Loud and clear

I didn't join the weekly SAG hangout yesterday afternoon because my headset is on its last legs.

While I'm not a "gamer" earlier this week I made a purchase of a piece of gaming technology from Amazon AU. I was hoping that it would be delivered by 4pm so I could join my genimates at The SAG but it didn't arrive until way after dark. 

This morning I plugged the new device in and fired up a zoom session to give it a test run. If you listen to the zoom recording below you'll see that the new tech works.

FYI My purchase was a Logitech G432 Gaming Headset. It was only $AU85 and came with free delivery. 

When I plugged it in it was immediately detected by my computer, it's reasonably light and comfortable and appears to work. I'm pleased with my purchase.

From the Archives - Into the 21st Century with SAG

In the ten years since I penned the post below I have hosted and presented several webinars in the Society of Australian Genealogists Education Program. 

From one session a month in 2011 the Society now hosts several sessions each week, some are presented on the GotoWebinar platform while many are now presented on Zoom which allows for easier interactive participation by attendees. 

For five years I have been a proud member of the SAG Education Committee which assists and advises the staff of the Society with program delivery and development. We regularly host international expert presenters from overseas which provide our members access to learn from geneastars without having to grab a passport and hop on a plane.  Recently the SAG opened up attendance at these sessions to non-members so genies anywhere in Australia and overseas can learn from home. 

Since the Covid19 pandemic hit in March 2020 all SAG events have been delivered online giving members in regional and remote areas opportunities to receive high quality education.  The popular Members' Hangouts during the pandemic have given members an opportunity to socialise and chat while absorbing online tips and shared stories from fellow researchers. I know more SAG members now than I ever did during my many years of membership.

You can access the SAG Education Program here on their website, https://www.sag.org.au/events.

Following is my report of the very first hangout in 2011. Thanks to Heather Garney and Martyn Killion for their vision in launching this impressive program.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Into the 21st Century with SAG

Thursday night, with Captain Heather Garnsey at the helm, I joined around 60 other members  of  SAG (The Society of Australian Genealogists) in SAG's first paid webinar for members. It is so good to see this organisation employing technology to reach out to members.

Thanks Heather for permission to post this image

Genealogists from a number of Australian States and rural and metropolitan areas in NSW joined Heather for the event. Instead of an hour's trip by car to get to SAG in the city I only had to spend a few minutes firing up the computer to get my fix of CGD. For members who live in rural areas getting to SAG for educational events is extremely difficult. Hopefully this initiative will snag a few new members for SAG.

I salute Heather on her competent management of the GoToWebinar software that is used for delivery. She did a great job drivng it while presenting her talk. As SAG are charging $10 for the webinar and, as they should be getting the software for a song (hope Aussie organisations get the great deals available to non-profit organisations in the US), perhaps they could afford to have another person online to support the presenter.

NSW Shipping Records Online was the topic for Heather's talk. Although introductory in nature I learnt a few new tricks from the talk that concentrated on online records at Ancestry.com.au and State Records of NSW.   Added to my todo list is to take a look at these records for the ancestors whose immigration details I found years ago - I should be able to find more details to flesh their profiles. After her formal presentation Heather responded to attendees questions.

Webinars are a wonderful way to present educational and information sessions via the web. I attend on average one per week, this week I have tuned into three. A list of webinars available to genealogists can be found at the Geneawebinars calendar. The SAG webinars are not listed on this site

Future SAG Webinars

It appears that SAG has at least one webinar a month scheduled for the future. Anyone is able to visit the SAG site to find details of these forthcoming educational offerings (scroll to bottom of page) but you will have to become a member to join in.

If a job's worth doing...

 ... you know the answer!

Moons ago I chatted with a fellow descendant about my 2xGreat-grandfather, Patrick Curry, and his lack of a baptismal record. I said that a task on my to do list was to go through all the digitised images of early St Mary's Cathedral Baptisms to see if I could find one for Patrick that had missed being indexed. The cousin said it had been done and there was no record for Patrick in the indexes.

As a green (and much younger) genealogist I believed this person. I thought it funny that there was no record for Patrick as his siblings had all been baptised but left it at that.

A while ago it hit me that I should really check the films for myself; they are only available in a few locations one of which is at the library of The Society of Australian Genealogists. These registers were filmed as part of the Joint Copying Project (JCP) between the Society of Australian Genealogists, National Library of Australia and the Mitchell Library.

