Calling home

 28 November 2016

Currently researching in The National Library of Australia. 

I had to pinch myself - it feels like I am in Salt Lake City. I have counted 7 young LDS (Mormon) missionaries making use of free technology in the Reading Room here. Apparently today is the weekday on which the missionaries are allowed to contact their families. 

Geneajaunts - Canberra

We have been planning a trip to Canberra to visit a friend and do a spot of research. Although the records I want from the National Archives of Australia are unavailable until July 2017 I think it's still worth hopping in the car and taking a trip to our capital.

This was reinforced when I read a post from a Canberra artist, Maryann Musarred. There is so much to see and do for genealogists visiting Canberra. Do read Maryann's post here: http://the-riotact.com/family-history-who-do-you-really-think-you-are/188872.

There's plenty to keep me busy at The National Library of Australia

I've a list of resources to consult at The National Library of Australia so with Mr GeniAus I might be Canberra bound quite soon.

An Excuse to visit Canbera again

Prior to my last visit to Canberra in March I consulted the National Archives of Australia catalogue to see what files I could find for some of my indirect ancestors. One never knows what hints and information about one's direct ancestors are hidden in these files.

Unfortunately only few of the files I found were available to order in. Most had not yet been examined (to make sure they do not contain classified information?) so I made several applications for the files to be examined and made available for access.

The Reading Room of The National Archives of Australia is calling me

Over the course of the last week I have received several emails from The Archives that start "Thank you for your application for access to an item held by the National Archives of Australia. The following item has now been examined".  

The messages continue with "If you wish to purchase a copy of this item, select the 'Item barcode' link above and then select the 'Request copy' link on the item details screen. Alternatively, please see How to purchase copies.

You may choose instead to view the item in the reading room where it is located. If so, please contact the National Reference Service at ref@naa.gov.au beforehand and quote the item details above so that the necessary preparations can be made."

As I only live a few hours drive from Canberra I prefer to view and copy the documents myself  than to have a copy made and sent to me. Seeing the original document is more satisfying than receiving a copy.

My next issue is that I must convince Mr GeniAus that we need to take a trip to Canbera soon.

Red hearts at the NLA

A  friend's wedding in Canberra is giving me an opportunity to spend a couple of extra days to undertake some research in our nation's capital.

When I was preparing for my research days prior to Congress last month I didn't give myself enough time to order items from the National Archives of Australia. Why they need five days notice to collect files from their storage facility that is less than thirty minutes drive away I don't know. Surely they do at least a daily run between the Reading Room and the storage facility at Mitchell. The good news is that this time I have ordered the files I wish to see withe plenty of notice.

This morning I am on the National Library of Australia website and being thankful for the Add to Favourites red heart. This helpful tool ensures that my time at the library  is most productive.

See the Red Heart

I hadn't used this facility until my last trip to the library, this time as I read/examined books
 I added them to my favourites. What is even better is that when one adds a favourite a little text box appears into which one can put a text note.

Add to Favourites Text Box

So this morning as I search the NLA Catalogue for resources little red hearts are showing up in the catalogue for items I have already favourited. How nifty is that! I won't be ordering in books I have already read.

I do add the books I read to Librarything but it's so much better to be able to see the little red hearts on the catalogue.

If you want a few little red hearts in your life you will need a library card from the NLA and to be logged in to the library site while you search the catalogue.

Postscript After spending some time on the site and pulling up a list of my favourites I discovered that I had used this facility back in 2011 but had quite forgotten. I hadn't used it on my visits between 2011 and 2015. Hopefully I will remember to use it in future.

Will I manage three more days?

It was a huge day at #AFFHO Congress today so I wasn't too upset when one of the people I had planned to have dinner with suggested we shelve our plans.  I was rather exhausted after a big day of learning and socialising so was pleased to share a nice dinner for two with Mr GeniAus who I have bee ignoring all day (and will be for the next three).

It's 9:00pm and I still need to modify a presentation for Speakers' Corner tomorrow morning.

As is my custom at these events my blog posts consist of lots of photos and little text because I just don't have time or the energy to write long essays.

