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Photos: Dante Carrer

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE iconic Elbow Reef Lighthouse in Hope Town, Abaco, was officially re-opened yesterday after months of renovation following Hurricane Dorian.

A ceremony to mark the completion of the Elbow Reef Lighthouse Restoration project was held on the island yesterday.

A grant from the US Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) worth over $472,000 made the project possible. This was the most significant investment the US Embassy has ever made in the country.

US Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Usha Pitts reflected on the lighthouse’s various roles over the years, from serving as a guide for ship captains to becoming a symbol of hope for the Abaco people.

“We don’t know what role it would play in our lives in the future, but we do know that it was built by the British, its restoration was funded by the Americans, but now and forever it will belong to the Bahamian people,” she said.

Central and South Abaco MP John Pinder added: “It is something that shows more than just light. It is a reflection of what we are here in Abaco –– resilience. This lighthouse has withstood storm after storm and centuries of obstacles.”

He also thanked those who contributed toward preserving the historic landmark.

Heather Forde-Prosa, development director of The Elbow Reef Lighthouse Society, the body that oversaw the restoration project, said her organisation wants to work on a maintenance programme for the lighthouse, gain additional financial support, and prepare the next generation of people who want to preserve the lighthouse.

We have received help from the minister of tourism, and we have received help from the port department. What we need to do is beef up these budgets because it can be a can of worms,” she told reporters.

“You can start on a project, and it becomes something you couldn’t imagine having required the amount of funds and money to make it right, so we are looking for some kind of budget that’s specified for taking care of this.”

Jackson Blatch, assistant lighthouse keeper, agreed that more funding is needed, saying workers are underpaid.

This is my second year as a keeper, and I realise that it isn’t cutting it as a keeper,” he said. “You have to have a second job to support yourself and your family. The work that is involved in being a keeper, you should be able to survive just off of just having a job as keeper because the shift rotates.”

“The first watch starts from six to twelve. The second watch is from twelve to six the next morning, so imagine having to do that and then having to have a second job to be able to support yourself and your family.”

Constructed in 1863, the iconic red-and-white Elbow Reef Lighthouse is the last of its kind in the world.

• For more, see today’s WEEKEND section.