The Big News

This morning I posted on social media news of  the 17th Australasian Congress on Genealogy and Heraldry (otherwise known to genies as Congress)  & 5th Queensland History State Conference.

As the NSW Ambassador I am thrilled to let you know that the comprehensive website for the combined event, Connections2025, has now gone live. The website gives details of the dates, site, accommodation and keynote speakers plus a program outline. Information for prospective speakers is also available.

Connections2025 Website

I have been fortunate enough to attend Congress in Adelaide, Canberra, Sydney and Norfolk Island. Congress is the premier live event on the Australasian calendar. Once again we will have an opportunity to see and hear speakers from home and abroad, catch up and meet new genimates and talk to sponsors and vendors. 

Back in 2018 there was a bumper crowd at the last Congress before Covid. As Covid was still around and travel difficult in 2022 numbers were down in Norfolk Island. 

Brisbane in 2025 with its international and domestic airports and other good transport options offers us an opportunity to have the best event ever. Mr GeniAus and I are already planning a road trip/geneajourney that will haveConnections2025 as its highlight. 

Please consider joining us at Connections2025. 

More from the Brisbane Expo

A week ago I had just arrived back in Sydney after a hectic three days at the Queensland Unlock the Past Expo.   As is my practice I took quite a few photos at the event but didn't get around to posting most of them. Rather than letting all my images languish on my hard drive I will post a few more here.

Shauna Hicks getting to know her new iPad

I'm going genealogy cruising with UTP in February. Are you?

Goodies from Gould

Expert help from Graham Jaunay

Free smiles and wifi at your local library

Lots of opportunities to part with cash

Some people wore hats

Judy Lofthouse 

Smiles all round

The rain may be pelting down in Queensland, The Sunshine State, but there are smiles on the faces of many of the people at The Unlock the Past Queensland Expo in Brisbane.

Alona Tester, Carole Riley, Audrey Collins

Helen V Smith in the Research Help Zone

They travelled up NSW

GSQ Volunteers

Three more sleeps

Wonders will never cease! I'm a usually bit of a last minute Lil when it comes to getting organised. If I don't have a deadline I don't get it done...but give me a deadline and a task will be completed.

Tonight I have surprised myself. I have actually finished off my powerpoint presentations for The Unlock the Past Brisbane Expo and I have two more days before I leave. All I need to do now is save the presentations as .pdf files so the attendees can download them as notes.

My presentations are all short (25 min) free sessions - so if you are coming to the Expo and are on a budget you can join me in the small theatre. As a teaser I will share some snaps of my presentation slides below.

I can't wait to meet up with genealogists from The Sunshine State (and soak up some of your golden rays) as well as my blogging mates.


If you are at the Expo please say G'day.

I love prizes....

....and I won 14th prize in the Raffle at the Shoalhaven Family History Fair on the weekend. It was made up of three books and two free family passes to The Lady Denman Museum.

After that recent success I am all fired up and on the lookout for prizes. As I am attending the Unlock the Past Expo in Brisbane next week I took a look to see if there are nay prizes on offer at that event and here is what I found.

It's worth going just to have a chance at winning the prizes

• 4 - Archive Digital Books Australia CDs
        - Picturesque Atlas of Australasia 1886-88 - value $59.50
        - Australian Handbook 1900 - value $27.50
        - Pugh's Almanac and Queensland Directory 19th Century Set 1859-1900 - value $460
        - Fox's History of Queensland - value $79.50
• Baptist Heritage Queensland      - Queensland Baptist 1903-1913 (CD) - value $47.50
        - Queensland Baptist Association Year Books 1921-1930 (CD) - value $34.50
        - So! Your ancestor was a Baptist in Queensland AND Fortitude: Dr Lang's Vision for Queensland - value $13
• Clean Cruising
        - A $100 Cruise Travel voucher
• 2 - Family Photo Book vouchers - value $20 each
• Findmypast subscriptions
        - 1 findmypast.com.au 12 month subscription
        - 1 findmypast.co.uk 12 month subscription
        - 1 findmypast.ie 12 month subscription
        - also running a lucky draw to win a new World Subscription (at the findmypast exhibitor area)
• Flip-Pal mobile book scanner - Creative Suite - value $249.50
• FotoMasters -  gift voucher for a FotoRama 9 - value $285
• Friends of Toowong Cemetery      - 2 Toowong Cemetery 140th Anniversary DVDs - value $25 each
• Genealogical Society of Queensland
        - 1 year's membership of GSQ - value $71.50
        - Free attendance at Annual Seminar 25 August Across the seas they came 19th & early 20th century migrants -
          value $60 non-members, $50 members
        - Free CD of choice from GSQ's Funeral Directors series - value $55
        - Queensland Muster Part 1 - CD of selected pioneers living in Queensland between 1859 and 1901
          and a copy of the book Queensland Pioneers 1859-1901 - total value $63.95
        - 6 free passes to GSQ's Saturday morning education sessions - range in topics and presenters - total value $78 for
          non-members
• Genealogical Society of Queensland Convict Connections CD
        - Index to NSW Colonial Secretary's Office Copies of Letters Sent to Sheriffs 5 Jul 1828 - 31 Dec 1850 - value $50.00
• 2 - Gould Genealogy & History vouchers - details to be advised
• Inside History 12 month subscriptions - details to be advised
• 1 - National Institute for Genealogical Studies 9 course package - value approx $850. The package includes 4 Methodology courses (Getting Started, Getting Organized, The Internet, FamilySearch), and an Analysis & Skills Mentoring course and 4 record courses in a country stream of the winner's choice (choose from American, Australian, Canadian, English, Irish, Scottish and German).
• Queensland Family History Society
        - 1 year's membership of QFHS ($73 which includes the joining fee)
        - 2 vouchers which allow the winner to select a QFHS CD to the value of $49.50
        - 1 voucher which allows the winner to select a CD from the Queensland School Pupils Series (value $49.50)
        - 1 voucher which allows the winner to select a CD from the Commonwealth Electoral Roll (Queensland) Series
          (value $49.50)
        - 1 Queensland Founding Families book set ($110.00)
• Queensland Prison & Penal Historical Association
        - 2 double passes of a day OR moonlight tour of St Helena Island
          (donated by Brisbane Bay Tours and Queensland Prison & Penal Historical Association)
        - 2 signed copies of award winning St Helena Island, Moreton Bay - An historical account - value $49.95 each 
• 2 - Unlock the Past History & Genealogy: Australia & New Zealand 2011

Blogger Bling coming to Brisbane

Travelling in my luggage to the Unlock the Past Queensland Expo will be my Blogger Bling.
I hope to meet many Geneabloggers from Queensland during my time at the Expo. So that it is easy to recognise other Geneabloggers in the crowd I will have a supply of blogger beads for them to wear. Is common at overseas conferences for bloggers or members of other groups to wear some identifying paraphernalia so that they are easily recognisable. At the recent Congress in Adelaide a small but enthusiastic group of Geneabloggers stood out in their beautiful beads from New Orleans.

Geneabloggers at Congress 2012 -  Adelaide

A number of the Geneabloggers who were in Adelaide will be at the Brisbane event. I hope they remember you bring their beads along. If you are a blogger attending the exhibition please seek me out so that I can festoon your person with some Blogger Bling. Hopefully we can organise a Geneabloggers or Social Media Mob photo sometime during the Expo. 

Star attraction of the event Audrey Collins from England loves her Geneabadges and Geneabling - I do hope she remembers to bring some downunder.

Seminars 2009 - Brisbane, Queensland

Seminars 2009

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