I recently had a chance to visit Sydney so I booked into the library for a research session. The lovely librarian, Lorraine, got me set up at a reader with the correct film:

Church register of St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney and St John's, Campbelltown Roman Catholic. [microform] :)

and off I went. My winding arm and eyes got plenty of exercise as I wound through the pages checking each baptism record from 1832 (when the first child of the marriage was baptised) onwards. 

Winding and looking at SAG

After about 45 minutes I found the record at the top of a page.

I knew it was my Patrick from the date and mother's name.

I was so excited that I didn't realise, until I got home and took a good look at the record that Patrick's surname wasn't listed on the register. He was recorded as "Patrick of Patrick ? by his wife Ellen Moore". 

A visit to the NSW Birth Index and a few searches returned this record:

It was interesting to note that the baptism was not a family affair as it appears that Ellen was not accompanied to the baptism by Patrick Curry Senior. I am wondering if the sponsors John Leary and Elizabeth Lucas were known to Ellen or just some random people who happened to be nearby at the time.

Fellow genealogists will appreciate how excited I was to find this one simple record that adds more detail to an ancestor's story. 

If it's worth doing - do it yourself.

Networking News

Sometime last year I was speaking with Jess Dowdell who is responsible for community education at Lake Macquarie City Council. Jess  indicated that there was a huge interest in family history from people who visit the Lake Mac Libraries and that she would like to organise an introductory course to be delivered through the libraries.

In these days when many people research their family history independently and mostly on the internet they do not belong to local societies but turn to their local libraries for help. Sometimes the local libraries need help in giving appropriate assistance.

As the president of the local family history group at Lake Macquarie  I felt that although we could deliver such course it would put a strain on our resources especially during Covid times. I thought that it would be worthwhile to organise such a course through a larger organisation with access to a stable of experienced presenters. I put Jess in contact with the Executive Officer at the Society of Australian Genealogists (The SAG) and they entered into some discussions. As a result Jess, on behalf of Lake Macquarie Council, invited The SAG to deliver a course for them.  As a local genie I was included in the event planning via zoom and email and hopefully contributed some useful ideas to the course outline which was curated by Education Officer, Vanessa Cassin, in consultation with SAG Officers.

Yesterday I was thrilled to walk into the Speers Point Library for the first of a six part series to be delivered at the that library over the coming months. I and the 30+ participants were greeted with smiles from Jess and Vanessa who would deliver the presentation. I was accompanied by Karen our Treasurer from the Lake Macquarie Family History Group, we were able to chat with the participants about their research, distribute a small flyer outlining our activities and most importantly lend Vanessa a hand during the practical component of the session.

Vanessa Cassin, Education Officer from The SAG

I congratulate Jess on the organization of the event (the afternoon tea was scrumptious) and  the airconditioned library with onsite parking and the Library Service’s Family History Collection was  a perfect site. Vanessa was a knowledgeable presenter who was able to speak without notes and just a small number of slides that gave structure to her presentation and reinforced her messages to attendees. Vanessa engaged the participants with her warm and friendly manner and she answered questions when they arose thus giving a collaborative element to the presentation. It was not just chalk and talk. Vanessa's presentation was supported by copious notes that were printed and distributed by Council staff.

I was proud to be involved in this collaborative exercise between a local authority, a local family history group and the premium genealogy society in Australia. Now that The SAG has developed this course I hope that other local government bodies or smaller family history groups will work with SAG to deliver this course in person or via Zoom. 

Socially distanced and engaged learners at Speers Point Library

Two or more birds with one stone

 If I was asked to list my interests apart from genealogy and living family I would nominate reading, travel and photography. I love to share my enthusiasm for these pursuits in person, print and online.

I revel in those times when I can kill two or more birds with one stone and undertake activities that allow me to indulge in more than one of these interests. 

During these Covid times I've had a regular date at 4pm on a Friday with a cup of coffee and members of The Society of Australian Genealogists. Each week members of this group from all over Australia hang out together online via Zoom to discuss a genealogy related topic. I have to admit that while some of the discussions are interesting I have relished the opportunity to put names to faces and communicate with fellow members of the Society. These events have added a human dimension to the Society's educational program and have given a platform for members to share some of their stories and associated brickwalls.

This afternoon I am thrilled that I will be hosting the final SAG Hang Out for 2020. The topic "Summer Reading" will give me an opportunity to have a bookish chat with fellow family historians. How great is that? It will be difficult to curb my enthusiasm and remember that, as I am wearing the host hat, my role is to encourage attendees to share their recommendations for must-read books both old and new. 

If you are coming along please bring details of your fave books to share.

PS Apologies to the gentleman on an Hawaiian beach who was so absorbed in his reading that he didn't notice me taking his photo (I have quite a collection of snaps from all over the world of  readers with their heads buried in books).

