Accentuate the Positives of 2025

Each year GeniAus Jill Ball sets a challenge to fellow genealogists, this is the eighth year I have participated. I feel that no matter how many challenges a single year can throw at you, it is a good point to sit and think about the positive aspects of that year

Author was honoured to receive a GSQ Honorary Life membership award in October 2026. L to R: Alistair Henderson, Helen Veivers, Bobbie Edes. Image by a GSQ member, copyright permission received.

1. I treasured time spent with my family who are always there to support and do things for me, not only my two daughter and their husbands, and my two grand-daughters but also, so like our Dad who helped out family and friends endlessly, my brother who assists me when I need a hand.
2. I shared my concern about the future of our GSQ Blogs Page with Management following the early 2026 launch of GSQ’s new website. Having been advised that the 2014 – 2022 blogs would not be available, fellow bloggers and members of our GSQ Writing Group encouraged me to create and index and a number of volunteers completed that task in four days! Then liaising with our GSQ Archivist a suggestion was put forward to create a brand-new separate WordPress Blogs page. We hope to launch early in our 2026 blogs year.
3. I finally travelled back to the beautiful wildflower regions of Western Australia. My husband and I had previously been lucky enough to experience a bumper year on our journey around ‘Oz in our caravan some thirteen years previously, and my aim had always been to once again experience them. To top that amazing holiday off, my 3rd cousin on my Wilson side who travelled for two hours plus to Fremantle to meet up with me for lunch and spend some time together wondering around that beautiful town.
   
   

   Beautiful wildflowers at Canna nr Mullewa in Western Australia. Image by author.

4. I learnt so much at the March Connections 2025 Conference held in Brisbane by the combined efforts of AFFO/History Queensland/Genealogical Society of Queensland. Attending as many sessions as I could fit in, I heard presentations by overseas, interstate and local genealogists. The conference was well organised and was a chance to catch up with many of my genie mates, always a bonus of an event such as this.
5. I changed the format of planning for my Zoom group’s 2026 calendar and called together a small circle of experienced and new genies from the group to form a Think Tank Team. Together, we talked about and settled on an interesting and different program for our 2026 meetings.
6. I received an Honorary Life Membership of the Genealogical Society of Queensland at the AGM in October 2025. This was completely unexpected and made me feel both humble and appreciated by those I strive to help.
7. I conquered a huge mystery for my niece and brother-in-law of who their ancestor really was. The young Irish girl had used many different names and birth locations since she arrived in Queensland, and the DNA cousins of my brother-in-law and myself had spent many months researching the lass the previous year. However, trusting instinct and my Irish knowledge, I ordered yet more Queensland BMD certificates and finally solved the mystery and was able to extend the family tree back a further generation.
   
   

   Connections 2025 AFFHO conference speaker Hamish Maxwell-Stewart presents. Image by Bobbie Edes

8. I found a diary by James Hogg, a fellow passenger of the ship my Wilson great-grandparents who travelled from Scotland to Brisbane. My grandfather was born on 27 September 1883 on the Duntrune during that voyage and many years ago I had purchased his UK Marine birth certificate from the GRO and also his Marine Queensland birth registration, which was a typed copy. Both showed his birth locations as being at a point off Sicily in the Mediterranean Sea, however on checking against the coordinates mentioned in the diary, the vessel appears to have travelled via Cape of Good Hope and southern Indian Ocean.
9. I taught many lessons and ‘how-to’ processes to my Wednesday Morning Zoom group at GSQ. I thoroughly enjoy these sessions and the comradeship shown by our group members who are always willing to help out when they can.
10. I cried over the tragedy of the Bondi beach massacre and the continuing of religious wars throughout the centuries.
11. I was proud at the GSQ AGM to be honoured in such a way by the society that I have learnt so much from, in order to expand and share my family history knowledge.
12. I read about 110 detective and ‘feel good’ stories on my Kindle throughout 2025. I’ve discovered that this is my relaxing ‘Me-Time’ at the end of each sometime challenging day, and the perfect way to switch off.