Unsung Heroes of Cape Otway: The Lighthouse Keepers

The PMI Library has an extensive range of titles covering every aspect of Victorian history, today we are using the collection to delve into the lives of the unsung heroes of the sea, lighthouse keepers.

The Cape Otway Lighthouse is one of the most famous lighthouses in Victoria, its construction was triggered by a catastrophic accident that cost the lives of 414 passengers on the Cataraqui in 1845. This event brought the need for a lighthouse in the Bass Strait to public attention, who then shamed the government into action. In August 1848, the Cape Otway Lighthouse lamp was lit.

Mary-Ann Ford

Mary-Ann Fitzgerald married Henry Bayles Ford in 1841. In 1848 Henry accepted the position of Superintendent at the Cape Otway Lighthouse. The couple then spent the next 30 years tending to and serving the lighthouse, becoming the longest serving lighthouse keepers in Victoria.

Life at the lighthouse was not easy, supplies only arrived every 12 months via the Parker River Inlet. These shipments carried oil for lamps, tools, equipment and other foodstuff to replenish stores. The family relied heavily on resources they could care for and grow themselves, sheep, cattle, hens, ducks, geese as well as a large vegetable garden were what Mary-Ann primarily relied on to support and feed her family. Mary-Ann also cared for health of lighthouse assistants, and the shipwrecked, providing food and shelter for sometimes days at a time. It also fell to her to be the schoolteacher, to not only her own children but, to however many children happened to be at the Cape Otway during her long service. Mary-Ann had nine children throughout her life, with seven of them being born at the lighthouse. Each child born at the lighthouse was born without access to any professional medical assistance. During the various gold rushes over the 1850s, Henry lost several assistants, in these situations, Mary-Ann stepped in and acted as a lighthouse assistant until another could be found to replace her.

After their long 30 years of service the pair retired, finally leaving the lighthouse behind. Mary-Ann died in her home in 1915, aged 93. She is buried alongside her husband in the Melbourne General Cemetery; there is no headstone to mark their grave.

 

Katherine Evans

Katherine and William Evans spent 19 years serving the Cape Otway Lighthouse, for this service, William became the longest serving lighthouse assistant. Their service embedded itself into their descendants, who didn’t stray far from the Cape, choosing to settle in Apollo Bay.

Katherine was an Irish immigrant whose family endured the Irish potato famine in the 1840s. She married William Evans in 1860 at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church, Geelong. They arrived at the lighthouse and just 11 months later Katherine gave birth to a daughter.

Katherine was expected to complete similar level of jobs and tasks as Mary-Ann, caring for the land, buildings, children and visitors, shipwrecked or otherwise. There were many moments that provided challenges for Katherine, as there was a period in which she was caring for four children under six-years old while her husband worked nights tending to the lamp. Unfortunately, things did not become easier for Katherine, as she then lost two of her young children in just 18 months, their gravestones rest in the Otway Cemetery. Henry Ford notes this tragedy with a small addition to his daily logs, “Keeper Evans child died today”.

Katherine died on January 14, 1909, and she is buried in the Colac Cemetery.

 

Sarah Riches

Sarah Riches married Thomas Riches in 1840 after coming to Australia from England, and by the time Thomas accepted a role as an assistant at the Cape Otway Lighthouse, they had four sons. They arrived at the Cape in 1850 and lived and worked there for the next eight years. Over those eight years she had three more children in isolation at the lighthouse, and it was after the last child that her health began to decline. Henry Ford wrote to the Colony of Victoria’s Clerk of Works, Henry Ginn, asking for a replacement for Thomas as he describes Sarah as being “dangerous”, with an immense concern for the wellbeing of the Riches’ children.

After leaving the lighthouse in 1858, Sarah’s life did not become easier. Thomas bought a grazier’s property in 1865 but then suddenly died in 1871. This left Sarah alone, aged 48, with three dependent children. Her oldest son, after Thomas’ death, was granted a Rule to Administer the grazier’s property as Sarah was deemed incapacitated. James, the eldest son, acquired a doctor’s certificate from Dr Thomas Rae who stated that he had known and treated Sarah for 10 years, confirming that she was not of sound mind and incapable of making any life decisions. This left Sarah admitted to the Kew Asylum in Melbourne, where she stayed until she was transferred to the Sunbury Asylum in 1892. She remained in the asylum until her death, aged 86 in 1908. Sarah rests in an unmarked grave in Sunbury General Cemetery.

 

Titles used – alphabetical

Beacons of Hope: an early history of Cape Otway and King Island Lighthouses by Donald Walker (1981). PMI Library: 387.155 WAL

Cape Otway: coast of secrets by Bruce Pascoe and Lyn Harwood (1997). PMI Library: 994.57 CAPE PAS

Cape Nelson to Gabo Island: Victoria’s lighthouses in watercolour by Lynn Twelftree (2019). PMI Library: 387.155 VIC PIC

From dusk till dawn: a history of Australian lighthouses by Gordon Reid (1988). PMI Library: 387.155 REI

Grave tales: Great Ocean Road Country: Geelong to Port Fairy by Helen Goltz and Chris Adams (2017). PMI Library: 994.57 GREA CEM

Guiding lights: the extraordinary lives of lighthouse women by Shona Riddell (2020). PMI Library: 387.155 WOM RID

The Lighthouses of Victoria by Dacre Smyth (1980). PMI Library: 387.155 SMY