By Bev Murray. The other day I decided to rearrange a couple of items of furniture in my living room (as I so often do.). This involved removing all the items in my precious China cabinet to lighten the load, enabling me to shift it along the wall by about a metre. This process escalated into a much more detailed task of cleaning, polishing, and then rearranging each treasured item. As I admired the final product, I started to reflect … Continue reading
By Peter Cass. A year ago I wrote a cheerful 1200 words about the joys and mysteries and fun and learning of being a non-family historian travelling on life’s journey with a heavy hitter in the field. This year I’m thinking on somewhat more serious lines. 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. … Continue reading
I was sorting through papers after my aunt, Lyn Young, died when suddenly a mysterious package fell out. It was a tiny, homemade book measuring only 6cm by 4.5cm tied with green string with the word ‘Pope’ on the spine. Since then, I have spent some time discovering who owned this tiny piece, why did they make it and why did my aunt have it? Sadly, as often happens she is not here to ask anymore, and no other members … Continue reading
By Pauleen Cass. How do you decide? Over the past few years, I’ve been confronted by the same choices many of us are having to make, or have made, in relation to our family’s belongings and indeed our own, if we’re downsizing. Being family history researchers is a wonderful calling, but at times like this it can also be a curse of sorts. How do we decide what we should keep as part of the family archive, what needs to … Continue reading
Not all our heirlooms are photos, china, jewellery etc. This is the story of one of my precious items, a piece of furniture lovingly crafted by my father for his future family home, just prior to my parents’ marriage in 1939. Some of the items Dad made included a sideboard, a china cabinet, a dining room suite, telephone table with attached seat (almost retro style), a lovely double bed suite with matching duchess[1] and stool. In many of the items … Continue reading
