'It's still lonely, but the job is very stable and peaceful. Plus you get to go fishing,' said Mr Gaharudin (left). -- ST PHOTO: DESMOND LIM
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 on Tuesday, his tranquil morning on Pulau Satumu was shattered when the media was allowed on the island for a rare peek into the workings of a lighthouse.
Mr Gaharudin takes care of the Raffles Lighthouse with fellow lightkeeper 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-sized buoy used to mark sunken wrecks.
Read the full story in Wednesday's edition of The Straits Times.
