Hi Geoff

If thats is the lathe you have, congratulations, looks like a solid
industrial grade machine.

Now reading that you want to drill maybe in excess of 1 meter, and it
looks like you have plenty of bed length, and if that lathe was mine
and I was going to do this, with the understanding that you don't have
metalworking machines, then I would build first a steady to hold the
ends of the lamp post, (1 m long post will not stay centered) how big
you want to go depends on what else you want to use it for
(vases,hollow turnings etc.)

Then I would take the tail stock apart and measure, then turn and bore
a cylinder with a shoulder on one end that would fit your tail stock
and if needed you can fasten it to the tail stock, so now you can push
a drill right through the tail stock and drill your lamp post, does
this make sense to you ??
Hope that the auger drills straight, that is very often the biggest
problem drilling deep holes

As for you not being very keen on drilling the tail stock ram, well the
size of the lathe and its parts would suggest that there is enough
material there, however, I can not be sure of that from just looking at
a picture and there could be internal reasons for not being able to do
it, though I would be surprised if that was the case, it is up to you
to determine that after you have taken it apart.
But if you could have someone drill a 7/16" or 1/2" hole through the
ram you would never have to go through all the trouble of taking the
tail stock apart and etc., and it makes taking out centers drill chucks
and drilling long holes a lot simpler.

http://homepage.mac.com/l.vanderloo/PhotoAlbum25.html

Have fun and take care
Leo Van Der Loo