Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
lighthouse,therewerethreeotherdwellingsontheislandandshewouldseekhelpfrom
the occupants on a regular basis. But nothing could be done to stop Yate's drinking and
abusive behaviour towards her. Communication with the mainland from the lighthouse
was restricted to flag signals from the mast at the station. It must be assumed that there
were regular trips for them to be taken across to the mainland for leave and that Rita
hadbecomaccustomedtoherlife,unpleasantasitwas.However,allthatwastochange
with the arrival of a new ALK, eight years after Yates and his girlfriend had arrived
onTasmanIsland.In1958,thirty-year-oldRobert-Patrick (knownasBob)Tregenzaar-
rived at the station to take up his duties. Bob Tregenza had been a sheep shearer, bul-
lock driver and had served as a soldier in the Second World War before settling for a
careerasalighthouseman.Thenewarrivalwasgoodnaturedwithacaringpersonality,
considering the dreadful life she was leading with the appalling Yates.
Initially Tregenza and Yates worked fairly well with each other, but as time went on
Tregenza could see the abuse meted out to Rita, and compassion eventually turned in-
to a love affair between Tregenza and the long-suffering Rita. Tregenza hid the knives
andtooktheboltfromtherifleincaseYateswentintoahomicidal rage.Mattersfinally
came to a head in July 1959. On this occasion, Yates's jealousy had been growing and
he had attacked Rita, almost choking her. Rushing to her aid, Tregenza knocked Yates
unconscious. There appears to be some confusion over exactly what happened at this
point - whether Yates recovered and swore revenge against Tregenza and Rita but pre-
pared to contain his rage and bide his time until the moment was right, or whether the
two lovers, fearful of the maddened Yates, hid on the island until they could escape. It
is said that the two men did continue working together but Yates would not allow Tre-
genza access to the signal flags to haul up a distress signal. However, Tregenza man-
aged to gain access to the signal flags and hauled up the distress signal and then hid
withRitauntiltherescueboatcameoutandhoistedthemtosafety.Itappearsapeculiar
set of circumstances that the maddened head keeper would be left to run the isolated
lighthouse on his own in clearly a deeply unfit state of mind without immediate inter-
vention of some kind.
Tregenza and Rita married each other shortly afterwards in Launceston and then left
Tasmania with the four children (who were adopted by Tregenza) for mainland Aus-
tralia, settling in Mornington, Victoria, hoping never to see Yates again.
By this time something had been done about Yates and he was under investigation.
Yates had left the lighthouse service and made it his goal to track down Tregenza, Rita
and his children, which he succeeded. At the couple's home in Victoria, Yates confron-
ted Rita and said that he would kill them all, even including his own children in the
murderous threat. The sad and unfortunate sequence of events continued, with Rita in-