Saving Reverend Ryan

 On Saturday I shared the story of Michael Harrington Ryan, my GGGUncle who was a pioneer priest in Australia, at The Society of Australian Genealogists event : In search of ... My Irish Ancestor.

My Presentation - Slide 1

Although I have been researching my Ryan line since the 1980s it was not until 2012 that serendipity found Michael for me, I was immediately captivated by his story. In my presentation I talked about my discovery of Michael and the chase to find and verify his life story. I shared a few highlights of Michael's life, read excerpts from some of his letters and showed how and where I saved all of the information I have gathered on Michael.

When I volunteered to do this talk I said that I would do a 30 minute presentation, in retrospect I should have been brave and put my hand up for 60 minutes and given a more sedate and complete presentation. Having sat through so many boring presentations about other people's ancestors over the years I was concerned about spoiling the day with a lengthy, tedious talk.

While I tried to mention the many resources I have used in tracking Michael and his family and learning about his life and times I neglected to share a proper list for attendees. The following list details some of the places visited and resources used in my hunt for Michael.  Although incomplete it may be of use to other researchers. It clearly demonstrates that you can't do it all online. 

As for the future I will continue to chase Michael and try to get access to the Catholic Diocesan Archives in Sydney, Hobart, Maitland/Newcastle and Westminster (England) which I suspect have many letters to and from Michael and accurate details of his postings. As these repositories aren't too fond of family historians I will need to spin a good yarn to see their files.

Visits

• Athlone, Westmeath - County Westmeath Local Studies http://www.westmeathcoco.ie/en/ourservices/library/explorewestmeath/localstudies/ 
• Castletown Geoghegan, Westmeath - St Michael's Church and Cemetery
• Castletown Geoghegan, Westmeath  - Old Cemetery
• Dublin - EPIC Ireland https://epicchq.com/
• Dublin - National Library of Ireland https://www.nli.ie/
• Kilbeggan,Westmeath  - Cemetery
• Lagacurry, Ballyliffin,  Donegal - Doagh Famine Village http://www.doaghfaminevillage.com/
• Omagh, Tyrone - Ulster American Folk Park
  https://www.nmni.com/our-museums/ulster-american-folk-park/
• Canberra, ACT - National Library of Australia https://www.nla.gov.au/ 
• Kingswood, NSW - NSW State Archives and Records https://www.records.nsw.gov.au/ 
• Sydney, NSW - State Library of New South Wales https://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/

Books and Journal Articles

• Abbott, Vincent  A Parish called Westmeath.  Mullingar,Westmeath :Vincent Abbott, n.d.
• All Hallows' College centenary celebrations at Sydney and Bathurst. [Australia : Catholic Church], 1942 
• Atkinson, Alan Camden : farm and village life in early New South Wales. Oxford University Press, 1988
• Birt, Henry Norbert Benedictine pioneers in Australia. London : Polding, 1911?
• Camden pioneer register : 1800-1920 3rd ed. Camden, N.S.W. : Camden Area Family History Society, 2008.
• Campbell, Harold The Diocese of Maitland, 1866-1966. Maitland, N.S.W. : Th. Dimmock Printers, 1966. 
  
• Clerke, Ron The churchyard cemetery of St John's Camden. Wollongong [N.S.W.] : Illawarra Family History Group, 1989.
• Condon, Kevin  The Missionary College of All Hallows, 1842-1891.  Dublin : All Hallows College, 1986. (Also available online: http://allhallows.ie/cms/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/The-Missionary.pdf)
• Connell, Gretta  Tracing Your Westmeath Ancestors, Glenageary, Co. Dublin Flyleaf Press, 2012.
• Coyne, J. Stirling The Scenery and antiquities of Ireland. London : Mercury Books, 2003
• Crow, Vincent  A history of St Mary's Cathedral Schools. Sydney : Christian Brother's High School, St. Mary's Cathedral, 1984.
  
• Dunleavy, John All Hallows College, Dublin: The alma mater of the church in Victoria.   Footprints, Vol. 28, No. 1, Jun 2013: 20-25
• Grenham, John Tracing your Irish ancestors : the complete guide. 4th ed. Dublin : Gill & Macmillan, [2012]
• Gwynne, Aubrey Father John Joseph Therry : founder of the Church in Australia. Dublin : "Irish Messenger" Office for St. Joseph's Young Priests' Society, 1924
• McCormack, Stan Kilbeggan Past and Present. Kilbeggan, Co. Westmeath?] : Stan McCormack, Jim Remembering All Hallows College. Maynooth:St Pauls Publishing, 2017
• McCullough, Joseph A Pocket History of Ireland. Dublin : Gill & Macmillan, 2010.
• McDevitt, John Father Hand: founder of All Hallows Catholic College for the foreign missions : the story of a great servant of God. Dublin : M.H. Gill & Son, 1885. 
• McIntyre Ireland townlands 1901. CDRom. [Spit Junction, N.S.W.?] : PR Ireland, c2009.
  
