Illuminating the Life of a Lighthouse Keeper – “Lighthouses: Paradise Beyond the City”

To most city dwellers, lighthouses seem esoteric. Erected along the shoreline, a lighthouse is more than just a tower blinking at the sea; it is also a structure that carries many memories of the coastal community. Like the untold stories of Charles THIRLWELL (1918-1985). He was a Hong Kong-born British lighthouse keeper on isolated islands and known as the “Father of the Fishermen” for his dedication to the indigenous fisherfolk. To preserve the almost forgotten history, the Lighthouse Heritage Research Connections Project of City University of Hong Kong (CityU) and Hong Kong Maritime Museum co-organised an exhibition and seminar titled “Lighthouses: Paradise Beyond the City” on 22 May 2022.

First, the exhibition showcased images of historical newspapers, photos and paintings drawn by Thirlwell, narrating the lighthouse keeper’s life and work, as well as his friendship with the local fisherfolks. CityU’s students turned into avid docents and provided guided tours to the guests.

After the guided tour, the seminar began in the afternoon with Professor KIT Chunyu, Acting Head of Department of Linguistics and Translation (LT), delivering one of the opening remarks. Dr Jennifer CHEUNG Chui-yiu JP, Founding President of the Association of China Trend Studies (HK) and a member of the CityU Court, also gave a written address in the opening session.

Thirlwell’s family and local fisherfolk gathered at the seminar to recount their sentiments, stories and bonds with the lighthouse keeper. Better still, the assemblage of recollections gave valuable substance to the seminar, enriching the nub of the event. Under the tutelage of the faculty members, students from the Department of Media and Communication, Chinese and History, LT, and Architecture and Civil Engineering also contributed their expertise to the lighthouse heritage studies at the event. Such creativity manifested in their riveting works of braille books, audio descriptions, documentaries, multi-lingual narratives, case studies, simultaneous interpretation, and 3D model reconstruction.

Both the exhibition and seminar were full of remnants, collages, and nuances rendering a biography of the lighthouse keeper’s lifelong profession. The passage of time may overtake the lighthouses but the memories around them will linger as the past, present and future were inextricably linked by all the efforts in making the event.