Shedding light on life in a lighthouse

Learn about lighthouse keeper's job and more at Maritime Week exhibition
Jeremy Au Yong, Straits Times 15 Oct 08;

IN HIS first month as a lighthouse keeper, Mr Gaharudin Abdul Ghani wanted to throw in the towel.

The job was boring and he felt lonely.

Holed up for a month at a stretch on a small island, he had only his fellow lighthouse keeper for company.

But that was 30 years ago.

Today, the 54-year-old says he has learnt to appreciate the little joys of being a lighthouse keeper.
'It's still lonely, but the job is very stable and peaceful. Plus you get to go fishing,' he told The Straits Times.

But yesterday morning, his tranquillity was disturbed when the media was allowed on Pulau Satumu for a rare peek into the workings of a lighthouse.

Mr Gaharudin takes care of the Raffles Lighthouse with fellow lighthouse keeper Utra Venkidasalam, 45.

The duo are among a band of eight keepers who take turns to work at four of the five lighthouses managed by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA). One lighthouse, on top of Laguna View condominium in Bedok, does not require keepers.

Their work will be put on public display this weekend at an exhibition on maritime history, organised by the MPA.

The show is part of the ongoing Singapore Maritime Week, which also features conferences and social events celebrating all things maritime.The exhibition, the first of its kind here, runs from Friday to Sunday at VivoCity and the exhibits include models of lighthouses and a life-size buoy used to mark sunken wrecks.

Said MPA chief hydrographer Parry Oei: 'Normally Maritime Week is an in-house matter. This year we wanted to engage the public and share some of our rich history.'

The Raffles Lighthouse is very much a part of that rich history, having been built in 1855. It is the second oldest of the five lighthouses. Horsburgh Lighthouse on Pedra Branca is four years older.

Raffles Lighthouse stands on the southernmost island of Singapore and it marks the point where ships coming out of Singapore Strait should start turning right into Malacca Strait.
The lighthouse building occupies about half the island and is divided into two main parts - a 29m light tower and the keepers' quarters.

The quarters, about the size of a four-room HDB flat, have two rooms, each with two beds.

Two keepers man each lighthouse for 10 days each time, before returning home for 10 days. While home, they get about a week's leave, with the remaining days spent at the MPA office doing paperwork.

This is their annual schedule, with no annual leave or public holidays off.

At the lighthouse, besides ensuring that the lights never go off, they also care for their abode. They clean it, polish the brass railings and trim the trees around it to ensure ships can see the lights always.

Furnished like a home away from home, it has a radio, fridge, washing machine and even a plasma TV set.

'We get TV channels from Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia. The only thing we don't get is live EPL football matches because there is no cable TV,' joked MrUtra, a Manchester United fan.

Meet the lighthouse keepers
Ooi Boon Keong, Today Online 15 Oct 08;

HE KNEW little at the time about what a lighthouse keeper did, but Mr Gaharudin A Gani followed a friend’s recommendation and applied for the job.

Thirty years on, the 54-year-old is one of the veterans among the eight active lighthouse keepers in Singapore.

The group — the oldest is 65 and the youngest is 42 — mans four of the five lighthouses under the charge of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).

Besides ensuring the lighthouse beacons are in tip-top order, Mr Gani upkeeps the grounds and reports to the operational staff at MPA.

For 10 days at a stretch, Mr Gani remains offshore and shares these duties with a fellow keeper — the only person he will have for company in that duration. They then return to mainland Singapore for a 10-day break before the cycle begins again.

The job calls for an independent person, with a tolerance for solitude, and yet able to work in tandem with others.

Mr Utra Vengkidasalan, 45, who has been on board for 10 years, told Today: “We do miss our families, and it can get a bit boring, but the work is (made more) enjoyable because we cooperate and look out for each other.

“I’ll look out for my buddy. We share the food and dishes; we take turns cooking. If I forgot to take rice, my buddy will provide me. Next time, I’ll give him back (his share). One day if I forgot to take my shirt, he’ll lend me his. We need to cooperate.”

Singapore’s four offshore lighthouses are Raffles on Pulau Satumu, Sultan Shoal in the western anchorage of Singapore, Horsburgh on Pedra Branca and Pulau Pisang on the island of the same name in Malaysia.

The Pulau Pisang Lighthouse is the only one not to stand on Singapore land, after the colonial government inherited the responsibility of running the structure from the government of the Straits Settlement.

Meanwhile, Bedok Lighthouse is located on mainland Singapore.

Despite being a maritime nation, MPA chief hydrographer Parry Oei thinks there is little interest in the island’s maritime history. The authority hopes to change that with Singapore Maritime Week, which runs from Oct 10 to 19, and a lighthouse exhibition.

“This being the first time we’re engaging the public, we’re showcasing what we do and lighthouses are one of them,” said Mr Oei. “I think that’s the important thing — to preserve our heritage. Hopefully, that will encourage people to join the maritime community.”

Mr Vengkidasalan hopes more people will get to learn about his role. He said: “Most people don’t know what a lighthouse keeper is and what a lighthouse looks like. When I mention Raffles Lighthouse, they’ll always think Raffles Hotel.”

The job has provided fond memories for him and Mr Gani, who said of Raffles Lighthouse: “There is no pollution. I will surely miss this place when I retire.”

“From Lighthouses to ElectronicCharts: An Exhibition” will be heldat VivoCity, Central Court A, fromFriday to Sunday, 10am to 9.30pm

Singapore-operated lighthouses stay relevant, ensure navigational safety
May Wong, Channel NewsAsia 14 Oct 08

SINGAPORE: In spite of technological advances, lighthouses are still crucial in ensuring navigational safety, said Singapore's Maritime and Port Authority.

The agency operates five lighthouses such as the Horsburgh Lighthouse on Pedra Branca and Raffles Lighthouse on Pulau Satumu.

Raffles Lighthouse lies 15 kilometres southwest of Singapore on a restricted island, a 45-minute boat ride from Marina Pier.

Singapore has been operating it since 1855, making it the second oldest lighthouse after Horsburgh on Pedra Branca.

And it is people like 54-year-old Gaharudin Abdul Ghani who keep it going. He has been working as a lighthouse keeper for 30 years.

He said: "You give me work on the main island, I don't want because I like this place. It is very quiet here and I can go fishing."

And while it may not be apparent, the job has its stresses.

Another lighthouse keeper, Utra Vengkidasalan, said: "We have to watch all the time if the light is active or not. If the light is not activated, we have to call our port operations to inform them the light is not working so they will broadcast to all the vessels."

A miniature model of Raffles Lighthouse will be on show from Oct 17 to 19 at the first maritime exhibition for the public at Vivocity in conjunction with Singapore Maritime Week. Visitors can also see older maritime equipment.

Parry Oei, chief hydrographer, Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, said: "Most of the lighthouses are actually offshore, so accessibility is a problem.

"So with this exhibition, the public will be able to see some of the everyday life, past as well as present and see the technological changes in the lighthouse technology.

"Hopefully, (the exhibition) will encourage the next generation to carry on our long history of maritime heritage." - CNA/vm