• Moore, Edmund With Dr Polding to Australia. Downside Review Volume: 32 issue: 1, page(s): 69-92, published: March 1, 1913
• Moran, Patrick Francis History of the Catholic Church in Australasia from authentic sources. Sydney : Oceanic Publishing Co., [189-?]. 
• O'Donoghue, Frances The Bishop of Botany Bay : the life of John Bede Polding, Australia's first Catholic Archbishop. London ; Sydney : Angus & Robertson, 1982.
• O'Donnell, Thomas Centenary of All Hallows College. Studies: An Irish Quarterly Review , Dec., 1942, Vol. 31, No. 124 (Dec., 1942), pp 429-437.
• O'Farrell, Patrick St. Mary's Cathedral, Sydney, 1821-1971. [Surry Hills, N.S.W.] : Devonshire Press for St. Mary's Cathedral, 1971.
• Reid, Richard Not just Ned : a true history of the Irish in Australia. Canberra : National Museum of Australia Press, 2011.
  
• Records of All Hallows College, Dublin (as filmed by the AJCP) : [M871-874], 1842-1956. [Microform] Canberra : Australian Joint Copying Project, [19--].
• Reid, Richard Farewell My Children : Irish Assisted Emigration to Australia 1848-1870. Spit Junction, NSW : Anchor Books Australia, 2011.
  
• Sheehan, Jeremiah  South Westmeath : farm and folk. Dublin : Blackwater, c1978.
• Sheehan, Jeremiah  Westmeath, as others saw it :being excerpts from the writings of 35 authors, who recorded their observations on various aspects of Westmeath and its people, from 900 AD to the present day. Avila, Moate, Westmeath : J. Sheehan, 1982
• Sheehy, P J Archpriest Therry : the pioneer priest who founded the first Catholic Church in Australia, October 29, 1821. Melbourne : A.C.T.S., [1921]
• Waldersee, Catholic Society in Australia 1788-1860. Sydney : Sydney University Press, 1974.
• Woods, James  Annals of Westmeath, ancient and modern. Sealy, Bryers & Co.: Dublin, 1907.
• Wynne, Roger From Portland Bay to Moreton Bay. Australian Catholic Record, Vol 53 July 1976. pp275-284. 

Online

• All Hallows Missionary College http://www.allhallows.ie/missionary.php
  
• British Library  https://www.bl.uk/
• British Newspaper Archive https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/
• FindMyPast Irish and English newspapers https://www.findmypast.com.au/
• Geniaus' Family Site  http://www.geniaus.net/index.php
• Google Maps  https://www.google.com/maps/
• Immigration Place Australia https://immigrationplace.com.au/
• Irish Genealogy.ie  https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/en/
• Irish Ancestors https://www.johngrenham.com/
• Michael Ryan letters at AJCP  https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-2703075310/view 
• The National Archives, Ireland  https://www.nationalarchives.ie/
• The National Archives, UK   https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/
• NSW State Records and Archives https://www.records.nsw.gov.au/
• Patrick O'Farrell  1933-2003  http://www.patrickofarrell.com/
• Society of Australian Genealogists www.sag.org.au
• State Library of NSW https://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/
• Tasmanian Archives and Heritage  https://www.libraries.tas.gov.au/archive-heritage/Pages/default.aspx
• Trove Australia (Nearly 200 items from all categories ie not limited to newspapers) trove.nla.gov.au
• Wikipedia  https://www.wikipedia.org/
• Worldcat  https://www.worldcat.org/

Dear Jill ... Best Wishes Bill

I often get follow up questions from people who attend my webinars.

This week I heard from Bill who came along to the session I presented for The Society of Australian Genealogists on Online or E Books for Genealogy. Rather than answering Bill personally I thought that I would address his queries in a blog post. So here goes.

1. Which is your eReader of choice, for both being pleasant to use and for crossing the platforms?

 I currently use my Samsung Galaxy Note phone to read my eBooks but, as I have ramped up my reading of eBooks recently, I decided to take the plunge and purchase an eReader. 

