So, welcome to my first post on Australian Genealogy and History Snippets. It’s not meant to be comprehensive in anyway, but rather it is bits that I’ve recently come across and would like to share with you.

BLOGS
Android Genealogy
If you are into genealogy, and have an android phone or tablet, you’ll be wanting to follow Jill Ball’s latest blog, as it is specific to Android genealogy and news.
http://androidgenealogy.blogspot.com/

Sticky Notes
Ancestry.com.au have recently launched their Sticky Notes blog. This is designed for you to share and discover stories. You can not only read the post they write, but also contribute by asking questions.
http://ancestry-stickynotes-au.tumblr.com/

GENERAL NEWS
Gympie, Queensland – Town turns 100
Gympie, the major settlement of the Local Government region, officially came of age when it was declared a city on this day [5 January] in 1905 – although no-one seemed to take much notice at the time. The town has done a lot better in marking the occasion on its 100th anniversary however. You can read the full article in The Gympie Times.

Naracoorte, South Australia – SA Firefighting History Preserved
Some of South Australia’s firefighting history may soon have a permanent base in the South East, offering the public a chance to view appliances and memorabilia and to learn about the history of the Country Fire Service. Naracoorte’s SA Volunteer Fire Fighters Museum Inc, formerly known as the SA Country Fire Service Heritage Committee, was founded in 2005 by a group of hardworking volunteers dedicated to restoring and preserving historic firefighting vehicles and equipment. The full article can be read in the Stock Journal.

Sydney, New South Wales – 180 Years of the Jewish in Australia
Sydney grandfather Joe Kensell is eagerly anticipating January 30 – it will be the 180th anniversary of Australia’s first officially sanctioned Jewish marriage – and the happy couple, Moses Joseph and Rosetta Nathan, were his great, great grandparents. Kensell, 73, of Five Dock, a stalwart of the Great Synagogue and a genealogy buff, told The AJN this week the date was historically significant as ‘it shows there’s definitely been 180 years of Jewish worship in Australia’. You can read the full article in the Australian Jewish News.

GROUPS
Family Tree Maker User Group East Brisbane, Queensland
A big thanks to Lyndall from GSQ for informing me of the FTM User Group that they hold. Details for the group are as follows:
Meetings for 2012:  15 January, 11 March, 8 July, 9 September, 11 November
Times:  10:30am to 12:00pm
Where:  38 Fisher Street, East Brisbane
Contact:  Genealogical Society of Queensland on (07) 3891 5085 or at gsq1@optusnet.com.au
Website:  www.gsq.org.au

SOCIAL MEDIA
Eastern Goldfields, Western Australia
Were your ancestors pioneers of the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia? Did they arrive between 1892 and 1902? Then join the new group on Facebook called the “Pioneer Association of the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia” and lets see how many pioneering families we have out there! http://www.facebook.com/groups/277882488933389/

Greenough Pioneer Museum, Western Australia
The Greenough Pioneer Museum which is 19km south of Geraldton in Western Australia is now on Twitter and has their own blog.
blog: http://www.greenough-pioneer-museum.blogspot.com/
Twitter: @GreenoughMuseum

Mackay North and Western Queensland Old Pics and Yarns
Another great site for sharing and learning about the history of the region is the Mackay North and Western Queensland Old Pics and Yarns Facebook page. You can find them at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mackay-North-and-Western-Queensland-Old-Pics-and-Yarns/271725352851414

Moonee Valley Family and Local History, Victoria
The Moonee Valley Library have a blog, and a Twitter account which they use to promote their family and local history collections.
blog: http://mooneevalleyfamilylocalhistory.blogspot.com/
Twitter: @mvlshistory

Prospect Local History Group, South Australia
The Prospect Local History Group in South Australia have joined Facebook to promote local and family history within the community and increase their digital collection. Keep up with the latest news from them by Liking them on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/e.historyprospect

Yeppoon/Rockhampton/Central Queensland, Queensland
If you are a Facebooker, and have connections to this area, “Like” the ‘Yeppoon/Rockhampton/Central Queensland Old Pics and Yarns’ Facebook page, and share your knowledge of it’s history. You cand find them at: http://www.facebook.com/OLD.PICS.AND.YARNS. You can read the full article on the ABC Capricornia website.

NEW RELEASES
The Forgotten: Children in Homes, Reformatories and Industrial Schools, New South Wales – CD or BOOK
This is an index to various institutions relating to girls up to the age of 18 and young boys up to the age of 17. These children were either unable to look after themselves, were leading a troubled life or through no fault of their own were place in to care. The CD is $54 and book is $65 (inc postage), and both can be purchased from the Teapot Genealogy website.

Norfolk Island Deaths 1788 to 1814 – CD-ROM – Due March
News from Cathy at Australian History Research, is that she has a new CD-ROM due to be published in March 2012. The Norfolk Island Death 1788-1814 CD contains over 260 deaths during the first settlement of Norfolk Island, and includes complete details on each person and their family. It also includes some shipping records and photos of headstones. The Pre-publication special (for orders received by 15 February) is $28.00 (includes postage). The CD will be mailed in March 2012. You can buy online on her website http://www.australianhistoryresearch.info/norfolk-island-deaths-1788-to-1814/

WEBSITES
South Australian Local History Books
While browsing around online today I came across a website for South Australian local history. With a large collection of books, each has had index scanned and downloadable a a PDF so you can see if any contain info on your family members. Churches and Religious Orders in South Australia, Schools and Education, Places and towns in South Australia, Shipping in South Australia and Cemetery books are all listed.
http://localhistory.gravesecrets.net/index.html

1. Some important improvements for syncing source citations, relationships, and accepted and rejected hints.
2. Resolution of some data issues that were causing sync to fail in some cases
3. Sync stability and performance improvements.

As you would expect the question everyone wants to know is “how do I get this free update?” As you’re a user of Family Tree Maker 2012 (Windows edition) simply open your program, and the update will be ready for download. If you need help with the upgrade (version 21.0.0.506), technical help is available by email or by phone 1800 251 838 (toll free from Australia) and 0800 442 100 (toll free from New Zealand).

While this update provides some helpful improvements, there is one issue they’ve found it can’t resolve as yet:

‘TreeSync has been so popular that on occasion it has temporarily overwhelmed our online system! During these times, your tree data has been safe, but syncing has been unavailable for a short time. It is very important to us that this popular feature is working for you at all times and we are working very hard towards improving the system to accommodate the huge and growing interest in this feature. But, if you should run into a problem with syncing, please wait a few hours and try again. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you.’

Keep your Family Tree Maker up-to-date, download this update. It’ll help eliminate any potential bugs you have (or may have) come across.

We did have an immediate response, and sent these magazines off to the Dalby Family History Society at the request of a member or user of their services. While the Dalby Society was very grateful for the donation, due to very limited space the Group has, they felt we should help them find another new home.

So here’s your second chance to grab 20 years of the Society of Genealogists magazine. They cover the period 1981-2000 with only a couple of issues missing. It’s an amazing collection, one that doesn’t come up very often.

The request of the original donor still applies, that these are to go to a public organisation (library, society or group), and are to be accessible to the public.

As mentioned before they are FREE, and are to be taken as a set, but we do ask that the Society pays the postage costs. The whole collection weighs 7kg, so to give you an idea of freight costs we’ve listed the cost for city regions below. Country regions obviously are higher, please contact for details.
Adelaide – $7.95
Brisbane – $14.50
Melbourne – $11.80
Perth – $17.50
Sydney – $12.50
Tasmania – $20.00

If your Group, Society or organisation is interested in this collection, please send an email to inquiries@gould.com.au, together with details of your group.

