BARRETT’S REEF LIGHTHOUSE

Wanganui Chronicle, 10 March 1947, Page 4

BARRETT’S REEF LIGHTHOUSE

MAY BE ERECLED AS WAR MEMORIAL (P.A.) Wellington, March 8. There are no insurmountable difficulties in t he way of placing the lighthouse o». Barretts Reef as a memorial to the men of the Royal New Zealand Navy and Merchant Navy, who lost their lives in the war. This is the view of the Minister of Marine (Mr. O’Brien), expressed to-night. He said that three years ago, because of the lack of warning device on Barrett’s Reef, which was practically in the fairway of the entrance to the Wellington Harbour, he had gone into the matter. He was told then that the main difficulties in the way of placing a light on the reef were the number of days (estimated at seven a year) workmen could remain at work on the reef, and the fact that the reef itself was too soft to support a lighthouse and was weathering away at that time. He had taken a party, including a Public Works Department engineer, a marine construction foreman, a doctor of geology and the engineer of the Wellington Harbour Board and officers of the Marine Department out to the rock. They had remained on the rock for a considerable time. They examined it thoroughly. The geologist reported the rock was of solid graywacke, and would sustain* a lighthouse. The engineers assured him a lighthouse could be constructed and placed on the reef in a reasonable time. He had discussed the matter with the chairman of the Wellington Harbour board (Mr. W. H. Price), who informed him that the time the board was committed to the purchase of a whistling buoy, which was now installed in front of the reef. Speaking from memory, Mr. O’Brien said he was told the price of the buoy, with anchors, chains, and so on, would be £14,000, and it would have to be overhauled / .cry year, which was an expensive matter. He had offered to build a lighthouse on the rock for £14,000, but, as the board was already committed to the purchase of the buoy, no arrangement could be come to. The Minister added that after examining the reef and consulting the engineers and gei% >gist.s, lie was convinced a,lighthouse could be placed on the reef at a reasonable cost. This could be serviced electrically from the shore, without any serious* mechanical or electrical difficulties being encountered.