I want something lightweight, that has a display that combats eye strain and is compatible with the apps I regularly use. I only need wifi access to the internet. My choice was a Kindle Paperwhite 32gig because it is light at about 190 grams, has a reasonable amount of storage, has a kind to the eyes display and is waterproof. However using it to download ebooks with the apps from my local library is a multistep process. These devices can be found online for under $AU200.

2.         For reading colour and larger format publications, which eReader suits?  For one example, the http://www.whodoyouthinkyouaremagazine.com/.

One of the reasons that I haven't committed to an eReader is that they don't yet deal with colour although I have read that this is coming to eReaders in 2020! See https://goodereader.com/blog/e-paper/will-you-buy-a-color-e-reader-next-year.

Although its screen is tiny I read colour magazines on my phone or during the day I read them on my laptop. Neither of these is ideal. I have a large heavy android tablet that I bought when I though Bigger is Better. It is too heavy and cumbersome for comfortable reading. 

I am now leaning towards buying a light 7" wifi only Android tablet that will cost only a few $$ more than an eReader. It won't solve the eyestrain problem but it will give me the flexibility to view in colour and use a range of eBook formats that I have with my Android phone. With a mini SD card inserted I will have enough space to store all my books on the device. My credit card is at the ready I just need to take the plunge!

3.         And on magazines, which do you access online for family history and easily readable?

I have to admit that I am not a great fan of printed mags in digital format. The only ones I browse are those from the local library's RBDigital collection. I still get the SAG journal in a printed format!

4.         Looking at the State Library, it seems their ProReader defaults to Adobe Reader.  OK?

Newcastle Library also provides these resources. I have downloaded the required app to my Android phone and I'm not aware of any issues. Adobe have a guide on their website. 

5.         Woollahra Library seems to have RBdigital for magazines and books, Overdrive, Bolinda, indyreads and EBSCO for books – haven’t researched them all!

I'm a member of three public libraries who each have different options available. I find some of their search functions difficult to operate. I'm currently fulfilling my reading for pleasure needs via the Libby app from Overdrive, I've used EBSCO resources widely over the years and am dabbling with others. 

6.         Seemingly a lot to take in

I hope these rambling are of some use Bill. Good luck with your eReading. 

Rescheduled

I was disappointed a few weeks ago when we lost our phone line and internet connection. I discovered this just a day before I was to present a webinar for The Society of Australian Genealogists on Online Books for Genealogy. Telstra managed to fix our issue in just under three weeks but that was too late for the webinar.

Online Books for Genealogy is topical for any time but is even more appropriate now that many of us are on self isolation. I'm thrilled that the webinar has been rescheduled as a lot of  time and energy went into its preparation. I hope to see may fellow members of SAG online for the webinar on April 9th. You can book on the Society website.

An Academic Family?

2019 is a year of travel for Mr GeniAus and me. As we trot around the globe I try to keep up with Geneanews and most days manage to share some Geneagems on my Facebook Page.

I somehow missed the release of the video about The Society Of Australian Genealogists  that I am sharing below. The intended audience of the video was retirees or seniors so those (except for Heather Garnsey) who featured in the video were closer to 80 than 18.

I'm a retiree who volunteers on The Education Committee at SAG and each year present a few talks, webinars and workshops on their Education program.

The Society, however, is not just for seniors. I think that I am the oldest person on the Education Committee! Many of the people who attend my talks are below retirement age and the person at the helm of the Society, our President, Melissa Hulbert, is young enough to be my daughter.

The narrator in the video described the Society Members as an Academic Family,  that sounds a bit offputting and pretentious to me. We members are not all academics we are a diverse community of passionate people and lifelong learners who are keen to discover our roots and share our ancestors' stories.

Trove Tuesday - Society of Australian Genealogists

I have spent quite a deal of time on Trove over the past few days as I prepare a workshop on Trove for The Society of Australian Genealogists. During my Trove visit my attention wandered a few times and I found myself searching for articles on the Society. Reading these has given me a bit more knowledge of the organisation's history.

These items were found in Government Gazettes and Newspapers.

1932 'SOCIETY OF GENEALOGISTS.', The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), 30 August, p. 8. , viewed 11 Mar 2019, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article16915901

Add caption1932 'A NEW ONE.', Daily Examiner (Grafton, NSW : 1915 - 1954), 3 October, p. 2. , viewed 11 Mar 2019, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article192136094

1949 'Move To Save Bronte House', The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), 29 August, p. 2. , viewed 11 Mar 2019, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18126364

1954 'OLD INSCRIPTIONS SAVED', The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), 6 December, p. 7. , viewed 11 Mar 2019, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18453734

1983 'EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS (STAMP DUTIES EXEMPTION) ACT, 1961', Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales (Sydney, NSW : 1901 - 2001), 11 November, p. 5090. , viewed 11 Mar 2019, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article231426893

101 Reasons to Attend #congress_2018 - SAG

The Society of Australian Genealogists or SAG is hosting our conference. If you stay an extra couple of days in Sydney around Congress time you should pay a visit to the Society's sites.