One of my fav geneabloggers John D. Reid from Anglo-Celtic Connections, asks the question who is your favourite Rock Star Genealogist? By this he means, who are “must-see” people at genie events, or who write “must-read” articles or books.

He has a list of over 70 people to date, from many countries, including quite a number from Australia. You can only vote once, but you can vote for an many Rock Star Genealogists as you wish. Click here to take the survey.

I have voted, and included a couple of extras not yet on the list in the Comments box, as I feel that they’re worthy of being there.

So go ahead and have YOUR say on who YOUR favourite genealogy Rock Stars are!!

Voting closes Saturday 28th January
(Canadian time, so that’s likely to be Sunday morning Australian time).

And if you love the whole Rock Star Genealogist thing enough to wear it, check out the Zazzle website as they happen to have two such t-shirts.

If your genealogy wish for 2012 was for more new records to be added online, FamilySearch was certainly listening, as they’ve started the year off with a bang by releasing 119 million new (not-previously-online) records … and of course, being on FamilySearch they are all FREE.

The 119 million new records online come from 33 different countries, and consist of about 64 million indexed names and 55 million browsable images, which brings the total to 2.58 billion searchable names and 466 million digital images on FamilySearch. These numbers are mind-blowing, and to say that it is exciting for family history enthusiasts is an understatement! Just think even 2 or 3 years ago, much of what is currently on FamilySearch wasn’t there. And this is all made possible by not only FamilySearch themselves, but also the thousands of volunteers from all around the world.

Here’s the complete list of new additions:

Don’t you think it’s time to revisit FamilySearch again?

Historians at Monash (Professor Al Thomson, Associate Professor Christina Twomey and Dr Seamus O’Hanlon) and La Trobe Universities, in partnership with ABC Radio National and the National Library of Australia, are collecting life story interviews with Australians born from the 1920s to the 1980s.

They are interested in the life stories of all Australians – rural and urban, male and female, the recently arrived and people whose families have lived in Australia for generations. The collection of interviews (over 1500 hours worth) will provide a snap-shot of historical change in Australia throughout the 20th and into the 21st century, and will be used by the research team in written histories and in a series of ABC Radio National history programs. The interviews will then be archived at the National Library of Australia (NLA) in Canberra.

You can get everything else you want to know about the Australian Generations Oral History Project here.

And if you would like to be a part of the Australian Generations Oral History Project, you can fill in an Expresssion of Interest form here.

From a genealogy reseller point of view, the one disappointing thing (and this is my own personal opinion) is that Family Tree Maker does not have a demo which allows people download and play with it to try it out before buying  [although they did with an earlier version]. Every other genealogy program that we sell, such as Ancestral Quest, Family Historian, iFamily for Leopard, Legacy Family Tree, Reunion, RootsMagic, and The Master Genealogist does.

Anyway found a collection of Family Tree Maker tutorial videos on YouTube. For users of Family Tree Maker, you can use these to help you with your program. For those of you who don’t, check them out, as it’s a great way to see just what the program is like, and how it works.

In these first four video tutorials you’ll learn the basics of Family Tree Maker 2012, how to create a tree, how to add to your tree, and about using maps.

“20% off all stock in-store moving  sale”

from Tuesday 3 January 2012 until 5.00pm 18 January 2012 when we will close for our move.

This applies to:

• All stock held in-store.
• Prices are 20% off marked prices.
• Does not apply with any other offer.
• In-store sales only, between 3-18 January 2012.

So if you’ve been meaning to come and visit us, now is the perfect time to, and save yourself some money while doing so. We’d love to see you.

Our address (until Jan 18th): Unit 4, 247 Milne Road, Modbury North, SA 5092.

Gould Genealogy & History will then operate from two locations from late January 2012, and we will continue with our online store as usual.

Online

• Our full range will still be available for mail order, though we will discontinue some products we have carried in the past.

Warehouse/distribution

• Most of our stock and all our order processing and dispatch will be done from an office in the Adelaide Hills. This will not be open to visitors.

Shop/Office

• We will have a small showroom at Shop 1/1257 North East Road, Ridgehaven, only a few doors from the shop we had in the early 1990s. It’s almost opposite the St Agnes Shopping Centre.
• We will have limited stock available at Ridgehaven, mainly software, a selection of data CDs, Unlock the Past publications, and a selection more popular books and all scrapbooking products.
• Orders for other titles can be placed online or by phone, and collected from the Ridgehaven store.

We will be retaining the same phone number and postal address.

Moving
To facilitate our move, our shop at Modbury North (as shown above) will be closed from 5.00pm 18 January 2012, and will reopen at our new shop at Ridgehaven on 25 January 2012.

For phone, mail and online orders there should be very little disruption or change.

Contact Details
Phone: (08) 8396 1110
Email: inquiries@gould.com.au
Postal Address: PO Box 675, Modbury North, SA 5092
Street Address (until Jan 18th): Unit 4, 247 Milne Road, Modbury North, SA 5092
Street Address (from Jan 25th): Shop1, 1257 North East Road, Ridgehaven, SA 5097

With each issue around 60 pages, the stories together with the regular features such As Things Were, Know Your Ancestors, Parade Post, Book Reviews, and the Paradewords crossword make for fascinating reading. Just as the Inside History magazine is Australia’s current history and genealogy magazine, the Parade magazine was back then. Although I don’t know the exact timeframe that it was produced, we have issues ranging from 1968-1980.

In browsing through a few issues, there are stories of men who were awarded VCs, and other military related articles, stories of sports men and their remarkable feats, stories of good men and bad women (and vice versa), convicts and politicians, pioneers, novelists, incidents from history, early inventions, stories of regional towns and more. You’ll find stories on Charles Kingston ‘Smithy’ Smith, and Elizabeth Woolcock who was the only white woman to be hanged in South Australia.

For all with a love of Australian history and heritage, we have to thank our Australian ‘Parade’ magazine for recording such remarkable stories.

We have a total of 76 issues, and have a request that they are to be sold as a complete set. So if you, or your organisation would like to own this amazing collection, now is your chance.

The issues we have:
1968: Aug
1970: Jul, Nov
1971: Jan, Feb, Apr, Aug, Oct
1972: Feb, Mar, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
1973: Feb, Mar, Apr, Jun, Jul, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
1974: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
1975: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
1976: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
1977: Jan, Feb, Mar, Jun, Nov
1978: Apr, May, Jun, Nov, Dec
1979: Jan, Feb, Apr, Jun, Aug, Oct
1980: May

Please note, as this is a large collection, and weighs over 10kg, postage within Australia is $25.00. For those overseas, the rate will depend on your country.

This is a once only offer, and will be sold to the first person who purchases it. It is available for sale through our website.  BUY NOW

 

The end of 2011 is almost here, so we thought we’d get a list our of top 50 best selling titles for the year. And what an interesting list it is. With software, archival storage, heritage scrapbooking papers, and the Unlock the Past guides all dominating the list.

