Hello and welcome to my fourth annual GSQ blog. The original impetus for this blog was comments made to me by former pupils of Mum’s, at two primary schools in Papua new Guinea, that “your mother was wonderful, the best teacher I ever had” and “she ignited my life-long love of reading.” I thought, “Well. I might say a bit more” and then I thought “I don’t actually know very much about Mum’s own primary schooling. I wonder what it … 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
The continuing COVID-19 pandemic has certainly had a huge impact on Australia, with nearly 72,000 cases and over 1,000 deaths, nearly all in New South Wales and Victoria, and huge social and economic disruption. It seems to me that the State and Territory governments and health services have, by and large, sought to work with each other in combatting the virus, while still prioritising their own residents/citizens. (Although, to be honest, “Yes, there’ll be deaths but at least you’ll … Continue reading
Wos’it like, then, eh? Wos’it really like? Living with a Family Historian (FH), that is. (Dropping poor Michael Caine imitation.) Herewith some reflections and anecdotes, probably somewhat muddled because they include events from Pauleen’s (aka the FH in question) pursuit of her family history, far more sporadic forays into mine, and the involvement of our daughters. For Pauleen, the journey began in the mid-1980s, with an enquiry at the Genealogical Society of Queensland stand in an Historical Fair in George … Continue reading