In this video the Society Archivist, Ralph Hawkins, talks about manuscripts and images at the Society.

Back on Board

Those of you who are my Facebook friends will know that I was back on board a cruise ship for a few weeks this month and so my geneablogging suffered.

Mr GeniAus enjoyed our sojourn at sea where we journeyed from Auckland up to Singapore with about a dozen stops along the way, some old, some new. As lifelong learners we appreciate the opportunities cruising gives us to visit new lands and learn about people and places via the Smithsonian lecture program provided on board.

Our dear little ship, Seven Seas Navigator, in Akaroa, New Zealand

I got back into the swing of genealogy yesterday when I presented my Geneagoogling: effective Google searching talk at The Society of Australian Genealogists to a lively and responsive group. There were some familiar faces in the audience as well as folk who were new to me. It was pleasing to meet a couple of young genies at the session.

One of these genies, Nyree, mentioned that she has a blog. Of course I took a look at it on the way home and was impressed by its professional appearance. Do take a look at One Girl's Family History : an outlet for an obsession and leave a comment for Nyree. We need to encourage new, young geneabloggers.

I was chuffed when one familiar face chatted with me. It was Susan whom I had met through Wyong Family History Group. Susan is also a user of my favourite program Family Historian but it was something that Susan said that made me go all coy.

As a sometime genealogy presenter I often wonder if I have had any effect on the people who are in my audiences. Do they come along, listen, think that was interesting but then go about their business without taking on board any of things I have mentioned. Susan indicated that I had inspired her to put her information on the internet and that she had crested three websites following a workshop day I had presented at Wyong a couple of years ago.

Susan has used Weebly to post her family history data and stories on the internet. Take a look at her three sites:  Crust Family from Queensland, Glennan Family from Cooma and Andrews and Jones Families. I was absolutely chuffed to discover that someone had heeded my advice and created this wonderful trio of resources. I was even more thrilled when I read this in the about me page of one of Susan's sites " After attending a workshop on "Family History in the Modern Era", and being inspired by the presenter, Jill Ball, I decided to put my research on the internet. . It's a great way to share my family history research with family members and hopefully, the many photographs I've collected over the past 40 years will not be lost."

While I was at sea I received an invitation to present a program to the Forster Family History Advisory Group at The Great Lakes Library. I look forward to meeting the genies up on the north coast in November.

Geneagoogling with GeniAus

It's only two weeks until I present this lecture at The Society of Australian Genealogists. A check on the website today has indicated that there are still spaces available. The course is open to both member and non-members.  Full details can be found here on the Society website.

I'm presently updating my talk. I just hope that Google doesn't make any radical changes to its product in the next two weeks.

102 Audience Members.....

.... and I couldn't see one of them.

I started to write this post many moons ago and it has languised in my drafts folder. Rather than delete it I am posting it as a record for myself which you are welcome to read.

Thanks to The Society of Australian Genealogists (SAG) for giving me an opportunity to present as part of  a panel session in their first online "Lost in" conference.

While I have been in the audience for several webinars I have never taken on the role of the presenter. I'll use a favourite method, PMI, to evaluate my experience.

Plus
I was thrilled to be taking part in this first SAG online conference.
I was able to present from home.
The interface caused no problems.
My connection held.
I learnt a few tips.
I was able to reach a new audience in distant locations.
My performance must have been ok as I have received subsequent invitations to present for SAG.

Minus
I could not see the audience and felt very alone while presenting.
I missed the interaction one has with a live audience.
I had to talk too fast.
One of my co-presenters went way over her allocated time and ate into our discussion time.

Interesting
I managed to keep to time.
It was good to see the unique ways co-presenters used Excel and Powerpoint.
Although it was an online event there was practically no discussion on social media channels.

SAG at Hawkesbury

I had a pleasant time at the Society of Australian Genealogists event in the Hawkesbury last Saturday.

Michelle Nichols

When I arrived early at Windsor Library Danielle Lautrec, Education Officer from SAG, was in attendance and ready with her clipboard to welcome attendees. When the Library opened at 9am we all trooped in to be welcomed by Michelle Nichols, Hawkesbury Local Studies Librarian and font of local knowledge. Our group of a dozen plus (I didn't count) settled into one of the library's comfortable meeting rooms.

