The Silva family legacy: A century of lighthouse keeping

Runaway sailor

Emanuel was born in 1800 on Faial – a tiny island in the Azores archipelago, an autonomous region of Portugal. Around the age of 30, he left Azores for the Colony of New South Wales aboard an American whaling vessel. At the time of his departure, there was a civil war in Portugal. The associated political instability and economic hardship may have influenced Emanuel’s decision to leave his home.

Upon reaching the colony, Emanuel jumped ship with several other sailors due to harsh treatment and brutal working conditions. He subsequently worked with the Sydney pilot boat service. This involved the use of specialised vessels to transport maritime pilots to and from ships entering Sydney Harbour. Later, Emanuel served aboard a Customs boat, enforcing customs laws and regulations, collecting duties and monitoring maritime borders.

The Dunbar tragedy

On 20 August 1857, Emanuel – now in his late 50s – was one of the first responders on the scene when the Dunbar, a transport vessel carrying new arrivals to the colony, collided against the cliff face at South Head. Severe weather and squalls had obscured light from nearby Macquarie Lighthouse and, tragically, 121 people drowned in the accident. A few weeks later, Emanuel provided signal service when the Catherine Adamson, a trading vessel, ran aground off North Head in Manly.

Dashed dreams

Around the age of 60, Emanuel – drawn by the lure of the Australian gold rush – sought out his fortune at the Lambing Flat goldfields. Afterwards, he travelled north to the gold district of Port Curtis in Queensland. However, during his voyage, he was robbed of all his gold. Disgruntled, Emanuel returned to Sydney and became the proprietor of the Gap Hotel near Macquarie Lighthouse.

Lighthouse patriarch

Later, in the early 1860s, Emanuel took up work at the lighthouse itself, eventually becoming the First Assistant Light Keeper. In 1888, he retired from his lighthouse duties and, for his service, he was awarded a life-long government pension.

Fourteen years after that, aged 102, Emanuel died at Macquarie Lightstation. At that time, he was one of Sydney’s oldest residents. In his lifetime, three generations of the Silva family had lived or worked at the lighthouse including his son and grandson.

Second generation

Emanuel’s son, Frederick Silva, was born in 1860 and, from the age of 2, lived at Macquarie Lightstation. He secured employment at the lighthouse around the age of 17 and continued to work there until the age of 57, when he retired due to poor health.

A well-known and respected figure in Watson’s Bay, Frederick was elected to the Vaucluse Municipal Council in 1903. In honour of his retirement, the Mayor of Vaucluse – together with prominent residents of Watsons Bay – hosted a gathering at the Council Chambers. According to The Australian Town and Country Journal he was “presented with a well-filled money wallet, as a mark of their appreciation of his work in connection with the lighthouse”.

Frederick passed away in 1929 aged 68 years. During his lifetime, he raised seven children at Macquarie Lighthouse. He also witnessed the final years of the original tower, which had been designed by Francis Greenway and had stood for nearly 70 years (1818 to 1887).

Third generation

Born at Macquarie Lightstation in 1901, Frederick’s son – James Silva – seemed destined to follow in the family tradition of lighthouse keeping.

As a young adult, James sought to enlist with the Australian Imperial Force and, on his application, he listed Macquarie Lighthouse as his address and ‘Relieving Lighthouse Keeper’ as his occupation.

Following 6 years of employment at Macquarie Lighthouse, he spent 13 years carrying out lighthouse duties at Ballina and then a further 9 years at Nobby’s Lighthouse in Newcastle.

In 1948, James returned to Macquarie Lighthouse as signal master. The following year, The Morning Bulletin reported that James, having first joined the lighthouse’s signal staff 30 years earlier, and being “accustomed from childhood to signal routine, needed no training”.

Although James died in 1958 at the age 57, Silva family’s maritime legacy prevailed. His son, Eric Silva, was born in 1930. At the age of 18, he joined the Maritime Services Board and went on to become Port Master.

Image credit: Emanuel Silva (left) and family at Macquarie Lighthouse. Image courtesy of the Baird family.

References

• Australian Town and Country, Wednesday 28 February 1917, page 11.
• Burrangong Argus, Wednesday 22 October 1902, page 2.
• Da Silva, Wilson. Portuguese role in Watson’s Bay past. Originally published in the Sydney Morning Herald. March 3, 1988. NEWS | Portuguese role in Watsons Bay's past Retrieved 3 June 2025.
• Evening News, Thursday 22 February 1917, page 4.
• Marine Pilot. What is a Pilot Boat? What is a pilot boat? - Marine-Pilots.com.
• Morning Bulletin, Monday 7 March 1949, page 3.
• National Archives of Australia, Digital Item Page Gallery Retrieved 3 June 2025.
• New South Wales Government Gazette, Tuesday 1 May 1888, Issue No. 272, page 3051.
• Newcastle Morning Herald and Miner’s Advocate. Monday 5 July 1948, page 2.
• Naval Historical Society of Australia. Archives for Collector of Customs, Collector of Customs Archives - Naval Historical Society of Australia.
• Pacquette, Gabriel, (2013) Imperial Portugal in the Age of Atlantic Revolutions. The Luso-Brazilian World, c1770-1850, Cambridge University Press, UK.
• Sydney Morning Herald, Wednesday 28 January 1903, page 8.
• The Sydney Morning Herald, Wednesday 26 June 1929, page 13.

Article was originally published on 21 August 2025.