St. Paul Island
"The Graveyard of the Gulf"

"Memoirs of a Lightkeeper's Son"

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Duane Traver
P.O. Box 59
Marathon, NY 13803-0059
USA

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William (Billy) G. Budge was born in 1948 in the small fishing village of Neil's Harbour on the northern tip of Cape Breton. In 1955 his father accepted the position of lighthouse keeper on St. Paul Island, a rugged and forlorn mountain in the sea. Positioned at the entrance to the Gulf of St. Lawrence between Cape Breton and Newfoundland, this island is subject to violent gales, snowstorms and is often shrouded in fog. Early seafarers called it the "Graveyard of the Gulf" due to the vast numbers of ships and countless lives that were lost along its shores.

Billy moved to St. Paul Island with his parents and younger sister in September of 1955. For the next five years they lived at the southwest light station in almost total isolation. His family quickly learned to cope in a world without neighbours, electricity, schools, or any sports activities. They lived off the land – hunting ducks along the coast, berry picking, and jigging cod on the sea. Almost daily there were hardships to overcome and problems to be resolved. Life on the island was one of both tragedy and triumph.

In Memoirs of a Lightkeeper's Son, Billy tells his story of survival on that lonely rock. Sense the lush green of the island in summer in the midst of a crystal blue sea and feel the harshness of winter while buried under snow and surrounded by drift ice. Share with Billy the excitement of unexpected guests, the arrival of a supply ship as well as the sadness of sickness and loss. Experience the many technical problems such as a fire in the lighthouse and learn how the entire family worked together to restore service.

After completing high school in 1966 Billy Budge became a telephone technician with Maritime Tel and Tel where he served until his retirement in 1998. While the images were still vivid in his memory he chose to write the story of his childhood growing up on St. Paul Island. He is also a private pilot and a ham radio operator. His other hobbies are aerial photography, sailing and carpentry. The author is married, has three children and resides in Ingonish, Nova Scotia.

© Duane Traver 2006