1. History and Genealogy 2011: Australia and New Zealand

2. Certificate Polypocket (single)

3. Discover Scottish Church Records

4. Family Tree Maker 2012 Upgrade Australia and New Zealand Edition

5. Family History on the Cheap

6. Scrapbook Pages 12×12 (1 sheet)

7. A4 Polypocket C1 (single)

8. Getting Most Out of FindMyPast.com.au

9. Google Your Family Tree

10. Death Certificates and Archaic Medical Terms

11. Family Tree Maker for Macintosh Australia and New Zealand Edition

12. Family Tree Maker 2012 Deluxe Australia and New Zealand Edition

13. It’s Not All Online: A Guide to Genealogy Sources Offline

14. Locating Your German Ancestor’s Place of Origin

15. Copper Brought Them Here: Pioneers Buried in the Kadina, Moonta and Wallaroo Cemeteries
16. Family Tree Maker 2012 Platinum Australia and New Zealand Edition

17. K & Company Ancestry.com 12×12 Pedigree Chart

18. Family and Local History Resource Directory for Victoria

19. Writing and Publishing Your Family History

20. Social Media for Family Historians

21. Your Family History Archives: A Brief Introduction
22. What Was the Voyage Really Like?: A Brief Guide to Researching Convict and Immigrant Voyages to Australia and New Zealand

23. DNA for Genealogists

24. Solving Riddles in 19th Century Photo Albums

25. 7 Generation Pedigree Chart

26. Irish Family History Resources Online

27. AIF Unit Histories of the Great War 1914-18

28. Family History Research in South Australia

29. 15 Generation Pedigree Chart

30. Which Genealogy Program?

31. A4 Journal Holder (single)

32. Paper Loft 12×12 Double-sided Family Tree Pedigree

33. Sewerage Records: An Untapped Magnificent Resource

34. Irish Family and Local History Handbook

35. A4 Polypocket C2 (single)

36. Organising a Family Reunion

37. 9 Generation Pedigree Chart

38. Historical Records of New South Wales Volumes 1-7

39. A3 Landscape Polypocket (single)

40. National Burial Index for England and Wales CD 3rd Ed

41. A4 Landscape Polypocket (single)

42. A Primer for The Master Genealogist

43. Biographical Index of South Australians 1836-1885
44. A4 Polypocket C4 (single)

45. Legacy Family Tree 7 Deluxe (CD & printed manual)

46. Researching Scottish Family History

47. London Marriage Licences 1521-1869

48. New South Wales State Electoral Roll 1913

49. Tracing Your Family History on the Internet

50. South Australian Government Gazette Compendium 1841-1850

This list only lists the top 50 best sellers for 2011, with over 10,000 titles on our website there’s a whole heap more for you to checkout. If you’d like to keep up to date with the new titles and the latest specials, you can subscribe to our weekly email newsletter (look for the Join Our Newsletter box on the right hand side).

Along with a new year, 2012 will see the release of many more genealogy-related titles, so it’ll be interesting to create new year’s Top 50 Best Selling Titles list in a year’s time, and compare it to this one. But before that we’ve got a whole year of living and researching …

Boxing Day is one of the most popular times of the year for people to research their family history, I know I’m hoping to. With the family gathered around for the festivities, it’s the perfect time to quiz the older generations on what they remember about the family, and get the youngsters inspired too.  And with nothing but repeats on TV all week, it is the absolute perfect time to get down to some serious record searching.

With this in mind, findmypast.co.uk and Genes Reunited will be taking part in this year’s Start Your Family Tree Week.  From Boxing Day 2011 right through to New Year’s Day they will have special offers every day, including free getting started guides, printable charts, discounts and competitions.

To find out what will be on offer, visit www.findmypast.co.uk/content/start-your-family-tree-week/index and www.genesreunited.co.uk/static.page/syftw now!

It is a UK initiative, but people worldwide should use it to encourage a brother, sister, cousin, parents, auntie or uncle or friend to start their own family history? You already know how fun and rewarding it can be, so encourage them to start the journey. Besides it is always more fun if you have someone who is also researching, that you can share the excitement with.

My copy of January 2012 Australian Family Tree Connections magazine has arrived just time for some holiday reading.

This issue contains the following artilces and stories:  The Mist of Hardship, which tells of the search for Robert May;  Happy New Year, Daddy, which is a portrait photograph of Frank Dare Jennings. You’ll read about James Middleton, publican who literally shot himself in the foot! And Susannah Harriet (Pike) Harris and her tapestry. You’ll see a photograph of the Julie Marie Abbot’s “Mrs Browning Birthday Book”. Deb (Greening) Kreiger has written a long article about Willie Augustine Greening who was born at Hamley Bridge in April 1882.

And there’s a whole bunch of compelling reasons on WHY you should join a Genealogy or Historical Society? and the benefits of doing so. The article on Genealogists and Philatelists shows you that sometimes you’ll find information and connections in surprising places. Ross Hartley’s article on Ethics and Managing the Long-Dead does make for an interesting read.

And maybe you an you help someone out with information on ‘Old Nan’ Sarah (Billinghurst) Sheridan? or William James Willis?

The Computers and Genealogy section has a heap of webiste, sich a the South Australian BDMs which are on the Family History SA website, the British newspaper Archive, and Find Free Maps. Cora Num’s listing of Family History of Historical Societies in Australia is highlights, so it the Federation of Australian Historical Societies together with a heap more.

These are combined with all the regular features such as:

- Can you help?
- Area research
- Family histories
- Family reunions
- For Sale
- Genealogy services
- Missing ancestors
- Missing relatives (living)
- Odds and ends
- One-Name studies
- Wanted
- Where to go
- Genealogy news
- Letters to the editor
- New resources
- Surname register
- What’s on this month

Issued monthly this magazine is on sale at newsagents, and family history societies around Australia (price Aus $6.95, and price NZ $7.95). New Zealand and overseas readers can buy this month’s magazine directly from Australian Family Tree Connections. Subscriptions and back issue can also be purchased directly through AFTC.

We all know Christmas is coming … though way too fast for many of us. But like it of not, it will be here very soon.  I’d been wanting to write some kind of Christmassy post, but hadn’t decided what to do, until I stumbled upon a post today by Diane Lynn Tibert … and rather than ‘reinvent the wheel’ … I thought I’d share her post with you.

I’m sure as genealogists you’ll all be reading through this list as I was, nodding your head in agreement … because we do all have our own Genealogy Wish List. We just don’t usually write it down.

Anyway, on to the Christmas Wish List …

1. I wish for you to find a wrecking ball in 2012 that knocks down a major brick wall blocking your path to unearthing a piece of information that exposes a branch of your tree that has been kept buried for years. May the opening be large enough to see into several generations.

2. I wish for you to take a trip to a place you’ve never gone and discover a long lost headstone you’ve been seeking for years. May it still stand with a flawless inscription that provides all the vital information, including the deceased’s country of origin and a wee tale of why they came to Australia (or elsewhere in the world). I wish you clear passage to it and an insect bite-free visit.

3. I wish for you to taste a dish rediscovered from your childhood, a recipe your great-grandmother had made for you and passed down through the family.

4. I wish for you a hassle-free year with no technological malfunctions, computer crashes or software glitches. May all your genealogy programs run smoothly and just the way you expected them to operate.

5. I wish for you to open your email, pick up the phone or receive a letter from a distant cousin in a family line you have very little information on. Not only does this cousin have well-documented research, she’s willing to share with you.

6. I wish for you to uncover a photo of an ancestor, one you never knew existed and it’s so old, it’s on tin. May it reveal facts that until then were a mystery.

7. I wish for you to easily find that elusive ancestor, perhaps the one who changed their name, while searching census records.

8. I wish for your ship to come in and you find the name of the vessel and the passenger list detailing your ancestors’ arrival in Australia (or elsewhere). With a little luck, a picture will also be found of the ship to add to your family history.

9. I wish for you to come into possession of a stack of letters. The yellowing envelopes contain love letters between your great-grandparents when during the First World War he was a soldier serving overseas and she was living at home with her parents.

10. I wish for you heavy reading when out-of-the-blue, you discover a mysterious ancestor kept a journal of his trip from the old country to Australia (or elsewhere), detailing the immediate family left behind and those born in his new country.

11. This creative person also liked to sketch and did his best to capture his family and surroundings within the journal pages.

12. I wish for you to be able to track down the missing birth, marriage and death records that have been dodging you in your research.

13. Ultimately, I wish for you good health, happy times and many hours of productive research. From my family tree to yours, may your holidays be merry and bright.