Danielle introduced herself and asked us to share our Hawkesbury connections. I think only one attendee didn't have Hawkesbury connections. After this round table Michelle entertained us with her  talk on early history of the Hawkesbury which gave us lots of information to add colour to names and dates in our family trees. Although I had heard this talk before I still learnt lots as Michelle tailors her talks to each audience she addresses.

Following the history Michelle discussed the resources in the local studies collection at Windsor. It is a well-stocked collection with many genealogy resources for people researching in New South Wales and beyond. After this intro we adjourned to the local history area to do some personal research. The local history section at Windsor is in a bright and comfortable corner of the library and is a pleasant environment in which to work.

The Local Studies Area at Hawkesbury Library, Windsor

At 12:30pm some of the group adjourned to the historic Macquarie Arms Hotel for sustenance and a chat. After we had refuelled Danielle took us on a visit to the adjacent Hawkesbury Regional Museum. Both the Hawkesbury Library and Museum are housed in spacious, modern buildings. The Council is to be commended on its support of local heritage and history.

This was a fab format for a SAG event. Thanks to Danielle for looking after the group and Michelle for the presentations and guidance.

I hope SAG organises more regional visits in the future. I would love to do a similar visit to Camden where my Curry ancestors were early inhabitants.

Cemetery Collections of the SAG

What I now like about the webinars from the Society of Australian Genealogists is that, if one can't listen to the webinar live, one has an option to go back and listen to a recording at a later date.

When this Society first offered webinars one had to listen to them live and I missed a couple that I had paid for because something else came up at the scheduled time. The most recent webinar that I signed up for was Cemetery Collections of the SAG with Heather Garnsey, Executive Officer, speaking about the cemetery records and information that the society has available for members. I had intended listening to this live but when an opportunity to have dinner with some fellow genealogists and Judy G Russell in Sydney came up I ditched the webinar. Soon after the webinar I received an email with a link indicating that I would be able to watch or listen to the program at my leisure in the next few weeks.

I've had an informative and pleasant time this morning listening to Heather give her presentation which reminded me of the treasures that the Society of Australian Genealogists has for us in its collection. Although I have been a member for a number of years I rarely visit the Society in the city but having listened to Heather I realise that it's time for a visit.

I haven't thought much about what the collection might hold for me but I was surprised to learn that there were maps, indexes, photographs, memorial cards, memorial booklets, stonemasons records', funeral directors' records and other cemetery ephemera in the collection.

The value of this collection is that it is an historical collection containing records produced in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It includes contemporary records for cemeteries that no longer exist like the Old Sydney Burial Ground and Camperdown Cemetery.

On my CurryAus surname study task list now is a task to search for Curry in the catalogues at the society. A browse of the cemetery records in the Society's library is another job for me.

As I am now able to watch the Society's webinars at a time that suits me I will enrol in several more.  The provision of webinars has certainly added value to the subscription I pay to the Society each year. It was also pleasing to hear Heather say that even more online offerings will be coming from the Society for members in the future.

I have been known to grumble about the fees charged by the Society but realise that these, coupled with the work of an army of volunteers, provide me with access to a very valuable collection.

Wonderful Webinar

It's spooky listening to a recording of oneself but this morning I took the plunge and listened to the webinar I presented on blogging for The Society of Australian Genealogists as part of the Your Family History Online event last Saturday. 

I needed to do this as I am presenting another webinar next weekend. This time for The Surname Society's Annual Online Conference and I wanted to evaluate my performance and work out where I might be able to make some improvements. The first thing that struck me is that I have a very casual presence and delivery but that's me, I am an amateur after all. I was pleased that I didn't use too many ums but I was a bit slow in places and had a few pauses that were a little long. I must improve on my flow but not speak too quickly.

What surprised me was my use of the word wonderful, I used it far too often so I must find an alternative superlative. Another word I used few times was absolutely, perhaps I should learn to say yes!

I did sound huskier and less confident than usual. I was concerned about getting through the session because I have been suffering from a chest infection and asthma for a couple of weeks. I was a little short on breath but I made it. A couple of times I had to cough and apologize but I don't think it came across as badly as what I felt during the session. This should not be an issue for my next webinar.

I had a tech hiccup at the start when I was endeavouring to show my screen but once I got that going it was plain sailing.

