The Lighthouse Keeper

From 1922 to 1925 my grandfather, Charles Pollington, was one of the two lighthouse keepers at Double Island Point, off the Queensland coast.

Aged two, my mother Marcelle climbed up the spiral staircase outside the lighthouse and a crowd collected underneath with a blanket to catch her while her mother stood crying. She was throwing her bonnet, shoes and socks through the railings. Grandfather crept up behind her and grabbed her before she could squeeze through the railings. He said that these were the worst moments of his life - including his time in World War One.

Vintage Ephemera is by Irene Alexeeva