An aged helicopter landing pad at Indian Head lighthouse is being replaced.
A crew from the Canadian Coast Guard has been working at the marine marker for the past several days and is expected to keep working at the site for a few weeks. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans did not have an exact indication as to how long the work will take.
The Coast Guard has also dispatched a helicopter to assist with the work. At high-tide there is no safe way to reach the lighthouse on foot or by truck.
The helicopter could be seen this week, ferrying material, like concrete, and workers from the lighthouse to the nearby coastline at McCallum's Point in Lower Bedeque.
According to the Virtual Museum of Canada, Indian Head Lighthouse was built in 1881. Because of the small landmass it had to sit on, it was built with a keeper’s residence on the ground floor with its light jutting out of the roof of its octagonal structure. Despite the fact that there was a residence, none of the keepers who manned the light ever lived there full-time. Most rowed or sailed back and forth to the light every day.
In recent decades, a helicopter has typically been used to access the lighthouse when maintenance or repairs are required.
@JournalPMacLean
