Bridging the Past and the Future – Congress 2018 – another perspective

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I was one of over 600 delegates at the 15th Australasian Congress on Genealogy and Heraldry, held at the International Convention Centre in Sydney from 9 -12 March. The theme for the Congress was Bridging the Past and the Future. Since my return, I’ve been reading quite a few posts by other bloggers recounting what they gained from attending the Congress, including Shauna Hicks’ post on this blog. As we each take something different from any event we attend, I … Continue reading

Bridging the Past & Future Congress, Sydney March 2018

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Congress was held at the International Convention Centre, Darling Harbour in Sydney over four days from 9 March to 12 March 2018. There were over 600 attendees plus exhibitors and it was wonderful to catch up with friends from all over Australia and to make new friends. Given the numbers, it was hard to locate people that you did want to chat to. There were numerous plenary sessions, and a choice between four talks at other times and even a … Continue reading

Sisters of Charity at the Female Factory, Parramatta

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They have been so sadly tormented by the mosquitoes, especially Mrs Cater, and Mrs O’Brien suffered no little. Yesterday was a most oppressive day on account of the heat. [1] Mrs Cator and Mrs O’Brien were two of five Irish Sisters of Charity who arrived in Sydney from Ireland on the last day of 1838 and After residing some weeks in Sydney, they established themselves in a house founded for them in Parramatta, that they might be able to attend … Continue reading

Photographs of Sarah

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Sarah’s photograph sits on my bedside table, and every day when I look at it, I think of what this picture of my much loved grandmother portrays.  What I see is that Sarah Sommer was a no nonsense lady, stylish at all times, determined and capable. This description fits Sarah to a ‘T’. Born into another era, Sarah made her entry into the life of Christian and Anna Louise Sommer (maiden surname Stephan) on 22 September 1887 with her birth … Continue reading

Writing my family story

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I entitled this post Writing my family story as that is what I’ve been doing over recent months. Regular readers may remember that around three years ago, I prepared a draft family history for my mum’s family. I gave this to her for her 90th birthday. At the time I knew what I had produced wasn’t particularly well-written, but didn’t have sufficient time or information to do a better job. My mum found the long list of citations/references rather daunting; the … Continue reading