IN our area we have a man who as a lad grew up at Seal Rocks where his father was the lighthouse keeper.

A mutual friend, Aileen Kierath, when discussing this fact, mentioned that her forebear was also a lighthouse keeper.

Indeed he was!

William Henry Glover was the first keeper of the Port Stephens Inner Light.

In 1857 William and his wife Margaret moved to Fly Point where he was running a cargo transport business to many places including England and New Zealand.

In 1869 he was appointed Telegraph Officer, a vital position connecting the Outer Light to Morpeth Telegraph Station so that weather and shipping reports could be sent to Sydney.

William was then appointed the first keeper of the Inner Light in 1872, and the couple with their eleven children moved into the residence in 1875.

The original wooden tower with its four kerosene lamps was replaced in 1876 with a one storey octagonal tower which was attached to the residence.

William Glover died aged 70, on 21 July, 1892.

His death was reported widely in the newspapers, all mentioning that he died while still performing his duties, with his age varying from 79 to 86!

The Sydney Morning Herald added that “he was apparently quite hale and healthy to the last”.

However the Australian Town and Country Journal embellished their report of his funeral with, “He dropped dead within a few yards of the spot where his wife was killed some years ago by being thrown out of a cart.

“The old gentleman had not gone that road since until the day of his death.”

The eleventh child of his marriage, Francis John, known as Alf, had become Assistant Keeper of the Outer Light in 1891, and later worked on every lighthouse on the NSW coast.

A grandson, Herbert William, continued the tradition, working at Norah Head lighthouse.

It is now 160 years, on May 1, since the Outer Light first shone on Fingal Island, and the 150 year anniversary for the Inner Light.

The Outer Light was fully automated and the lighthouse keepers were withdrawn in March, 1973.

The Inner Light is now an important Marine Rescue Station.

By Anne JOHNSON, Tea Gardens Family Research and Local History, Inc.