Childhood memories of living above the shop.

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By Lyn Irvine. Hugh and Amelia Irvine opened their Commonwealth Store on the corner of Bay Terrace and Charlotte Street Wynnum in 1901, and it grew over the next fifty years to become an icon of the district, eventually known colloquially as “Irvines”.[1] After Amelia’s death in 1921, Hugh married Flora Mary (Hadlow) Jones in 1925. They lived above the shop until Hugh’s death in August 1941. Also living there were his son Bert (by his second marriage to Amelia … Continue reading

Using Masonic records to help track men across Queensland and beyond

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By Janice Cooper William Page Shakespeare was a well-known publican moving west as Queensland’s central western railway line was constructed. His memory is retained through the iconic Shakespeare Hotel in Barcaldine. Masonic records available online have helped to trace his journey from England to Queensland and Africa. As George Page Shakespear, we find him installed in the Lodge of Industry (361) of Cheshire on 7 August 1873, a railway servant aged of 27 residing at Ryde, Cheshire, England.[1]   Next, … Continue reading

Learning by extending your research and attending conferences

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I have often commented that I don’t have any Australian family as I migrated from England in the 1970s. For a long time, I restricted my research endeavours to those countries where I had known ancestors – there was more than enough to keep me going. Along the way, however, I’ve discovered that I am not the only member of my extended family to have made that long journey from England to Australia. For instance, one of my paternal grandfather’s … Continue reading

The Voyage of the Saldanha

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By Lyn Irvine THE VOYAGE OF THE SALDANHA By Lyn Irvine The Saldanha of 1562 tons register, sailed on the 8th for the new colony of Queensland with 367 passengers on board… Considerably more than half the passengers have had their passages paid for them by the colonial Government. These consist of female domestic servants, farm labourers, and a few mechanics. The passengers …comprise among them 100 married couples, about 70 single women, many of them domestic servants and 100 … 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