Author Archives: GSQ Admin

Christmas Stories & Traditions around the World.

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Much of the non-personal information in this blog is from a marvellous site I stumbled upon recently. It is by James Cooper, a Christmas loving web designer and titled: WhyChristmas?com  There are many additional countries on his website, so take a look. My thanks to James for giving me permission to use the below information. NORWAY – by James Cooper Christmas Eve is the time when presents are exchanged. The gifts are sometimes brought by Santa Claus (called ‘Julenissen’ in … Continue reading

Welcome to 2020

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Happy New Year from all at the Genealogical Society of Queensland.  We’re happy to announce the library will now be open from Tuesday 7 January with normal opening hours of 10am – 3pm on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday. Our opening hours on a Saturday are 12pm noon – 4pm. Our regular bloggers are now refreshed and keen to submit a new batch of interesting blogs for 2020 beginning next Monday 13 January when member Bobbie Edes takes up Jill … Continue reading

It’s almost Christmas!

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GSQ would like to wish all blog readers a wonderful Christmas and safe and happy new year.  ON THIS DAY – 24 December 1818 –  The Christmas carol Silent Night, composed by Franz Xaver Gruber, is first sung at St Nicholas parish church in Oberndorf, Austria. 1859 -The Order of Council for the separation of Queensland from New South Wales was proclaimed, two weeks after the arrival of Governor Bowen. 1877 – Thomas Edison filed a patent for the phonograph. … Continue reading

Tales my father told me…

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There were two things that my father told me about his father, John Charles (Jack) Wood, which intrigued me. One was that John Charles was born on a ship heading to India and the second was that Jack and his brother Percy, who later lived in Persia (Iran) and was a diplomat, wrote to each other in French. When I decided to go overseas in 1975, I tried to find Grandfather Wood’s birth certificate so that I could apply for … Continue reading