This was the first long webinar I have presented using the GotoWebinar platform. I have usually presented on the more interactive Google Hangouts on Air platform which I prefer. I find the GotoWebinar, as it was used on Saturday, is a very restrictive "chalk and talk" type of delivery. I prefer to have more intëraction with my audience, to be able to see them or to be able to have their comments come in as I am speaking. It doesn't bother me having the flow of my presentation interrupted to answer questions as they come up. I like to involve attendees n my presentations.

What I found encouraging and interesting was that many of the things I mentioned were also mentioned in presentations by the other speakers, Michelle Patient and Judy Keena. It was good to see we were singing from the same songsheet even though we didn't confer prior to the event.

I'd like to thank The Society of Australian Genealogists for inviting me to take part in their event on Saturday and Executive Officer, Heather Garnsey, for her kind words and moderation of my session.

I was delighted to be able to share my passion for Geneablogging with fellow family historians. I hope that one or two of those who listened might dip their toes into blogging waters.  A few people have already purchased Amy Coffin's ebook that I mentioned during my talk.  It was gratifying to read that one of the attendees, Lilian, has already taken on some of my blogging suggestions and is incorporating them in her blog. 

That is the sort of reward one hopes to have after presenting a session. 

Judy sailed in ....

....and blew us away.

The small but enthusiastic audience that gathered at SAG for the Unlock the Past Event in Sydney yesterday were winners in the genealogy stakes. Those who didn't take the opportunity to join fellow enthusiasts missed out on two exceptional talks by Judy G Russell, a chance to win some valuable prizes and an opportunity to network with genimates. I can't understand why more folk didn't attend and can only surmise that perhaps the cost or location of the event put them off.

As I entered SAG's grounds I didn't know who to say g'day to first, as quite a number of my pals were already waiting in the garden. It was beaut to see Dot who had travelled down from Narromine and Janelle and Sharon from The Central Coast. It was good to see interstate members of the Unlock the Past  team too. I won't name everyone I saw as I may forget someone.

I was pleased to see representatives from our Hornsby Shire Family History Group in attendance and  I was chuffed when one lady said she came along because she had seen my video interview with Judy at Rootstech. 

Hapy Genies at UTP event

It is rare that I lavish praise on genealogy presenters but Judy is excellence in presentation personified. She knows her subject, she looks professional and acts professionally (although we casual Aussies encouraged her to discard her jacket in the 36c heat), she oozes passion and enthusiasm, injects humour into her presentations, involves her audience : she delivers on all counts.  I am sometimes concerned at the quality of presenters that are sent down under, Judy (and a couple of others are exceptions). I do hope the organisers of our 2018 Congress consider inviting Judy (who has family connections to Australia) to be be a keynote (Hint, Hint).

Judy will be performing at two more venues in Perth and Brisbane. I suggest you get along and see her at one of them.

Judy presented two talks yesterday that encouraged me to think and inspired me to act, I was entertained into the bargain.

After this talk I feel equipped to convince family members to consent to taking DNA tests without resorting to bullying.

I thoroughly enjoyed the second talk which I had heard before. In a practical exercise with the audience Judy demonstrated how family facts and stories can disappear in just three generations. I am pleased that I blog some of my personal anecdotes and thoughts on another site but I realise that I need to do so much more. I want my grandchildren and their descendants to know their Gummy.

After these two sessions Judy skipped off with Helen Smith to explore our city. We had a break for lunch at the local sandwich shop and reconvened for the prize draw. There were several generous prizes from sponsors, I won a 75% discount off some UTP resources while Sue,  another Hornsby Shire Family History Group  member, won a subscription to MyHeritage worth over $300.

Alan Phillips (R) from UTP draws the prizes  while Paul Blake (L) prepares for his presentation.

The afternoon presentation consisted of two talks by Paul Blake, another presenter on the present Unlock the Past Cruise, who was onshore for the day. I was extremely disappointed (and have heard from a few others that they agree with me) in Paul's presentation on Irish Records. I am sure that many of those present in the audience would have done a better job with this topic. Thankfully one audience member was able to correct a couple of errors and add supplementary information.

Paul's second presentation was on a topic I know little about, The History of Photographs, so I did learn something.  My time after lunch would have been better spent on personal research.

Then it was time to network. I wandered down to The Rocks with Jenny and Lilian where we stopped off at The Argyle for some long, cold drinks and a natter before heading to The Glenmore to reunite with Judy, Helen and a few other genies for some more cool refreshment and some Aussie tucker. Although we had hoped to get a spot on the Rooftop we couldn't so we managed to score The Glenmore Lounge where we sat around a large round table to chat and dine.

And the good news is that I think Judy likes Australia so far, so she may come back.

Our dinner group minus shy Jenny who acted as photographer