[Please note, I did change the country mentioned in numbers 2, 8, and 10  from 'Canada' to Australia. The rest is as Diane wrote it.]

I’m not sure what’s left to say after that, as it really does cover it all? Happy Christmas everyone,  and I do hope you get a chance to work (and progress)  on your family history in 2012.

A photo or two, some paper and accessories, and it is truly amazing what someone can come up with. This page shows my grandparents wedding photo, and uses some papers that are available through Gould Genealogy.

Materials used:
- Bazzill Cardstock (Breathtaking)
- DejaViews (Family Brushed Blue)
- Versacolour Ink (Imperial Blue Hyacinth)
- Flowers (Prima and Kaisercraft
- Ribbon
- Brads
- White Gel Pen
- Dimensional magic
- Folk Art Papier Opaque (Dark Hydrangea)
- Sizzix Alphabet (Funky Brush)

Page created by Penny Tozer, 2010.

So the 51 links listed here for Australian Military History and Research, is my list to far. I don’t claim that it is a comprehensive list, but I’m sure everyone researching an Australian who was in army will find some links of use.

The links relate to Boer War, World War I, and World War II, and have been divided in several categories, including one for sites you’ll find on Facebook. As Facebookers we know that Facebook can be much more that just updates from family and friends. It has become an important modern day source of information. And with the numerous sites around just related to Australian military history (and that’s without noting all the individual battalion sites), its just as useful and educational as other forms of media these days.

RESEARCH AND INFORMATION

Adelaide River War Graves
http://www.adelaideriverwargraves.com/
Adelaide River is a township lying 113 km south of Darwin, on the Stuart Highway, the main north-south road from Darwin to Alice Springs. During WW2, Adelaide River was the headquarters of a large base and the war cemetery was created especially for the burial of service personnel who died in this part of Australia.  It was used by Australian General Hospitals Nos 101 107, 119, 121 and 129 and after the war the Army Graves Service moved into it other graves from isolated sites, temporary military burial grounds, and from various civil cemeteries in the area.

Adopt a Digger Project
http://www.adoptadigger.org/
The purpose of the Adopt a Digger Project is to commemorate that centenary by honouring the men and women from the (current) Sunshine Coast region of South-east Queensland who fought in World War One. The aim of this website is to create a database which records each soldier’s WW1 military history and a brief personal history. This database will be a valuable source of reference for historians, researchers, descendants and school students, and will be a significant contribution to the historical military records of Australia, and particularly the Sunshine Coast region.

The AIF Project: Australian Anzacs in the Great War 1914-1918
http://www.aif.adfa.edu.au:8080/index.html
The AIF Project’s major activity is the construction of a database that draws on a wide range of sources to provide details on the 330,000 men and women who served overseas in the (First) Australian Imperial Force, 1914-1918.

ANZACs Online
http://anzacsonline.net.au/
ANZACs Online is an online military museum which displays photographs, diaries and letters, relating to the many Australians who served in the Australian Imperial Force during World War I. The goal is to try and find a picture of every WWI Australian serviceman and woman and have them all available in one location.  The aim of this museum is to allow for these items of our Australian military history to be preserved and be made freely available as a shared resource, for current and future Australian generations alike.

Australia @ War
http://www.ozatwar.com/
This website contains a wealth of information. It just takes a bit to work your way through it all though, as there’s no easy search function.

Australia’s War 1939-1945
http://www.ww2australia.gov.au/
This site was created by the Information Services Branch of the Office of the Board of Studies NSW for the Commonwealth Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Australia’s War 1939-1945 is under progressive development. More detailed information and new stories relating to campaigns and themes will be added.

Australia Light Horse Association
http://www.lighthorse.org.au/
The website of the Australian Light Horse Association Ltd, a non-profit organisation, whose aim is to preserve the history and tradition of the Australian Light Horse and its predecessors. The site is dedicated to the Australian Light Horse Regiments, and the Light Horsemen who served their country in both war and peace, and contains both historical and current information on famous regiments and famous battles, as well as information on both ordinary soldiers and commanders, existing Military Units, current Re-enactment Troops, and Light Horse Museums.

Australian War Graves Photographic Project
http://www.australianwargraves.org/
The Australian War Graves Photographic Archive is committed to procuring a digital photograph of every Australian War Grave and Memorial Commemoration …  worldwide. Most Australians are aware of the service participation of our Armed forces; past and present, but many,  would be surprised by the extent. The photographs procured throughout this project are being used to populate the searchable database. It will be accessible to all Australians and will attempt to continue and extend the awareness of the ‘ANZAC’ spirit.

Australian War Heroes
http://www.australianwarheroes.com/
A national war memorial song and a tribute to the ANZAC spirit of mateship, courage and sacrifice. Over 100,000 Australians have lost their lives in the service and defence of our country.  Along with their mates, they’re marching once again, in the towns and cities, across our great land. The song is timeless and honours the memory of those who have died in the service and defence of Australia in war.

Australian War Memorial
http://www.awm.gov.au/
During the First World War Australian troops were officially encouraged to collect relics of the battles in which they had fought. The tradition of acquisition and preservation continues today, enhancing the written record of war, and has produced one of the finest military artefact, document, and media collections in the world. This web site makes some of those collections accessible online to everyone for the first time.

Australians in the Boer War – Oz-Boer Database Project
http://members.pcug.org.au/~croe/ozb/
The Australians in the Boer War (Oz-Boer) Database Project is a free online search aid to help you identify books, journals, webpages and other ephemera dealing with individual Australian soldiers and nurses involved in the Second Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902).

Boer War Memorial
http://www.bwm.org.au/
Australia’s contribution was significant; we suffered casualty numbers which have only been exceeded by those of World Wars 1 and 2. In all, over 16,000 troops were engaged in the Australian contingents and another 7,000 Australians fought in other colonial and irregular units. Possibly 1,000 Australians lost their lives on service in South Africa during the Boer War. This site gives you the history of the war, details of existing memorials, the medals, battle honours, ancestor search, descendant database, the soldiers and much more.

Commonwealth War Graves Commission
http://www.cwgc.org/
Established by Royal Charter in 1917, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission pays tribute to the 1,700,000 men and women of the Commonwealth forces who died in the two world wars.

Defence Honours and Awards
http://www.defence.gov.au/MEDALS/
This provides information on Australian and Imperial campaign awards made to Australians since Federation in 1901 and includes the Boer War 1899 -1902.

Digger History
http://www.anzacwebsites.com/general/diggerhistory.htm
An unofficial history of the Australian and New Zealand Armed Services.

Graves of Tasmania
http://gravesoftas.dyndns.org/
Those behind the Graves of Tasmania site have been photographing and recording headstones in Tasmania, and have almost completed all of Southern Tasmania. This site includes some war cemeteries.

The Lost Diggers
http://au.news.yahoo.com/sunday-night/blogs/article/-/8900933/the-lost-diggers/
Channel 7’s Sunday Night team made headlines with their sensational discovery of a secret collection of photographs of Australia Diggers in France. After following up on a rumour they found over 3,000 fragile photographic glass plate negatives in the attic of a dilapidated farmhouse in the small town of Vignacourt, a 2 hour drive north of Paris, near Amiens.

Mapping Our Anzacs
http://mappingouranzacs.naa.gov.au/
The idea behind Mapping Our Anzacs is to use place-based information to provide a new pathway to the records. Developed in-house by the National Archives web team, Mapping our Anzacs gives you three ways to commemorate the original Anzacs:  1. locate a service person; 2. add to the scrapbook; 3. build a tribute.

Military Historical Society of Australia
http://www.mhsa.org.au/
The Military Historical Society of Australia’s aims are the encouragement and pursuit of study and research in military history, customs, traditions, dress, arms, equipment and kindred matters; the promotion of public interest and knowledge in these subjects, and the preservation of historical military objects with particular reference to the armed forces of Australia.

