Author Archives: Yvonne Tunny

A journey of Faith for Dorothea.

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On 8 July 1838 at the Bethlehem Church in Berlin, six couples were married by Pastor Johannes Evangelista.[1] They were part of a group of twenty recruited for a Christian mission to the indigenous population at Moreton Bay. My great great grandmother, Dorothea Caroline Weiss, sometimes called Caroline or Maria, was one of the women who married that day. But she was not married to my great great grandfather yet. Her new husband was Heinrich Moritz Schneider (Moritz), a medical … Continue reading

An Irish Lass: Catherine Hawe/Howe (1802- 1862).

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This woman’s story started my passion for writing about my family history. I don’t know what her character was like before she was sent out to Australia, but I think she was or became a strong resourceful woman who cared about her family and community. In a strange twist, DNA testing to enhance my family history information, found out that I was not biologically related to her. Nevertheless, I think her story is indicative of many pioneer women whose struggle … Continue reading

Finding my grandfather – William Leonard Tunny (Len) 1884-1942. Part 2.

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Readers may recall I introduced my grandfather Len in my story of 14 November, this is a continuation of Len’s tale after he returned from World War One. In 2014, I came across a website called Adopt a Digger, a centenary project to map returned soldiers from the Sunshine Coast area, particularly those who had taken up land at the Beerburrum Soldier Settlement.[1] Here I also discovered a photograph of my grandfather. It was taken at the camp in Enoggera … Continue reading