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Low Isles and a trip back in time

It was a wonderful trip back in time to relive their family history on Low Isles at the turn of the last century when the grandchildren of one of the island’s original lighthouse keepers visited the island aboard Wavedancer recently.

Joy Searle and Ailsa Campbell’s recalled their mother Alice’s wonderful memories of living on the tropical island over 100 years ago.

“….Alice who spent her early years from 4 years growing up on a coral cay
where the barge arrived fortnightly, music was from a gramophone…”

Their Grandfather Hugh Nibloe, was appointed as a lighthouse keeper in 1907 having arrived from Scotland where he had worked as a lighthouse keeper on the Orkney Islands and Mull of Kintyre. After two years on Low Isles his wife Agnes and 2 small children Alice and Jessie joined him from Scotland. This was a time of wonderful memories for their mother Alice who spent her early years from 4 years growing up on a coral cay where the barge arrived fortnightly, music was from a gramophone, no pets were allowed but they were thankful for a talking cockatoo.

Joy said, “This trip is an important part of our family history as well as an adventure to visit a place and surroundings so well worth seeing! Our mother wrote quite a bit about her ‘Life on the Island’. I have some shells here in front of me that she collected there 100 years ago! (allowed to take them away in those days, of course). I personally visited in 2002 and was thrilled to see that on one of the information boards displayed on the walk around the island was a picture of our grandparents, mother and aunt.” For Ailsa the trip brought another milestone as this was her first plane flight and the celebration of her 70th birthday”

Tony Baker, Managing Director, the Quicksilver Group said, “Low Isles has a wonderful history.  This was the first destination for Quicksilver back in 1989.  I can only imagine how idyllic it was to live on Low Isles back at the turn of the last century and we welcome Joy and Ailsa to rekindle their history of the Island through their mother and grandfather’s eyes.”

The landmark lighthouse has greeted guests since 1878 and became automated in 1993.  Low Isles and its historic lighthouse icons have both been declared Commonwealth Heritage listed.