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This is the story of the unusually long and interesting career of a
small Scottish schooner spent primarily in the southern hemisphere.
From the construction of the vessel to the careers of those who
sailed in her, the story is full of rogues, heroes, the famous and
infamous, as well as ordinary people calmly going about their daily
business in tempestuous and difficult times. Visionary colonists,
whalers, sealers, Maoris, botanists, butchers, missionaries,
cannibals, convicts, aristocrats, explorers and more are linked in
this narrative and thereby exemplify the courage, skill and vision
of people who experience hardship, danger and adversity in their
quest for riches in colonial lands.
Little Ross is an attractive and unspoiled island and its
lighthouse, beautifully designed by the famous Stevenson family, is
officially a 'lesser' light, far away from busy sea lanes, at the
summit of this remote island.The island was unknown to most people
until 1960 when a murder in the lighthouse buildings brought it
widespread notoriety, to the grief and consternation of all who
were involved. The author was at the island on the day of the
murder, and was a witness in the High Court trial that followed.
Over the subsequent 57 years, he has repeatedly been asked to tell
his story but the 117 years of diligent tending of the light by
numerous lighthouse keepers and their families has been largely
forgotten. In Life and Death on Little Ross, the author has
redressed the balance by telling the story of the island, its
lighthouse and its people who lived and worked there including
extracts from a detailed diary that has survived from WWI. Also
featured are the island's earliest inhabitants, the ships and their
crews that came to grief, the case made by concerned local people
for a lighthouse to be erected, the political wrangling that
frustrated its approval for many years, the lighthouse design, and
the eventual construction of the buildings.The story did not end
with the murder. The process of automation began immediately after
the event and the work of conversion, repair and maintenance,
including first-hand accounts by some of the tradesmen is provided.
The story of the restoration and conversion of the lighthouse
keepers' derelict cottages is one of courage, patience, stamina,
skill and resourcefulness which should inspire all of the many
people that love wild, beautiful and unspoiled places like Little
Ross Island and care about the future of buildings of distinction.
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