TWO years after the Land and Property Management Authority (LMPA) promised action on the Fingal Head lighthouse, its paint remains faded, the roof is rusting, and a tourist information plaque has been vandalised.

Gwyn Broomhall, the great granddaughter of William Arnold, the first lighthouse keeper at Fingal Head, was in the shire yesterday to talk at the Tweed Heads Historical Society, and said the shire's oldest public building deserved better care.

Not only is the 1872-built lighthouse physically deteriorating, she said it was often forgotten in historical documentation.

“I would like to see it looked after. It is the oldest public building in Tweed Shire,” she said.

“It is an historic building and has saved a lot of lives; before that there were ships hitting reefs every day.”

The LMPA has responsibility for the lighthouse and a spokeswoman said yesterday damage was fixed after a Tweed Daily News story more than two years ago.

“The vandalism identified at the Fingal Head lighthouse in 2008 was repaired by the LMPA. This included the replacement of glass windows and the replacement of the vandalised information plaque,” a spokeswoman said.

Palm Beach resident Cheryl Woods was at Fingal Head yesterday for the first time in 10 years and described the building as depressing.

“It would be nice to get some funding to fix up the aesthetics of it all and get it looking good again,” she said.