Seated bright and early

A welcome from HAGSOC President Rosemary

FGS President Josh Taylor adds his welcome

Matt Trinca and Fans after his Opening Address

A Purple Patch Person

Thanks Trove for my New I Love Trove Badge

New mates at mormo

Perry and Pauleen were probably discssing their Irish ancestors

Freshly beaded geneabloggers

Ready for David Holman's Luncheon talk

David's Luncheon talk was great fun

I was privileged to chair David Rencher's Familysearch Session

I retired my camera after David's session. The last talk I attended was a humorous "Dead Horse" talk by Colleen Fitzpatrick. While it was a great talk I was kicking myself as I realise I had heard Colleen present this same talk at another time and I should have read the description more closely and chosen something else.

I must commend Kerry Farmer's excellent talk on DNA. I was the third time I have heard Kerrie present on this topic and  I could listen again and again. Kerrie is a profession, polished and knowledgeable speaker.

Because I am an inquisitive old bird I went to The Menzies Theatre to observe the Annual General Meeting of #AFFHO. There were no surprises there.

I do, however, want to congratulate retiring #AFFHO President and Conference Convenor, Kerrie Gray on a very successful term. She has done a superb job.

Smiles all round

If the smiles on the faces of thesefolk at the Opening Reception for The 14th Australasian Congress on Genealogy and Heraldry at The Austalian War Memorial are indicative of their level of enjoyment then the event was a hge success.

For my part I had a super time meeting up with old friends and making the acquaintance of  several new folk from the UK, Us and several Australian States. The happy snaps iclude sponsors, delegates, keynotes and presenters.

And thanks to my mate Michelle Nichols for taking this birdseye view.

Nearly there

Today I'm blogging from the car (Mr GeniAus is driving).

Whenever I pass this sign I know that I'm not too far from Canberra. This time I'm super excited because it heralds the beginning of my #AFFHO Congress activities.

I can't wait to catch up with my  genimates, put faces to online pals and meet new geneaholics.

AFFHO Congress Presenter Interview - Paul Milner

When is an interview not an interview? Perhaps when you are having a pleasant day out with friends.

Mr GeniAus and I had a Pre-Congress Social Day out with AFFHO Congress presenter,  Paul Milner and his wife Carol Becker yesterday.

We tried to not to talk about genealogy etc because our spouses (who don't admit to being genies) were along for the ride to the beautiful Blue Mountains. At times, during our 11 hours together the conversation did turn to geneachat and Paul kindly responded to my questions.

Paul indicated that he loves Australia and was thrilled to have an opportunity to be able to address a new audience at our national event. Paul has plenty to share, he is not having difficulty with what to share in his sessions but in what to delete from his talks so that he can adhere to the 45 minute session time limit at Congress. I have heard Paul speak on a previous Australian tour and an Unlock the Past Cruise and can attest that he has lots of knowledge to share. Paul's presentations are packed with information and he is an excellent presenter, he will be giving 5 talks at Congress so do try to get along to hear one or two.

Paul, as a conference attendee, is pleased that he will have an opportunity to hear presenters from the UK and local speakers that he does not have an opportunity to hear in the United States. Paul, like many Americans, also has ancestor ties to Australia and feels a areal affinity with our country.

Paul was pleased to tell me that local publisher, Unlock the Past, have published several of his books and that they will be on sale from the Unlock the Past booth at Congress. I'm sure Paul will be happy to sign any of his titles that you purchase there.

Paul and Carol have allowed themselves time to explore NSW before and after Congress and are looking for advice on places to visit particularly in and around Canberra, The Snowy and the South Coast so if you know of some local hidden gems please do find Paul during Congress.

Our first stop Blaxland Riverside Park was a huge success, Carol had read about it in a landscaping magazine and was keen for a visit.  Thankfully the weather there was just overcast.

Blaxland Riverside Park

We had a fun but frustrating day when we reached our destination, the Blue Mountains to the west of Sydney, the weather just wasn't cooperating.At Echo Point The Three Sisters and the Jamison Valley were shrouded in obliterated by mist, Paul and Carol bought a postcard so they would know what they should have seen.

The Three Sisters came out for a few minutes to greet Carol and Paul

While at Echo Point Carol was excited to a Banksia and I was pleased to see the Road Builders' Memorial that I misssed on my last visit.

