~10th December 2003 ~  

MEETING DATES 2003

MEETING DATES 2004

NEXT MEETING 11th FEBRUARY 2004

Please remember that there is no meeting in January. The next Hawkesbury Family History Group meeting will take place on Wednesday 11th February 2004.

REPORT ON HAWKESBURY HOMECOMING

The Hawkesbury Homecoming was held on the 29 & 30 November. See report below.

CHRISTMAS GREETING

The following members of the Hawkesbury Family History Group have asked if their Xmas Greetings be passed onto other members : Lilian Smith of Mendooran, Bill & Hazel Reidy of Springwood, Susan Bennett of Windsor & Cathy McHardy.

MARBRACT SERVICES 10% OFF CHRISTMAS SALE

Seasons Greetings to All! Marbract Services is having a 10% off Christmas Sale again this year. Everyone benefits by stretching their research funds a bit further, and your favourite Society or Centre benefits from our $1 donation per order (Enter the name of your nominated Society in the "Notes" field on the order page). For more details go to www.marbract.com.au where you can order via a SECURE on-line order page. Or phone, fax or email us anytime. Phone 9543 8156 Email marilynr@australis.net.au See webpage for more details http://www.marbract.com.au with SECURE Online Ordering

WILL FORM - MAKING YOUR WISHES KNOWN

A number of years ago, a copy of the WILL FORM was produced in the Hawkesbury Crier. There has been discussion recently online on some of the mailing list about preserving family history. It is very important that people undertaking family history research, or those that are looking after family papers, photographs & memorabilia ensure that they make provisions for them in their will. Add a codicil or write it into your will, that your research is to go to a particular person or repository. Then the executor can follow your wishes, along with the other instructions. This way your research will not be discarded but passed onto people that will care and hopefully pass onto additional generations. A copy of this form has now been placed online at www.hawkesbury.net.au/community/hfhg/will_form.pdf make sure you check it out.

NEW LOCAL STUDIES ITEMS AVAILABLE TO CONSULT

• You can write your Family History / CARMACK RL808.06692 CAR - copy also available for loan at 808.06692 CAR
• Who was your granny's granny? : how to grow your family tree / BLAKE & COLLINS RL929.1 BLA
• 'Relict of*' Lives of Pioneering Women of Tumut & district RL994.48 REL
• Genealogy for the first time : research your family history / BEST RL929.1 BES
• St. Matthews Church of England, Windsor, NSW : Parish registers 1810 to 1856 : a complete transcription / LAKE MACQUARIE FAMILY HISTORY GROUP INC. RL283.9441 LAK
• Norton Bridge : the bridge over the Macdonald River at St. Albans / WOOD RL725.98099441 WOO
• John & Mary Kilduff & their family / KILDUFF RL929.20994 KIL
• Researching Armagh ancestors (Ireland) / MAXWELL RL929.10720415 MAX
• History of North Richmond Cricket Club : 100 years over the bridge and batting on / MATHESON RL796.358 MAT
• McKay from Loth, Sunderlandshire to Hawkesbury & Wallamba Rivers / McKAY RL929.20994 MCK
• Letters of John Bede Polding / 3 vols RL262.120994 POL
• Pioneer Register of New England : from First Settlement to Federation / ARMIDALE FHG RL929.39444 PIO
• Newtown Streetscape - 456-166 George Street, Windsor South / BARKLEY JACK RL994.42 BAR

ITEMS OF INTEREST

• Matthew Flinders : the life & times of Matthew Flinders / ESTENSEN 994.02 EST

SURFING THE INTERNET**. SITES FOR FAMILY HISTORIANS

Members with internet access should check out the following interesting sites. The Library has free access to the internet, contact 4560 4460 for bookings. Richmond also has access, for bookings phone 4578 2002.

Sydney streets index SAG (from Sydney electoral rolls 1903-1984) ~ http://svc007.bne009i.server-web.com/catalogue/onlinebook/gatewaysearchstreet.ehtml

Anne Forbes website www.annforbes.org 

Documents online OK (Public Records Office PRO) ~ www.documentsonline.pro.gov.uk/

Churches in NSW ~ http://www.weddingnsw.com/churches.htm

Old UK maps ~ http://www.old-maps.co.uk

London in 1827 ~ http://users.bathspa.ac.uk/greenwood/

~ Let us know of sites, that you have tried with (or without) success ~

REPORT ON HAWKESBURY HOMECOMING - PIONEER FAMILIES REUNION

Lesley Uebel, organiser of the Hawkesbury Homecoming Reunion at Windsor has reported the following :

"Just under 700 people attended the Hawkesbury Homecoming over the two days the event that was held on 29th & 30th November 2003. The Hawkesbury turned on the sunshine for us in many more ways than one. As can be seen by the list below, the descendants of our Hawkesbury Pioneers have since travelled far and wide to make their new homes in every state of Australia and overseas.

The Hawkesbury Homecoming was an outstanding success. By 10am on Saturday morning the hall was crowded and buzzing with excitement with everyone busy finding long lost or new cousins and most found new contacts. In all about 570 attended on Saturday alone and although Sunday was not so busy, the 'relative' quietness gave people more time, space and opportunity to wonder about the hall and spend time talking with others without others queuing up behind them waiting their turn.

Those selling books or CDs did a terrific trade, some of these groups were The Thomas & Jane Rose Family History Society, The Stubbs Association, Hawkesbury Family History Group/Hawkesbury Library, The Everingham Family Association, The Jane Ison Family History Group, Family History Group of the Parramatta and District Historical Society, the Lake Macquarie Family History Group & The 1788 - 1820 Pioneer Association.

The main aim of the weekend was for those attending to meet others also researching the same families and I believe that we achieved that goal. Organising a 'one surname' family reunion is not an easy job for any group or person, but organising a reunion for over 600 surnames is another matter altogether. At no stage whilst organising this event did we ever know just how people would attend, although we did feel that between 600 and 700 would attend.

I would like to give a HUGE thank you to Coralie Hird, and Norma and Ian McLean for their assistance and unstinting support over the past 8 months. A few weeks ago I emailed over 400 people with an HH update and asked for helpers on the Saturday and Sunday. There were people who put their hands up immediately to offer assistance on the front desk and with cleaning up - some of these people were from my Rootsweb Port Jackson Mailing List and some complete strangers to us. Thank you all - as your help was very much appreciated. There are a few other people who really need to be singled out - they are, - Peter Stewart, Barbara Mann, Wendy Condon, Robyn Arkinstall and John and Ena Norris and Kevin Pitts - they arrived at the hall at 7.15am on Saturday morning, pulled uptheir sleeves and just got on with the job of setting up the hall in preparation for a 9.30 am start. It was all heavy, dirty and hard work moving hundreds of chairs and tables into place, organising the reception area, setting up the kitchen, checking toilets - all things that one can only ask good friends to do. Although many people helped out, and were very much appreciated, the above named people amazed me with their positive attitude and willingness to assist... By 9am all we really wanted was another shower, a change of clothes and to put our feet up for a while but as people were biting the bullet to enter the hall we opened the doors on time.

The Hawkesbury Homecoming was intended to be a non-profit event with an entry fee of only $5 being charged, but because of the vast numbers who attended and some judicious purchasing of goods, a good profit was made, all of which will be donated back to an organisation at the Hawkesbury.