Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 51 SHERINGHAM LIGHTHOUSE by Parker Parker M’s Pages (continued) On April 5th my class (div.2) and another class went to Sheringham Lighthouse. There was a man whose name was Ian and there was a woman named Kathleen. Ian was the one who gave us the phones to take pictures. He really trusted us with the phones. My class and the other class were all really careful. Kathleen told us how to write a story. Then we had to go back to school. We waited forever for the bus, then we walked around the gate just to find out that the bus was waiting where it was supposed to be. So then the bus came through the gate and picked us up. I personally think you should go there.
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 52 Parker W’s Pages THE LIGHT “I chose this photo because I love lighthouses, and I like the photo.” Parker’s Photo Selection:
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 53 THE SHERINGHAM GHOST SHIP by Parker Parker W’s Pages (continued) 1928. Sunday July 26, 5pm. The SS Flower was a big ship that was sailing from Seattle in the United States to Haida Gwaii. The ship is a smaller version of the Titanic, just white and black. The ship never arrived in Haida Gwaii and the 200 people on the ship were never seen again. Joe was a 12 year old boy and he lived with his Father near the Sheringham Lighthouse and his Father was the Lighthouse Keeper. One night, Joe invited his friends Billy and Lisa over for dinner. After dinner, they went into the lighthouse and they saw a shadow crossing the area. They went back inside the house and told Joe’s Father what they saw. They brought Joe’s Father over and he tried to signal the shadow, but it didn’t respond. Joe’s Father thought that the kids were tricking him. The next day, Joe went back into the lighthouse and he didn’t see the shadow. To be continued… A little while later, Joe was playing by the boathouse again, and he saw a big white and black ship. Joe tells his Father to go on his boat, to go and check it out. Joe’s Father climbs on the ship and checks in the cabin for the captain, but there is no captain. It is empty. All the lifeboats are still there. Joe’s Father signals other lighthouses and a few hours later the lighthouse keepers arrive. They get worried and try to investigate. But it’s still not over… They find one person in their cabin and she speaks a different language so Joe and his Father, and the lighthouse keepers cannot understand her. They find a pill that lets them talk to her and understand what she says. And she said, “When I woke up last night, no one was on the ship, it was just me. I looked up on the deck and no one was there. The lifeboats were there. The stacks were still steaming.” She thinks that the people all fell off. The end
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 54 Renée’s Pages FAIRIES IN THE LIGHTHOUSE “I like this photo because it kind of reminds me of fairies and how they would live around there. I chose it because it’s close to the lighthouse and it’s really pretty.” Renée’s Photo Selection:
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 55 Renée’s Pages (continued) FAIRIES DANCING IN THE LIGHTHOUSE by Renée Once upon a time, there was a magical Lighthouse that lived right along the seaside. One day, Renee and Alice are on a hike and they notice a funny bush. They walk to it and it looks like it has a tiny door. They go to open it and it turns ginormous. They walk inside the big door and they see a lighthouse. They see flowers and they want them very bad, so they go to pick them up. A little fairy says “No no. That’s poisonous. Please don’t pick it up. You should not be touching things that you don’t know.” They are too shocked to speak. The fairy says again “You should not be touching things you don’t know. You very much should listen and talk.” More fairies come. They’re very angry that they should listen. Renee and Alice finally listen. And the Fairies say “Sorry for the very mean greetings to you guys. But humans, have you ever seen a Fairy before?” One falls down and starts coughing. “Oh no, the little fairy thing is very sick,” Sugar Plum Fairy says. “We have to take you to the lighthouse. Bring her to the lighthouse.” They see how much she is very sick. They want to help her, but they need special food and the lighthouse has no more magic. As quick as they can before the fairy is passed away, they give them a map and they run into it. They go to this cave and they walk in a dark tunnel. It takes a very, very long time for them to go, and they have to run back up as fast as they can. But they find it! It is very colorful, and they want to keep it for themselves. But they say “No they have to help the Fairies.” They run back up and they give it to the fairies. The fairies then come and have a big Feast for thanks. They then have to leave. It feels like years now, and they say goodbye. The fairies give them a special gift so they can find them again. They become friends, then they say goodbye. They go back home. The End
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 56 River’s Pages SPRING “I chose this photo because I like spring.” River’s Photo Selection:
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 57 River’s Pages (continued) THE GRAND LIGHTHOUSE by River Our story begins in 1911, when this lighthouse was being built. It was 1906-1909 and there were 375 SHIPWrecks!! In the bay outside of Victoria. The government knew what to do. They put up lighthouses all throughout the ocean yard. But one lighthouse in particular was already built; the builders had no idea how it got built. So they built more lighthouses. Soon it was spring, which meant there would be more gale force winds, and many lighthouses got knocked over or sunk. But this lighthouse never got touched at all… The year was January 2, 2049 at 3:09 AM and it was snowing like it never snowed before. The waves were crashing up against the shore and the water was ice cold. A ship was lost at sea. There was no light and everywhere was fog. Then a tiny dot of light appeared. It got bigger and bigger and bigger, then the fog was gone. The ship got to the marina and the captain told the crew in the marina what happened. The crew said “There’s no lighthouses here, so it couldn’t have been a lighthouse.” The captain said, “What do you mean? It had to have been a lighthouse. That’s the only explanation.” So the captain went back to his ship, but they didn’t set sail yet, because he was looking at the harbour map to see if there were any lighthouses. Sure enough there was. So he went towards the destination of the lighthouse, but nothing was there. There was a little house though. He knocked on the door. An old man answered. He said “What do you want? There is no lighthouse here. It got torn down nearly 100 years ago.” The captain said, “But there was light right here. It only makes sense.” Then the old man said “There’s no lighthouse. Now scram.” The captain went back to his ship and went to a place unknown. To be continued….