Blue Mountains Banksia

Road Builders Memorial

After our lunch break at the Paragon in Katoomba which was a hit my hardy co-travellers managed a walk to the Leura Cascades with its beautiful display of ferns. Our drive home was punctuated by a yummy dinner at The Red Spoon at Top Ryde.

A Room at The Paragon, Katoomba

While Paul and I enjoy Congress I think that Mr GeniAus and Carol are going to fit in some sightseeing - I do hope the weather is kind to them.

The Gods were smiling on me

After a few connectivity dramas in the hour prior to last night's GeniAus' Hangout on Air the event went off without a hitch.

Thanks to those Generous Genies who joined me on the panel to discuss Congress 2015. Alex, Carmel, Fran, Jenny, Les and Pauleen you were fantastic panelists, I am sorry that I put you on the spot on a few occasions. Your contributions will be most useful to Congress attendees and those who cannot join us.

There were some excellent comments made in the video comments thread last night some of which I will add below in case you can't access the comments thread for the Hangout. These comments add value to the video content.

Carmel said "Meant to comment on air - if there is a time slot where there is not a session that is of particular interest to you, give yourself permission to take a break. Time may be better spent following up something learned or indeed going for a walk. :"

Fran said: "And here is the link to my post on the conference with some of the basics for first timers like me. http://travelgenee.com/affho-congress-briefing/"

Sherie said "I think we need to do a blog post on what talks / speakers we are going to - it will be interesting to see what other people are attending & who is going to be at the talks I'm attending." Any takers?

I said: "People in the Hangout mentioned Carol Baxter - you may be interested in this interview I recorded with her last year https://youtu.be/wSDmgPq63zQ"


Carmel said: "National Capital Exhibition at Regatta Point is worth visiting https://www.nationalcapital.gov.au/index.php/attractions-managed-by-the-nca/national-capital-exhibition"

Alex said: "National Film and Sound Archives were absolutely wonderful when I requested material from them last year. Of course you had to pay for it but it was very reasonable and a very quick service."

Please remember that the hashtag for Congress is #AFFHO

And finally here's the Hangout video:

Congress Presenter - Pauleen Cass

Together with my fellow 2015 Congress Official Bloggers Pauleen Cass and Shauna Hicks I will be sharing interviews with Congress presenters, attendees and organisers on this blog from time to time. These may be in the form of written responses to questions we pose or they may be videos we record using Google Hangouts on Air.

I thank Congress presenter and official blogger Pauleen Cass for being first cab off the rank, Pauleen and I hooked up earlier this week for a Google Hangout on Air where we discussed family history and Congress matters. You can watch Pauleen's interview below in this post or via this link at my Youtube channel.

Will I take the beads?

Blogger Beads

The countdown is on, it's just seven more sleeps till I pack my gadgets and a few clothes and set off down the motorway to a nation's capital, Canberra.

I haven't blogged as much about the 29th Annual Conference of the NSW & ACT Association of Family History Societies as I did about last year's conference. Perhaps it is because, as a workshop presenter and a helper on the Gould Genealogy table in 2012,  I felt more involved with the conference.

Now that it is just a week away I am getting rather excited about the event, especially the opportunity it presents to catch up with my geneablogging friends. I just heard today that Shauna Hicks and Helen Smith will be travelling down from Queensland, I know that Jenny Joyce and Jackie van Bergen from the Ku-ring-gai Historical Society will be there, so too will Michelle Nichols from the Hawkesbury Family History Group.

I'm wondering how many other Geneabloggers are attending the conference. Should I bring along my bag of blogger beads? Will you wear them? Can we make a time for a group photo?

I also communicated with the Conference Organisers via Facebook and, with input from Shauna Hicks, agreed on a hashtag for the conference. If you intend tweeting about the conference please use the hashtag #NSWACT13.

Please let me know if you are going to be at the conference so that we can organise a time for a Geneabloggers' get together.

Not just Ned: a true history of the Irish in Australia...

... is an exhibition I had been looking forward to visiting since I heard Richard Reid talk about planning for it  at the SAG Irish Day last year. Richard displayed such enthusiasm for the exhibition and passion for the Irish in Australia that I knew I had to attend.