Monument Australia
http://monumentaustralia.org.au/
This website is a historical and educational research site which contains information on the public monuments and memorials in all Australian States and Territories, which includes War Memorials. The object of this website is to document the monuments and memorials within Australia which have been erected by public desire to commemorate people or events. There are many monuments and memorials which have been erected to individuals or families in many towns across Australia.  In many cases these memorials are included in this website if they were not solely erected by the immediate family.

National Archives of Australia
http://www.naa.gov.au/
The NAA holds records about service in the Australian defence forces from Federation in 1901. Click on the Service records link under Using the Archives to find out how to access records relating to the Australian Army (Army), Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and other records relating to wartime service. Digitised copies of first Australian Imperial Force (AIF) personnel dossiers (WW1) are online (free) and many of the WWII service records have been digitised and are online. If a record is not online copies (hard or digital) can be requested for a fee ($25).

The Navy List
http://www.navy.gov.au/Publication:Navy_List
The Navy List traditionally contains details of the officers of the Australian Navy. These past editions have been digitised and placed in the public domain. It covers the period 1905-1979.

Queensland War Memorial Register
http://www.qldwarmemorials.com.au/
This Queensland War Memorial Register is dedicated to the memory of the fallen and those who served Australia in the Armed Services. The Register honours service personnel that were drawn from Queensland communities.  

Queensland WWII Historic Places
http://www.ww2places.qld.gov.au
Between 1942 and 1945, Queensland became a support base for the war effort in the South West Pacific.  With the rapid capture of Singapore by the Japanese forces and the subsequent bombing of Darwin and Townsville, Queensland felt vulnerable and many anticipated invasion. Fortifications, airfields and civil defence became an immediate priority. This website maps more than 1000 sites around Queensland of military significance during WWII.

Russian Anzacs
http://russiananzacs.elena.id.au/
During the First World War around 1000 Russian born servicemen fought in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF). They were the largest national group in the AIF after British, New Zealand and Canadian born servicemen. Besides ethnic Russians these Russian born Anzacs included members of a score of different ethnic groups who lived in Russia – Finns and other Scandinavians, Estonians, Latvians, Germans, Lithuanians, Jews, Poles, Byelorussians, Ukrainians, Ossetians, Georgians, Tatars, as well as Western European nationals born in Russia or posing as Russian subjects at enlistment. Their story is told on this website.

SA and NT War Memorials
http://www.tributesofhonour.info/
There are over 5000 photos linked to over 1700 memorials on this site, which is dedicated to the people listed on the South Australian and Northern Territory War Memorials.

South Australians at War
http://www.samemory.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=833
Nothing can describe the trauma, courage, humour, loyalty and despair of war more evocatively than the words of people who have lived through them. Within the collections of the State Library are thousands of stories of the sacrifices and contributions South Australians have made to international conflicts.

Victorian War Heritage Inventory
http://www.dpcd.vic.gov.au/veterans/veterans-heritage/victorian-war-heritage-inventory2
This database contains information and images of sites relating to Victoria’s war history including war memorials, avenues of honour, memorial buildings, former defence sites and places of commemoration. It does not currently list moveable heritage objects such as honour rolls or museum collections.

Victorian Military Vehicle Corps
http://www.vmvc.org.au/index-1.html
The VMVC is a non-profit club run by enthusiasts of ex-military vehicles. The club is based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. New members are welcome. The club will provide friendship, technical help and fun!

Victorians at War Oral History Project
http://www.victoriansatwar.net/
Over the last century Victorians have played an important role in serving their country during times of peace and war. This website records the experiences and recollections of twenty Victorians through a series of interviews and the presentations of related material held in the State Library of Victoria’s special collections.

War Memorials in Australia
http://www.msk.id.au/memorials2/default.htm
This site was created by Michael Southwell-Keely who died in 2006.  The site continues as a memorial to him and in thanks to all those who contributed information, photos and provided encouragement and support for the site. It contains locations, descriptions and images of war memorials in the states and territories of Australia. Memorials include monuments, honour rolls, buildings and a variety of utilitarian facilities all erected in honour and remembrance of those who served their country in war.

War Memorials of Western Australia
http://www.warmemorials.net/
There is no central registry of Memorials in Western Australia, this site attempts to list some of them and will be added to as new material comes to hand. At the end of WW1 every town had felt it’s effects with a high proportion of young men volunteering for service with many never to return from the battlefields. To commemorate and honour these men committees of local dignitaries and ex-Servicemen were formed in Towns and Districts throughout the State (some as early as 1915) to raise funds, decide on the type of Memorial and oversee it’s construction.

World War I Pictorial Honour Roll of Victorians
http://ww1vic.gravesecrets.net/
This site is dedicated to commemorate the lives of those who served in the Great War in pictorial form. With the upcoming 100th anniversary of the beginning of the Great War  I felt it was appropriate that a site should be made available with photographs of not only those who made the supreme sacrifice for their country,  but also all who served.

World War I Pictorial Honour Roll of South Australians
http://www.ww1sa.gravesecrets.net/
This site is dedicated to commemorate the lives of South Australians those who served in the Great War in pictorial form.

World War Two Nominal Roll
http://www.ww2roll.gov.au/
The World War Two Nominal Roll was created to honour and commemorate the men and women who served in Australia’s defence forces and the Merchant Navy during this conflict.

RESEARCHERS

Australian Military Research
http://www.australianmilitaryresearch.com/
Australian Military Research provides research services into all aspects of Australian military services from the New Zealand Wars to Vietnam.  Requests can cover medal roll confirmation, Service Records, Casualty checks and much more.

MEDALS

Heritage Medals
http://www.heritagemedals.com.au/
Medals, whether originals or replicas deserve to be mounted with military precision. One of the reasons our reputation continues to grow with serving members of the ADF and federal and state law enforcement agencies right across Australia and throughout the world on postings and deployments. We can accurately mount your medals (all medals on the site here have a mounting option included in each description), in either swing or court (sometimes called Royal) mount style in strict order of precedence.

Lost Medals Australia
http://www.lostmedalsaustralia.com/
This site is dedicated to returning medals that I (LtCol Glyn Llanwarne) have in my possession to the veteran’s nearest kin. Since 2000 I have been acquiring, researching and then returning lost medals to veterans or their families. I started out purchasing medals however; now I am supported through donations of ‘found’ medals and I no longer purchase them. I now use all my resources for research and trying to locate families. I do this free of any charge or fee.

Medals Gone Missing
http://www.medalsgonemissing.com/index.html
Every year – thousands of War Medals are bought, sold and traded around the world. If your family is missing a war medal that once belonged to an ancestor – chances are, it could be your grandfather’s medals that are now in the hands of somebody else. Medals Gone Missing will help you to find and recover that lost war medal. But this website can do more than just find a missing medal. It can also help you to find items of militaria that were once issued to your respective relative. Or – if you are hosting an upcoming event and want the Militaria world to know about it, you can list any Upcoming event for free – no hidden costs or strings attached.

Stiches Medals
http://www.stitchesmedals.com/
Stitches Enterprise (ST.ENT) have over 30 years experience in the study, supply and medal mounting of Australian military / service medals and undertake work for numerous units of the Armed Forces, Emergency Services and Associations, as well as thousands of individual satisfied customers all over Australia and around the world.

Zed’ s Medals
http://zedmedals.com.au/
Zed’s Medals specialise in medal mounting, medal restoration, supply of replica medals, medal research and individual framing.

