children made their own entertainment and there was always plenty for them to do. “They are more aware of nature than city children, and find great enjoyment hunting for crabs, and watching the development of caterpillars. They are not so aware of materia] things.” Mrs Coleman said

Knitting and sewing are two essential occupations for Mrs Coleman “We bought many of our requirements by mail order, and while this was good, it wasn’t always satisfactory not being able to see what we were buying Sc we seemed to do more for ourselves in the way of sewing and knitting,” said Mrs Coleman.