Lighthouse Keepers Honor Sharon Collester Volunteer of the Year Sharon Collester found her way out to Point San Luis Lighthouse several years ago, and not only did she get ‘hooked’, but the restoration crews found they couldn’t get along without her. Sharon’s specialty is stripper-of-old lighthouse paint, and no one does it better. Whether on scaffolding 10 feet above ground, or sitting on a crate with her work on her lap, Sharon does not announce she is finished until there is truly not a speck of old paint remaining on the 120 year old redwood of Point San Luis Lighthouse. Many others thru the years (the author included) have worked side by side in the work of paint stripping, and Sharon is always quicker and more thorough than anyone. She also doesn’t grumble about being sore or tired, or needing to leave early like some of us! True to the description of an excellent employee, Sharon shows up dressed for the job (her trademark lighthouse uniform of overalls and ball cap), on time, ready to give a full day’s work, albeit at a pretty ocean setting. Like all the volunteers working at the lighthouse, Sharon carries her lunch, but she also packs goodies for everyone to enjoy at coffee break time. Beyond the paint scraping at the lighthouse, Sharon bends to the task of pulling weeds not only at our lighthouse, but also answered the call for volunteers to pull ice plant at Piedras Blancas Lighthouse. When the Keepers have had an information table at Morro Bay Harbor Festival, and Farmers Markets in Avila and San Luis Obispo, Sharon is always there to lend a hand. Before her recent retirement, Sharon’s day job was at The Parable Group in San Luis Obispo, and she volunteered at the lighthouse most Saturdays. Since retirement, she has upped her volunteerism to 2 and 3 days a week. We haven’t heard her singing as she sands old paint at the lighthouse, but Sharon is in the choir at Grace Bible Church in Arroyo Grande. Point San Luis Lighthouse boasts several volunteers fully committed to its restoration, so it says a lot about Sharon that in March, the Keepers honored this hard-working gal as our Lighthouse Volunteer of the Year 2009. We are missing Sharon over the next few weeks as she takes a well-deserved cross-country driving trip to see friends and family. Upon her return, she will certainly be welcomed back with open arms - and offered a handful of sandpaper and boards full of old paint. Save the Dates: |
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