FACEBOOK PAGES

Adopt a Digger – researching WW1 diggers from Sunshine Coast Qld
http://www.facebook.com/adoptadiggerproject
The aim of this website is to create a database which records each soldier’s WW1 military history and a brief personal history. This database will be a valuable source of reference for historians, researchers, descendants and school students, and will be a significant contribution to the historical military records of Australia, and particularly the Sunshine Coast region.

All-Australia Memorial Photos
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-All-Australia-Memorial-photos/143680875700801?ref=pb
Photos and biographical notes of Australian World War 1 soldiers from Victoria.

ANZACs Online
http://www.facebook.com/anzacsonline
ANZACs Online is an online military museum which displays photographs, diaries and letters, relating to the many Australians who served in the Australian Imperial Force during World War I. This is a non-profit website with a mission to commemorate the service of every Australian who served during World War I to ensure that their sacrifices and our history is preserved online for today’s Australians and future generations. Theie Facebook page is a great way to keep up with the latest news.

Australian War Graves Photographic Archive
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Australian-War-Graves-Photographic-Archive/115372195220461
The Australian War Graves Photographic Archive was began in 2000, and is committed to procuring a digitally photograph of every Australian War Grave and Memorial Commemoration; worldwide. ‘Like’ them on Facebook to keep up with the latest news.

Discover a Digger
http://www.facebook.com/Discoveradigger
Delve into the exciting world of Australian military history research and learn how you too can discover a relative’s war service details and learn about what they and their mates did during the war.

Frontline Australia 1942
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Frontline-Australia/192430944116445?sk=wall
Commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Bombing of Darwin Australia on 19th February 1942. Frontline Australia is the official brand name for the 70th Anniversary of the Bombing of Darwin. A two-week program of events and activities is planned in Darwin for 11 to 26 February 2012. Find out more about the program and visiting Darwin from the Frontline Australia website. We would love to hear your story, or your family’s story on the events of 1942 in Northern Australia – please share your story here.

The Lost Diggers
http://www.facebook.com/lostdiggers
A historic trove of WWI photos lost in a French barn for nearly 100 years. For nearly a century a unique, these piece of Australian history has laid hidden and neglected among the dust and cobwebs of an attic in a disused French barn. Now Channel 7’s Sunday Night program has tracked down the incredible cache of 3000 glass plate photographic negatives — featuring Australia’s first Diggers on history’s bloodiest battlefield, the Western Front.  Australian war memorial historians are thrilled with the poignant pictures — many of them the last, or only, images of men before they died in the unspeakable carnage of trench warfare. But together, we need your help in putting names to the faces of the lost diggers. Do you recognise anyone in these photos?

Regimental Books
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/regimentalbooks
Regimental Books is an Australia’s Military Book and Unit History specialist. But more than just a bookseller, they can also help you discover Australia’s captivating military past with ideas for research, help with medal identification and mounting and more.

We Will Remember Them
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/We-Will-Remember-Them/168554686559011
A Community Project initiated by Wedderburn Korong Vale RSL to Commemorate the Centenary of World War One, by researching our WW1 Service Women, Men and Families. Over the next three years our objective will be to discover, record and catalogue Photos, War Diaries, Postcards, Letters to and from home, Local Newspapers articles,  Memorabilia and Family Stories connected to our local AIF Service Men and Women .

WWI Lost Boys
http://www.facebook.com/WW1lostboys
This Facebook Page is a place to find or share photos of Aussie World War 1 Ancestors. Feel Free to Share your photos of Military Ancestors: Memorials, Parades, Honour Rolls in old Town Halls, Letters to and from Diggers, War Dairies, WW1 HMAT Ships, Photo’s taken by Diggers, Avenues of Honour etc.

While for most Family Tree Maker is an easy program to get into, interacting with a User Group will enable you learn more about the program, including new ways of doing things from interaction with others. There are always lots of tips and tricks to pick up and you will learn creative ways of using Family Tree Maker. If you are new to Family Tree Maker (or new to a newer version), attending a User Group meeting will help you get started, both in finding out what you can do in Family Tree Maker, and how to how to use it efficiently.

New South Wales – Botany Bay
Meetings: 3 times a year
Where:
When: check website for details
Cost: $3.00 for members, $5.00 for non-members
Contact: Web http://www.bbfhs.org.au/  Email: botanybayfhs@yahoo.com.au

New South Wales – Sydney
Meetings: once a quarter
Where: 120 Kent Street, Sydney
When: need to check the SAG website for details
Cost: $8.00 for members, $12.00 for non-members
Contact: http://www.sag.org.au/
Organised by the Society of Australian Genealogists, they also have an online forum for FTM Users
http://www.sag.org.au/component/content/article/17-general/142-subscribe-to-the-family-tree-maker-forum.html

Queensland – Brisbane
Meetings: 1st Friday of every month, and last Sat of each even numbered month
Where: 58 Bellevue Avenue, Gaythorne
When: starts 10.00am
Cost: free (and non-members are welcome)
Contact: Kerri Kleidon familytree@qfhs.org.au or http://www.qfhs.org.au/
Organised by the Queensland Family History Society

Queensland – Cleveland
Meetings: 4th Wednesday each month
Where: RVVG Bldg, Cnr Passage & Middle Sts, Cleveland.
Starts: 9.30am
Cost: free (and non-members are welcome)
Contact: mcfadzen@bigpond.net.au
Organised by the Redland Genealogical Society to assist both new and experienced users.

South Australia – Salisbury
Meetings: 3rd Saturday of each month
Where: Salisbury TAFE Heritage Centre, 3 Ann Street, Salisbury
When: from 1.30pm-3.30pm
Contact:  info@andfhg.org
Organised by Adelaide Family Tree Maker User Group, in association with the Adelaide Northern Districts Family History Group. You can find them on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Family-Tree-Maker-FTM-Adelaide-User-Group/130167707058063?ref=ts or you can visit their website http://www.andfhg.org

South Australia – Stirling
Meetings: details for 2012 to be confirmed
Contact:  info@andfhg.org
Organised by Adelaide Family Tree Maker User Group, in association with the Adelaide Northern Districts Family History Group

South Australia – South East
Meetings: no meetings
Contact:  http://www.sefhg.org/index_files/membership.htm
The South East Family History Group don’t hold regular Family Tree Maker User Group meetings, but they do have an online forum where you can post queries. Their Membership Page has information about how to do so.

Victoria – Melbourne
Meetings: 3rd Monday of each month (not December or January)
Where: Wadham House, 52 Wadham Parade, Mount Waverley
When: doors open 7.00pm for a 7..30pm start
Cost: $2.00
Contact: ftmusers@vicgum.asn.au
held in association with VicGUM http://vicgum.asn.au or on Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/pages/VicGUM/193869012290

If you know of any other FTM groups around (even informal meetings), or are interested in starting one up, please send an email to alona@gould.com.au, so I can keep this list up-to-date.

With only a few weeks left until the end of the year, the management and staff (I’m included here) at Gould Genealogy & History would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our customers for your support over the past year, and wish each of you all a wonderful Christmas and a safe and happy New Year.

Over Christmas and New Year our shop trading hours are:

Friday 23 December – 9.00am-5.00pm
Saturday 24 December – Closed
Sunday 25 December – Closed
Monday 26 December – Closed
Tuesday 27 December – Closed
Wednesday 28 December – Closed *
Thursday 29 December – Closed *
Friday 30 December – Closed *
Saturday 31 December – Closed
Sunday 1 January – Closed
Monday 2 January – Closed
Tuesday 3 January – 9.00am-5.00pm

* On these days there “may” be some staff in the office. If you are considering coming out to our shop, please phone (08) 8396 1110 beforehand to make sure there will be someone who’ll be able to help you.

You’ll still be able to place orders on our website, by email, fax or mail throughout this holiday period.

