The 150th anniversary of Cape Pembroke Lighthouse was celebrated on 3rd December 2005 with a day of activities organised by the Archives and the MNT.

The Lighthouse - the real star of the day - gleamed with fresh paint inside and out, having just been repainted thanks to the generous sponsorship of Stanley Services Ltd. Fine weather made Cape Pembroke a popular destination and the track was busy all day with Land-Rovers and bicycles. Many children (and even some adults) took part in a Cycle Challenge, braving a rough course through sandhills, mud and rocks, to ride to the lighthouse from the airport turn-off. Steve Massam from the Museum was busy all day helping children to cast the medals he and Rob Yssel had designed as prizes and was constantly surrounded by a fascinated audience. Rob and Steve were also responsible for devising the Pirate Treasure Hunt, another popular activity and Rob helped children to read the 'Treasure Map' which led to the pirate gold. Children were able to win further prizes by completing a 'lighthouse quiz' and adults could view the new exhibition of lighthouse history and watch a film of interviews with past lightkeepers.

In a large tent loaned by the FIDF tea, coffee and fruit juice were dispensed, along with buns made by the Seamen's Mission. Over a hundred pounds was collected in donations to the Mission during the day. Grant Munro of Falklands Conservation contributed a hundred and fifty tussac plants, one to celebrate each year of lighthouse history, to be planted on a site near the lighthouse.

The organisers felt that the day had been a great success and wanted to thank everyone who contributed, including hardworking volunteers Robbie Burnett, Dan Fowler, Nick Rendell, Melanie Pritchard, Darren Christie and Pippa Lang.

The local amateur radio group also had a very successful weekend, using the call sign VP8LGT, for Cape Pembroke Lighthouse. They erected a 30ft.telescopic tower with a di-pole antenna and operated for thirty-six hours from Friday night until Sunday morning. They normally base themselves in the lighthouse itself, but owing to the large number of visitors expected, they used a tent this year. The main operators were Janet and Bob McLeod, with help from Mike Harris and Donald Betts. Despite less than ideal atmospheric conditions, they made a total of 575 contacts with other operators in 53 countries, ranging from New Zealand to Lithuania. The three main sources were Japan (85 contacts) the USA (67 contacts) and Italy (65 contacts). Special 'Lighthouse' QSL cards will be sent out to operators who make contact by post.

The Community School Astronomy Club - twelve students led by teacher Louise Taylor - camped out at the lighthouse on Friday and Saturday nights. On Friday they were lucky enough to have some visitors from MPA and HMS Southampton who brought sextants and showing the students how to use them. On Saturday they took part in an astro-challenge game, using a solar system model and also walked to the Seamen's Mission for lunch. They returned in the afternoon to participate in the other activities on offer, including going up the lighthouse, 'That was extremely popular' said Louise 'Some of them climbed to the top several times'. Louise was very grateful to Rob Yssel and Steve Massam, who cast specially adapted medals for the Astronomy Club. On Saturday evening the campers had a bonfire with toasted marshmallows and did some star-gazing using star maps when the skies were clear. The weather on the whole was very kind, although Louise said that on Sunday morning they were unfortunate enough to have to pack up in the rain. However this didn't dampen spirits and everyone agreed it had been a great weekend and something they would like to do again soon. Other adult helpers at the Astronomy Club camp were Paul Sweeting, Vandra Carter, Liz Pointing, John Birmingham, Jackie Adams and Paul Freer.

Another group camping out were the Scouts. Scout Leader Phil Middleton took the opportunity of the Lighthouse Open Day to help four of the troop complete their Outdoor Challenge. They camped out for two nights and as part of the challenge was to participate in organised activities, they joined in the events centred on the lighthouse, which counted towards their Heritage badge. They also worked with the Radio Hams, which counted towards their communications badge. One of their other activities was the Pioneering Task, which involved collecting sea-water in a bucket without getting wet. They made an ingenious tripod contraption which worked well at low tide, although some splashes resulted at high tide.

Four scouts took part in the exercise, Rhys Clifford, Daniel McGill, Glyn McKay and Leif Middleton. They also hope to be able to participate shortly in planting the commemorative stand of tussac on Cape Pembroke, which will count towards their Conservation badges.