The exhibition was my last stop this morning before travelling back home after a  few days break in Canberra. As Mr Geniaus was busy with work I dragged a friend, who also has Irish heritage, along with me. My friend hadn't heard much about the exhibition even though he lives in Canberra, not far from the National Museum of Australia where the exhibition is housed, and had no idea of what he would see.

The excellent exhibition, that shows many artefacts begged and borrowed from institutions and individuals from Australia and overseas, has a wealth of information about the Irish in Australia. Highlighted in the exhibition, in addition to Ned Kelly and his notorious gang, are many famous and infamous Australians of Irish heritage, their stories are told with photos, maps, video, sound and  artefacts.

There is a reading area that has a collection of books on Ireland, the Irish in Australia and Irish genealogy; unfortunately, as there were no copies of these for sale, the Museum is probably missing out on  some extra revenue. I did manage to buy a couple of books from the small collection that was for sale. Additionally in a corner of the retail/reading area there is a family history area with a few PCs that visitors can use to research their family history. It would be useful if there was a person available to help budding genealogists use the resources on these PCs.

Les Darcy - Locket

What I didn't realise was how much I would be emotionally affected by my visit, how many memories  of my early years it would dredge up and what a connection I would feel while in the exhibition space. It was because of  Patrick and Ellen, Bridget, Denis and Eliza, Mary, Michael and Catherine, Mary, Margaret and Ann, my Irish ancestors, that I felt such closeness. I recalled spending many hours with my grandmother, who was born in Australia and had never left its shores, talk longingly of Ireland and teaching me Irish songs like "The Rose of Tralee". That grandmother's cousin, boxer Les D'arcy, was one sportsman featured in the exhibition. I have not been able to find evidence to support her claim but am confident that, as they lived near each other in NSW and came from the same place in Ireland, that there is a relationship to our D'Arcy ancestors.

Hearing a recording of  "Hail Queen of Heaven" reminded me of my years in a catholic school and seeing the model of Tarmons, the first site of St Vincent's Hospital, and later part of St. Vincent's College caused me to reflect on my schooldays and the influence the Sisters of Charity.

When I saw the chalice that Father Therry, the pioneer priest, used in the early years of the colony tears welled up. Father Therry baptised my 2 x great grandfather, Patrick Curry. Patrick's parents, my convict ancestors Patrick Curry and Ellen Moore, would have taken communion from this cup when Father Therry visited the area near Camden Park where they lived. I was  glad that I had a friend with me with whom I could share my joy at seeing that object. Sadly, as photography is not allowed, I was not able to take a photo of the chalice to add to my family story.

I learnt so much about Australia from this exhibition and have added too many books to my "to buy" and "to read" lists; I am now anxious to organise another more leisurely trip to Ireland than my last one. My friend was thrilled that I had taken him along and, as our tickets allowed re-entry on the day, was returning  to continue his exploration after dropping me back to my hotel.

Not just Ned - Catalogue

The highlight of the day was when my friend called me over to see the exhibit on The Irish Memorial at Waverley Cemetery. He knew that he was a direct descendant of an Irish Rebel from Wicklow called Michael Dwyer (a cousin now deceased had given him this information) but did not know where he was buried; he discovered at the exhibition today that his ancestors Michael Dwyer and his wife, Mary, are buried in that monument and that "it was the largest funeral Sydney had seen with 400 horse-drawn carriages following the hearse in a procession of 10,000 people watched by 100,000 others." (Source)

I would have liked more time at the exhibition but am pleased that I was able to have a couple of hours there. The beautiful catalogue of the exhibition that I purchased will ensure that I can revisit and read about the event for years to come. If only it had a picture of Father Therry's chalice it would be perfect.

I would recommend this exhibition to anyone irrespective of their heritage, it is a must for those with a connection to Ireland  who should head for Canberra before the exhibition closes on July 31.

Event of interest to genealogists - next weekend at The National Museum of Australia, Canberra

Family memory making: Matching heirlooms with stories

Saturday 27 February 2010, 10am to 12.30pm

Learn how to skilfully document your family treasures and heritage in this two part workshop and discover the difference between ‘stuff’ and family heirlooms.

Cost: $120 for two family members to attend both workshops.
Saturday 27 February (Workshop 1)
Saturday 27 March (Workshop 2)
Bookings essential on (02) 6208 5048
Friends Lounge