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 58 Ryleigh’s Pages THE LIGHT OF THE SEA “I love this photo because it shows my personality.” Ryleigh’s Photo Selection:
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 59 Ryleigh’s Pages (continued) LIFE AT THE LIGHTHOUSE by Ryleigh By a lighthouse lived a family. The family works at the lighthouse. Every three hours they crank a reel to help the lighthouse work. A long time ago, they used mercury. They didn’t know it was poison, so they used it in toys and lighthouses. Because it was poison, a lot of people got sick and died. They use prisms for the light, and by the lighthouse is a boathouse and a house for the captain.
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 60 “I’ll be visiting Sheringham Point Lighthouse this summer. How about you?” Check out the website for directions (that’s driving directions, not swimming): https://sheringhamlighthouse.ca/the-lighthouse-2/visit-thelighthouse-site/site-map/
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 61 Exploring the Lighthouse A Big Thank-You And finally, but most of all, we want to thank Principal Gord Johnson and teachers Elaine Haddad, Cam Meiklejohn and Shayln Starr, and in particular the students at Saseenos Elementary for making this project so enjoyable. We want to thank Tom Harris - Telus, for donating the cellphone cameras for the students to use. Without this support, the program would not have been possible. This project was carried out by the Society’s partners: Change Canada Consultants Ltd. Our thanks to them: Ian Fawcett (coordinator & photographer), Kathleen Arnason (author and story-teller) and Bill Turner (for helping develop and implement the program). This project was conducted in partnership with the National Trust for Land & Culture (BC), who provided technical assistance and equipment throughout the project. Our thanks also to SPLPS volunteers for helping at the site and with the setup of the program, and to the Society’s members and supporters who provided the financing for the program. Our thanks to the District of Sooke for providing a Community Grant to help finance the program.
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 62 Exploring the Lighthouse Raising Funds to Protect the Lighthouse And finally, something a little different... Just like our heritage...don’t discard it, look again! Projects such as the protection and restoration of Sheringham Point Lighthouse depend upon the generosity of people who care about what we are trying to accomplish, and who want to help. Much of the funding for this project so far has been provided by individuals who have stepped forward to make a donation. However, in order to ensure that the Lighthouse can be well cared for in the future, and to enable us to continue providing educational opportunities at the Lighthouse - such as this program - we need to raise additional funds. Can you help? We have set up a fundraising page on the Society’s website to make it easy to donate (all donations over $10.00 will receive a charitable tax receipt). You can find it at: https://sheringhamlighthouse.ca/get-involved-2/make-a-donation/ THANK YOU! Anyone who takes photographs knows that things don’t always turn out as planned. A click at the wrong time, a shake of the camera or a wrong setting can produce something entirely unintended. Often, the results of these situations are simply discarded. But sometimes, with a bit of luck, and with a willingness to look again with a fresh eye and an open mind, the results can be startling. We’ve collected a number of the images created by the children during their visit to the lighthouse that didn’t quite turn out as intended, but that struck us as beautiful abstract images nontheless. We’ve called this collection “UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES”, and we hope they will inspire you to look again at our heritage treasures like Sheringham Point Lighthouse, and make a donation to help us ensure its conservation. Take a look at these few samples on the next page, we think you’ll be amazed!
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 63 “Unintended Consequences”
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 64 www.sheringhamlighthouse.org “A Lighthouse is a beacon of hope; a symbol of human solidarity.” Gary Geddes BC poet & author