The month’s are flying by and we’re over halfway through April already, scary isn’t it, but it does mean that August will be here before we know it, and that’s a good thing as August is Australasia’s National Family History Month.
With events held around Australia and New Zealand, over the course of the month – this is one for every family historian in Australia and New Zealand needs to diary date.
National Family History Month (NFHM) is an initiative of the Australasian Federation of Family History Organisations (AFFHO). and it has been an annual event in Australia and New Zealand since August 2006, though it did start out as National Family History Week. Due to its increasing popularity, in 2013 National Family History Month was increased to run for the whole month of August, and has been held each year since.
The idea of National Family History Month is for groups and organisations to bring family history to the general public, (not forgetting local history and military history either). To make it accessible, to introduce the idea of family history and history to them, and show people how they can do it, and what records, archives and libraries and so on are around that can help them.
REGISTER YOUR EVENT NOW
Each year hundreds of events are organised about Australia and New Zealand. So for organisations (meaning genealogy societies and groups, historical societies, museums, archives, libraries, even churches and other similar organisations), NOW is the time to get your August event/s organised.
It could be a beginning your family history talk, a talk about the history of the local towns, an open day for your genealogy group, a scanning old photos afternoon, a tour through historical buildings, a cemetery walk, or archives … and so on. Even online events. The list can go on and on.
There are literally hundreds of genealogy societies and groups throughout Australia and New Zealand, and if you count all the other historical organisations you’d be in the thousands. Many societies have regular monthly meetings with a local or guest speaker. So as a suggestion, if your local group doesn’t want to organise an ‘extra event’ for National Family History Month, why not list your current August meeting? It’s a way of getting your group seen, and you never know you might get some new members out of it.
Anyone who is organising an event can simply go to the National Family History Month website (http://familyhistorymonth.org.au/), click on the “Add an Event” tab and add the details online.
We love family history, right? And we should be excited about the opportunity of taking family history to the public. This an opportunity to help someone else get started on the fascinating journey of their history.
So let’s show the public how much we love family history during National Family History Month (NFHM)
by organising an event or two, and make 2017 the biggest one yet!
KEEP UP TO DATE
You can follow National Family History Month on Facebook to keep up to date with the latest news and events.
HASHTAG IT
And one last thing, for those using social media (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, Pinterest and so on), the official National Family History Month hashtag is #NFHM2017.