By Victoria MacGregor. I enjoy writing. Short stories, essays, even the odd birthday card can have a deep and meaningful diddy penned by yours truly attached to the salutation. I’m certainly no novelist that’s for sure, well not yet anyway. But I do like to tell a story. If the subject has a humorous side, or maybe something a bit scary, or as we all can relate to, a family mystery, I like it even better. A few years back … Continue reading
Whenever Irish food is mentioned, I immediately think of the potato. I think of poverty, famine, hunger, and reliance on one food – the potato. I then think of my own family history which is intrinsically linked to the potato because a significant number of my ancestors came to Australia during the Famine of 1846 – 1851 or in the aftermath of that famine in the 1850s and 1860s. That famine is referred to as The Great Famine, The Great … Continue reading
Well, this is the third in a row, so I guess that makes it a series! Last year’s piece was a bit big picture, what is the world coming to. This year is more family focused. My father’s father, Augustus Theodore (Gus) Cass (born 1886), joined the Melbourne and Metropolitan Fire Board (MMFB) as a fireman in about 1907. This undated photo of him, resplendent in his full uniform, must have been taken very early in his career, judging by … Continue reading
I recently attended the AFFHO Congress on Norfolk Island. Attending any conference or education session can inspire you to rethink your approach to your family history. Idyllic Norfolk Island is steeped in history – the first settlement, the penal settlement, the arrival of the Pitcairn Islanders. The talks at the Congress focussed on different aspects of the island’s history. One thing that became clear, if I needed reminding, was that history is the history of those in charge, i.e. the … Continue reading
