MyPE

Community Business Directory, Event Listings, News and Views from Gqeberha, Nelson Mandela Bay

If these walls could talk, they would cry out

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In 2014 MyPE was a guest of SANPARKS on Bird Island and the video below was filmed of the Haunted Island Keeper’s House on Bird Island.

It was a comment posted on the video below by Robert Lakay that now brings another perspective to the pain and sorrow that this house bore mute testament to. Robert said; “Shocked and saddened by the stories that have allegedly taken place at this house 30 years ago. If those walls could talk, they would cry out.”

Of course he s referring to the shocking revelations contained in the recently released book – ‘The Lost Boys of Bird Island’ – in which allegations are made against high ranking government officials accused of pedophilia with young boys. See: I wonder if the Lost Boys of Bird Island were ‘entertained’ here.

Though now also fully automated, Bird Island was once one of the most remote lighthouses along the coast. Keepers used carrier pigeons to send urgent messages to the mainland, if medical attention or supplies were needed. Still today, maintenance staff members refuse to sleep over on Bird Island when working there. They say a ghost pulls off their blankets as they sleep, and chilly draughts blow through the room, even though the windows are all closed. They believe it’s the ghost of Mrs Hansen. The wife of a lighthouse keeper, Mrs Hansen is said to have become depressed at living in such extreme isolation. Then one day, her body was discovered in a well near the lighthouse. While the story dates from 1908, many believe her spirit still wanders there, and some accounts claim to have seen the ghost of a woman.

MyPE was a guest of SANparks Addo Elephant National Park on Bird Island.

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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.