16 January 2009

MEDIA RELEASE

Pencarrow double delight for Wellington Anniversary

A double delight is in store over Wellington Anniversary weekend to celebrate Pencarrow Lighthouse turning 150 years old.

On Sunday 150 descendants of the first lighthouse keeper – Mary Jane Bennett - will hold a reunion at the New Zealand Historic Places Trust (NZHPT)-administered landmark at the entrance to Wellington Harbour.

On Monday the NZHPT will open the lighthouse for those who have taken part in the Fun Walk organised by the Pencarrow Rotary Club, providing the public with a rare opportunity to see inside the historic building.

Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Chris Finlayson will take part in the walk and open new historic panels giving the history of the lighthouse and its keepers, which NZHPT has installed as part of the anniversary celebrations.

“Pencarrow Lighthouse is a much loved icon at the entrance to Wellington Harbour. A large number of people make the journey out to see the lighthouse on foot and bike, and it is great that now, at the end of their trek, they will learn more about its fascinating history,” Mr Finlayson said.

“It is very fitting that we will be celebrating on Wellington Anniversary weekend, given Pencarrow Lighthouse is one of the few remaining structures erected by the Wellington Provincial Council which governed Wellington in the nineteenth century.”

Pencarrow Lighthouse, which first shone on 1 January 1859, was operated by Bennett after her husband, George, drowned in Wellington Harbour in 1855. Previously the Bennetts had shone a light from their cottage window on Pencarrow Head.

The 11.5-metre, prefabricated cast iron tower was assembled in 1858 following public demand for greater protection to seafarers, having arrived from England in 480 separate packages. Pencarrow Lighthouse remained operational till 1935 and today is maintained by NZHPT.

Bennett descendants have come from as far north as Whangarei and south as Riverton, as well as a sprinkling from Australia, to attend Sunday’s event. Among them will be 101-year-old “Uncle Bill” Bennett, great-grandson of Mary Jane and George.

Family spokesperson Anne Bennett said a smaller family reunion was held at Pencarrow 10 years ago, but the 150th anniversary “made this a poignant event to commemorate.”

“It’s fabulous for the family to be part of Wellington’s – and New Zealand’s - very early history. We have much to thank Mary Jane and George for.”

The assembly point for people interested in the walk and guided tour on Monday is at Burden’s Gate, Pencarrow, at 9am. The cost is $20 for a family (up to five people) and $10 for individuals.

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