– Lloyd Smithman (Son of Henry Herbert Smithman who was Senior Keeper at Sisters Island 1927 – 1929) 

I remember . . . 

• going to the waters edge at night and seeing the dog fish so numerous in the light from a lantern that you thought you could walk on them.
• the time that Dad and Ted caught an octopus that measured 8 feet across.
• still how the suction cups felt on my hand.
• the time that a little octopus came up to Stan’s foot while he was wading one day.
• the day a seagull was eating a star fish and got it part way down. The gulls throat was bulged out and it appeared he was going to choke to death. Dad got his rifle to put it out of its misery but it slowly went down and the gull flew away.
• cleaning lamp chimneys for the coal oil lamps.
• eating eggs preserved with waterglass!
• canned milk
• the chemical toilet.
• the always clean twin grey engines that ran the fog horn, one for emergency. I can still see the glass oilers on top of these engines!
• playing cards by lamplight.
• Mum helping us with our school work.
• the fishing reels that Dad made from wood from boxes.
• the three mile boat trip to Lasquiti Island for the mail.

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– Ted Smithman (Son of Henry Herbert Smithman who was Senior Keeper at Sisters Island 1927 – 1929) 

Reading Material c. 1927 

We used to get boxes of library discards from the Victoria Library. I was an avid reader and these boxes of books were just marvellous: I still recall the huge, fat, “Boys Own Annuals” which were evidently in demand in “British” Victoria; they were exciting reading with short stories and articles suitable for youngsters. 

      It was years later when I figured out, all the mentions of TT were about “Tourist Trophy” motorcycle races and “BOA” was the weekly or monthly paper. You see, fifty-two of these made up the”Boys Own Annual”.