And in 2012 …
I can tell you there are many fabulous new products one their way which we will be listing in the new year, so keep an eye on our website, and subscribe to our weekly email newsletter to keep up with the latest products and specials.

2011 has been a busy year for the Unlock the Past team. Along with organising and hosting four History & Genealogy Expos in different states, as well as organising two History & Genealogy Cruises (the 2nd of which is currently still running) – they’ve produced another 11 books this year, including two in November 2011.

It is these two new books that I wanted to let tell you about …

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Cracking the Code of Old Handwriting
Author: Graham Jaunay
Media: paperback, 36 pages
ISBN: 9780980874624
Year: 2011
Item Code: UTP0243
Price: $10.00

Sooner or later, family historians will come across a major obstacle in progressing their research – old handwriting can be difficult to resolve and this booklet is designed to overcome some of these problems.

The problem rests on the facts that most of us unknowingly read by identifying whole words by their shape rather than looking at individual letters. When we come across unfamiliar writing, we are forced to look at the individual letters in their context. The unexpected shapes of old letters and a multitude of shortcuts n writing results in considerable difficulties for modern readers, and this booklet provides some strategies to overcome this problem.

There are a number of books on this subject, but, apart from the practical advice within, a strength of this publication lies in the number of actual examples to help the researcher identify seemingly meaningless words.

Early parish registers often have some level of Latin in their content. This book contains a useful dictionary of the more common words that may be encountered in parish registers containing Latin. Click here for the full description.

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Irish Family History Resources Online
Author: Chris Paton
Media: paperback, 74 pages
ISBN: 9781921956010
Year: 2011
Item Code: UTP0282
Price: $19.50

There is a popular belief that Irish family history research is virtually impossible because ‘all the records were burned in the civil war’. But as Northern Irish born family historian Chris Paton demonstrates, the glass is most definitely half full rather than half empty when it comes to research in the Emerald Isle. Many records still exist which can help with your ancestral pursuits, and for those unable to make their way to Ireland to carry out research, the internet is finally coming to the rescue, as more and more material is increasingly finding it’s way online by the day.

This concise Unlock the Past guide explores the key repositories and records now available online, and will prove to you that if you have been put off with Irish research in the past, now is absolutely the time to take another look. Click here for the full description.

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You can find all of the Unlock the Past titles on our Gould Genealogy website, as well as through other selected genealogical outlets.

I know there are a number of titles that are being planned, so keep an eye out for more great guides in 2012!

What makes the British Newspaper Archive project so special?
Well for a start it has made viewing old British newpapers accessible a whole lot easier for everyone worldwide. But to quote directly from BNA …

“we have scanned millions of pages of historical newspapers and made them available online for the first time ever. Search millions of articles by keyword, name, location, date or title and watch your results appear in an instant. Compare this with hours of painstaking manual searching through hard copies or microfilm often requiring a visit to the British Library in North London and it is easy to appreciate the ground breaking nature of this project.”

Searching the BritishNewspaperArchive.co.uk?
You can search by region, or by keyword.  The types of records you’ll find are:
- News Articles:  read about national events, as well as issues of local and regional importance. News articles are your window into daily life in historical Britain.
- Family Notices: search for your family’s birth, marriage and death notices plus related announcements including engagements, anniversaries, birthdays and congratulations.
- Letters: read letters to the editor written by the newspaper’s readers, including illuminating contemporary debates, aspirations and anxieties.
- Obituaries view a wealth of contemporary information on the lives of notable individuals and ancestors.
- Advertisements: these include classifieds, shipping notices and appointments.
- Illustrations: see photographs, engravings, graphics, maps and editorial cartoons.

How much does it cost to use?
The all important question is how much does it cost to use. And at least in my option the rates look extremely reasonable.

The BritishNewspaperArchive offers both subscription and credit options. The 12 month Subscription (£79.95) gives you unlimited access to every page in the archive which means you don’t need to keep track of how many credits you have left.

Alternatively, if you would prefer to a shorter period, you can choose a time-limited Credit Package. The options provided are:
30 day / 3000 Credit Package costing £29.95
2 day / 500 Credit Package costing £6.95

With currently over 3,079,000 pages online, and thousands more being added everyday, this will be where many, ugh what am I saying, I mean ALL genealogists or family historians with English heritage will be visiting in the near future, if they haven’t already.

So whether you are a researcher, historian or you simply want to know more about Britain’s history, take this fantastic opportunity to search this vast treasure trove of historical newspapers from your own home.

December 15th is the cut-off date for articles to be submitted, while December 31st is the final date for adverts and vouchers, and any Directory updates.

I’m sure by now many of you have had the pleasure of reading the “History and Genealogy 2011″ Handbook, and have discovered its usefulness not only in the broad range of articles included, but also the directory, and the vouchers that were included. The History and Genealogy 2011 Handbook was the first of it’s kind in Australia. The 2012 edition won’t superceed it, but rather compliment it, as it will be in a similar style of but with a different range of articles, adverts, vouchers, and an greatly expanded Directory section.

Unlock the Past would love for you to be a part of their 2012 edition, and here’s how you can be:

Articles
If you would like to contribute an article, here’s the guidelines.
- Articles may vary from 1000-4000 words, though we are not limited to that.
- Articles contributed to History & Genealogy will normally be put in the free content section of the Unlock the Past web site when the subsequent edition is published.
- Alternatively you may submit an article directly for free access online.
- Illustrations are helpful (and can be colour).
- Contributing an article is a great way to gain wide exposure of your expertise and your organisation or business.
- We do not normally pay for articles, but you will get full acknowledgement. In addition we offer contributing authors of general interest articles a quarter page ad valued at $240 for each article published (larger ads for multiple articles).
- We will also consider a limited number of promotional articles, but ads will be at normal cost.
- Register your interest by emailing alan@unlockthepast.com.au. We will make a final selection based on overall variety and balance of topics, and general suitability of the article proposed.

The number of articles will be limited to approximately the same as for the 2011 edition.

Advertise
With wide distribution and ongoing use and reference History and Genealogy: Australia and New Zealand is a great place to advertise. Click here for details.

Vouchers
Do more than advertise! Attract customers or prospective members by offering a real incentive. Click here for more details and ideas.

Directory Listing
List your organisation, business services in the directory – the listing is FREE. Click here for details.

Dates
- Publication date – February 2012
- Article submissions – advise intention as soon as possible, and submit by 15 December 2011 at the latest
- Ads and vouchers – advise intention as soon as possible, and submit by 31 December 2011 at the latest
- Directory additions or updates – as soon as possible (preferably online), but by 31 December 2011 to be sure of getting in the 2012 printed edition.

Applications are now open for the Your Community Heritage program, which is Government initiative to support community heritage across Australia.

This is an Australia-wide offer aimed at organisations preserving Australia’s heritage.

Federal heritage minister Tony Burke said: “The Your Community Heritage program is a new approach to protecting Australia’s heritage. This program recognises that our heritage is not just about ‘big’ heritage such as places on the World and National Heritage Lists. It’s about the heritage of individual communities – in regional Australia, small towns or in multicultural communities.”

“It is also about broadening our understanding and support of heritage and the organisations, individuals, volunteers and communities, who protect and manage so many of our unique heritage places and stories. Under this new grants program, communities can now apply for grants to protect and conserve Australia’s nationally significant sites, repair local historic places impacted by natural disasters and to identify, research, preserve and share their local heritage stories.”

Funding available for heritage projects will range from between $2,500 up to $500,000. The $8.4 million Your Community Heritage program involves different initiatives to ensure as many aspects as possible of a community’s heritage is preserved. These initiatives are:

Sharing Community Heritage Stories aims to explore and communicate stories that connect communities with their past. It aims to educate and promote an interest in Australia’s heritage by identifying, recording and sharing stories that have an important historic, cultural or relevant to local communities.

