Author Archives: Sue Bell

Jane Maxwell: ‘methodical, trustworthy, and motherly.’

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Jane Maxwell: ‘methodical, trustworthy, and motherly.’ So often the stories of the quiet and selfless achievers are never told. They are the silent, conscientious people who do not look for fame or praise. Jane (Jeannie/Jinnie) Maxwell was one of these people. Jeannie came from Kyle Park outside the small town of Borrisokane in County Tipperary, Ireland. When she left Ireland to come to Australia in 1859, Kyle Park was an estate owned by the Stoney family which included ‘ a … Continue reading

Flight from Brisbane to London, May 1939: Alice Walsh.

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Most Australians cannot travel overseas at the moment and even when we can travel, we often complain about the 24 hours it takes to get to Europe. How would we feel about taking nine days to travel from Brisbane to London? I have been sorting through some of my cousins’s old photos and letters after she moved to a nursing home and I came across an eleven page, hand written report entitled Flight from Brisbane to London, May 1939 written … Continue reading

Old photos from a Northern Territory cattle station.

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By Sue Bell On 22 July 2020, I was watching an edition of the ABC program The Drum,  hosted by Ellen Fanning.  One of the topics that night was the importance of understanding our own personal histories in relation to Aboriginal history in Australia and the need to be aware and take the time and effort to understand what role we played and/or our ancestors played. Truth-telling is fundamental to broader community understanding. In this context Ellen Fanning spoke about … Continue reading

The Spanish Influenza: a family’s story.

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By Sue Bell. How many times over the last few months have we heard the words ‘Spanish flu’? We have heard them from historians reappraising its effect on the world; health professionals who have been making comparisons with its treatment and that of COVID-19; and statisticians comparing the grim rates of death. But what was the impact on individual families and the stories that have been told within these families about this time? My husband’s grandmother, Alida Sleewijk Visser (née … Continue reading

How do you pass on family stories to your grandchildren?

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My first grandchild was born last year and I spent six weeks with him a month after he was born.  He lives in Chicago so while I was there I spent some time thinking about how I could pass on some stories of his Australian family without just giving him a list of relatives with names and dates. One day during my visit, I was in the American Writers Centre on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, which had just opened, reading … Continue reading