Aussies at Rootstech London

One of the Rootstech Organisers told me there were 50+ Australians registered for Rootstech London while another told me there were 60. I think I managed to hook up with about 40 of them prior to or at the event. I was told that the Australians were the second largest group of overseas registrants after genies from the USA at the event.

Some of the Aussies at Rootstech gathered for a photo

Whatever the number it was a vast improvement on the the numbers that travel to Salt Lake City each year for the annual Rootstech conference there. In my interviews and chats with the Australians in London all agreed that for the many Australians who have British, Irish and European ancestry London is a more attractive venue because it can be combined with visits to ancestral cities and towns and associated national, regional and local archives.

Cathie Sherwood, Kerry Farmer and Brad Argent represented Australia on the Rootstech London program while Fran Kitto, Sharn White, Jenny Joyce and I  acted as Ambassadors. We Ambassadors were very busy tweeting throughout the event. I also posted quite a few photos of the event on my Facebook Page here.

Prior to the event we had an active Facebook Group with lots of discussion and friendly advice being shared. We organised meetups in Sydney and London prior to the event so that we would all know some familiar faces when we got tothe Excel Centre for Rootstech London. All members of that group met new genies who became their genimates. I was especially pleased that my third cousin Regina, whom I had only met on one previous occasion was at the event. Having a fellow descendant of our convict Elizabeth Phipps from London with me there was very special.

Cousin Regina and I

I managed to interview a few Australian genies while at Rootstech London. I just wish I would have had time to chat with more. If you are considering a visit to Rootstech if it is staged again in London  then listen to what these genies had to say in our interviews and as Fran Kitto said "Start saving your pennies".

Back to sea level

Salt Lake City just takes me breath away. 

I didn't climb this set of stairs

Each year when I attend the Rootstech Conference I find myself short of breath. Salt Lake City has an average elevation of 4,327 feet(1,319 m) above sea level which is high for this old girl who lives by the sea. This year the elevation combined with the minus temperatures really hit me.

Although it is only a couple of hundred metres up the road from my hotel I only visited the Family History Library once, I only visited, Macys, my other US temple once as well. I was just too puffed to visit each of these a second time. 

Thankfully I had my asthma meds with me and was able to start a course of treatment that kept me awake and hopping.Thankfully my hotel was directly across the road from the Rootstech venue at the Salt Palace so I was able to get to the conference within a couple of minutes.  This year I didn't attend many classes as I didn't have the energy to walk the long distances or stand in long lines that these required. I spent most of my conference in the Media Hub with regular forays out into the Expo Hall.

As I was feeling poorly I only attended one keynote session in person. For these sessions the Ambassadors have to be in their reserved seats by 8am and, if one finds oneself behind a tall person (as I invariably do), it can be difficult to see the speaker on the stage. It has only taken me seven Rootstech Conferences to realise that I can set my alarm for 8:20am (thereby gaining an extra hour of valuable shuteye), watch the livestreamed keynotes while I dress and eat breakfast and actually see the whole presentation in comfort. Then when the session is over I wander over the Media Hub in time to interview the VIPs that are on the list for the day. Avoiding the crush of  people leaving the keynote sessions is a bonus.

The people that you meet

The people that I meet and the interview opportunities that I am given are the reasons that I keep coming back to Rootstech . One of  my goals is to be an Ambassador for Australia at Rootstech  and an Ambassador for Rootstech  for the people back home. It takes my breath away that I am given opportunities to share via Youtube my chats with  geneastars at Rootstech that my genimates would not otherwise meet.

Aussies at Rootstech

I can report that I am now back on sea level and breathing normally, I had no trouble walking a couple of kilometres through Sydney yesterday. 

Trove Tuesday - Carey Bay

Mr GeniAus and I are preparing for our permanent move to Carey Bay near Toronto, NSW. We have been dividing our time between our Sydney house and there. As one does I started thinking about the people who had lived in Carey Bay. I turned to Trove to learn about some of them.

Firstly I found a photo of Miss Ethyl Thompson but due to copyright restrictions I cannot publish it. You can view it here: http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/15506519.

In the Government Gazette I found a notice of Bankruptcy.

1925 'IN BANKRUPTCY.', Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales (Sydney, NSW : 1901 - 2001), 21 August, p. 3715. , viewed 07 Apr 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article223015674

 There were several notices relating to probate and estates.

1987 'IN the Supreme Court of New South Wales.—Notice of intended distribution of estate.—Any person having any claim upon the', Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales (Sydney, NSW : 1901 - 2001), 19 June, p. 3135. , viewed 07 Apr 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article231679490

There were also several mentions of local folk in the newspapers. The good news is that I found a photo of Ethyl in the newspaper.

1949 'No title', The Newcastle Sun (NSW : 1918 - 1954), 22 June, p. 2. , viewed 07 Apr 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article158289073

1924 'CAREY BAY.', Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate (NSW : 1876 - 1954) , 16 April, p. 9. , viewed 07 Apr 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article139492442

1954 '£6000 Win To Carey Bay', The Newcastle Sun (NSW : 1918 - 1954), 14 September, p. 14. , viewed 07 Apr 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article163296599

1949 'Pensioner Found Dead in Tent', The Newcastle Sun (NSW : 1918 - 1954), 8 January, p. 8. , viewed 07 Apr 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article158239718

1934 'TO-DAY'S ACCIDENTS', The Newcastle Sun (NSW : 1918 - 1954), 23 November, p. 7. , viewed 07 Apr 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article166298335

1934 'Calder-Smith—Tingle', The Newcastle Sun (NSW : 1918 - 1954), 12 July, p. 7. , viewed 07 Apr 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article165055537

It seems as though the people from our neighbourhood are typical of  Australians all around our country.

The Commonwealth of Nations meet in Salt Lake City

Well,  that could be stretching the truth a bit.

Tonight my small meet the Aussies dinner turned into a meetup for representatives of the British Empire or British Commonwealth as we know the Commonwealth of Nations.

Australians Jenny Joyce, Liz and Peter Pidgeon, Alan Phillips, Helen Smith, Alona Tester, Mr Geniaus and I were joined by New Zealander Roger Moffat and his wife Lisa, Scottish lass Marie Dougan and Audrey Collins who has one foot in the English camp and the other in the Scottish camp.

Thanks especially to those intrepid travellers who only arrived today in Salt Lake City for making the effort to dine with us.

The photos aren't as good as they could be because people kept on talking instead of posing for my pictures.

It was hard to get the group to keep still for a photo

Helen, Peter and Jenny

Marie and Mr Geniaus

Alona and Liz

I enjoyed bringing a group of my genimates together before we join the 6,000 other people who will be at the Conference from Thursday. We now at least all know about ten people among the crowd.

Born on the 4th of July

Ten folk in my family tree were born on the 4th of July, not in the US but in Australia. I can't publish details of the six who are still living but invite you to read about the other four:

Magick Herbert Alfred   04 Jul 1879 NSW, Australia    Wahlstrom Henry James   04 Jul 1915 Kogarah, NSW, Australia    Moore John James   04 Jul 1921 Manilla, NSW, Australia    Hamshere Henry James   04 Jul 1922 Alexandria, NSW, Australia