Celebrating Community Heritage enables communities to embrace, celebrate and publicise their local Indigenous and historic heritage. Grants will be made available for community heritage activities that promote a sense of pride and connection to local heritage places, including heritage forums or community fairs, open days and tours, celebrations or commemoration of a historic event or the teaching of traditional knowledge and understanding of Indigenous customs.

Protecting National Historic Sites provides funding to assist the owners and managers of nationally significant historic sites to maintain and conserve their heritage values.

Recovering from Natural Disasters provides funding to assist communities repair local historic places impacted by natural disasters such as floods, bushfires, storms and cyclones and improve their resilience to extreme weather events in the future.

Commemorating Eminent Australians provides support for communities to conserve existing graves and memorials of eminent Australians in their community.

In addition, funding will be made available for the development of a national heritage community focussed website for communities to preserve and make their heritage stories accessible online.

The Bringing Heritage Online initiative will enable historical and heritage organisations to link together via the web and share their heritage stories.

“This program is open to all community groups, not just those who have traditionally been involved with heritage projects and I would like to take this opportunity to encourage everyone to become part of this exciting new and exciting program,” Mr Burke said.

As the obvious question everyone wants to know is who is and isn’t eligible, I thought I’d copy that bit of info from their guidelines, so it’s here, rather than you having to look for it:

To date the Echuca-Moama Family History Group have compiled 3 volumes in their “Families of the Echuca and Moama Districts” series, and are now taking submissions for their 4th volume.

GUIDELINES
Details of the guidelines for submissions are as follows: Entries are invited from families who lived in the following localities: In Victoria – Ballendella, Bamawm, Barmah, Echuca, Echuca Village, Kanyapella, Kotta, Koyuga, Lockington, McEvoys, Millewa, Nanneella, Patho, Piavella, Pine Grove, Restdown, Rochester, Roslynmead, Strathallan, Tennyson, Tongala, Torrumbarry, Wyuna, and Yambuna.  In New South Wales – Bunnaloo, Caldwell, Mathoura, Moama, Thyra and Womboota.

Entries will be accepted in the order they are received.
- Only one entry will be accepted for a related family of the- same surname.
- Entries must contain a majority of “local” relevance.
- We request original entries of 1000 words or less, and the entry must not have appeared in any other history publication of the area.
- At least one photograph will be allowed for each entry.  Please supply black and white photographs if possible.  All care, but no responsibility will be taken with the photographs.  Please enclose a suitably sized stamped self addressed envelope for the return of photographs.
-  The committee reserves the right to edit or reject any contribution, which does not comply with the above criteria.

John Howe, President of the Group, says “this book will become an authentic reference book of the settlers of our area for many years to come.”

The Echuca-Moama Family History Group’s website lists their earlier ‘Families of the Echuca and Moama Districts” volume, along with other titles the Group has produced. You can even find a full name index of those included in Volume 3 of this series.

CONTACTS
You can send details of your pioneers to the Echuca-Moama Family History Group Inc.
by Mail: PO Box 707, Echuca, VIC 3564
by Email: emfhg9@hotmail.com
Or deliver to: Mrs Pearl Collins, 4 Porter Street, Moama, NSW 2731

QUERIES
Queries are to be directed to Pearl at the above address or phone (03) 5482 1139 or by Email to emfhg9@hotmail.com And if would like to know more about the Echuca-Moama Family Hitory Group, check out their website, or follow them on Facebook.

In this November-December edition (issue 7) you find the following:

- The preservation special looks at how to care for mementos, and how you can help conserve a piece of Australia’s history
- It’s Inside History’s 1st birthday! You could win up to $970 in prizes, including the ultimate findmypast subscription package
- Looking for the lost grave of an ancestor? Read our guide first
- What heritage roses in cemeteries can reveal about your family’s past
- She has my face! How author Hazel Edwards caught the genealogy bug
- Plus, take a tour around Tasmania’s stunning – and historic – Maria Island
- Read about Jill Ball’s Adventures with Android
- and the life of Henri L’Estrange, rope walker gets examined by the History County NSW
- Key events we wish we had witnessed
- Which app? reviews of 4 historical tour apps that are available for your iPhone or iPad

And there’s much more – in fact, 74 pages of terrific features, practical information on family tree research, chances to network with other genealogists, competitions and product reviews.

Regular features of the magazine include:

- Postie’s here! (your thoughts, your say)
- Bob’s Your Uncle: (Network with other descedants and researchers)
- Platform (IHM talk to History SA, plus news from the history and genealogy world)
- Way back when … (Historical events and happenings)
- What’s on (Events on around the country)
- Which website? (visits some sites worth bookmarking)
- Profiles of historical and family history societies (this issue covers Carnamah Historical Society & Museum, Western Australia)
- The book shelf (The latest and greatest to hit the shops)
- One picture … 1000 memories (The story behind the image)

All of this packed into into one magazine guarantees you a great read. Still not convinced? Inside History even offers you a sneak peek of it.

You can buy the back issues (1-6) from us:
Inside History Magazine Issue 1: Nov-Dec 2010
Inside History Magazine Issue 2: Jan-Feb 2011
Inside History Magazine Issue 3: Mar-Apr 2011
Inside History Magazine Issue 4: May-Jun 2011
Inside History Magazine Issue 5: Jul-Aug 2011
Inside History Magazine Issue 6: Sep-Oct 2011

Or, you can subscribe to the magazine by going to the Inside History website:
Aus $12.50 / NZ$15.00 per issue
Aus $31.50 / NZ $45.00 6 month subscription
Aus $63.00 /NZ $90.00 12 month subscription

‘Inside History’ is for people passionate about Australian and New Zealand history and heritage, whether it’s their family’s ancestry, or in a broader social context.

SPECIAL OFFER
While stocks last, customers who buy the full version of Family Historian 4 (not the Aus/NZ edition)on or after November 10th, from participating stockists only, will be sent a free CD upgrade to version 5 when it is released. So you can give friends or relatives version 4 to unwrap on Christmas Day, with the upgrade to follow shortly. Or you can just keep it yourself of course …

For full details of this offer, including the list of participating stockists, see www.family-historian.co.uk/v5-xmas-offer.

WHAT’S COMING IN FAMILY HISTORIAN VERSION 5
- New tool for creating family tree books and booklets
- Much improved website generation and support for family tree CDs & DVDs
- New Fan Chart diagrams
- New ‘flat’ style All-Relatives diagram (much-requested)
- Improved data entry – especially with regard to date-handling and date validation
- New query for detecting possible errors with dates in existing records
- Enhanced ‘How Related’ tool shows graphically exactly how people are related
- Improved, more comprehensive backup-and-restore
- Improved import and export, including direct import from other program formats
- All reports have enhanced performance and features, including optionally an index
- Silhouettes can now be used in diagrams where required
- Much improved support for background pictures in diagrams
- Much faster diagram loading
- New reports, including a new ‘how-related’ report
-  New tool for marking lines connecting individuals & branches in diagrams
-  New ‘shapes’ toolbar for diagrams, including ‘smart shapes’ such as arrows
-  Extensive new formatting options for diagrams
- Enhancements to the query capability for searching & analyzing records
- Support for plugins – a new way of extending the power of the program
- Integrated access to a new Plugin Store, with numerous free plugins adding even more features – such as a new mapping tool – and more being added all the time
- Numerous improvements to make the program even easier and more enjoyable to use
- And much more…

Calico Pie say that in the coming weeks, they’ll be adding more details about version 5 and the new features on our website, at www.family-historian.co.uk/whats-new-in-v5.

So buy your copy of Family Historian 4 (UK edition) now, and you’ll receive a free copy of Family Historian 5 when it is released.