Topic: Heirlooms. Not all heirlooms have monetary value, but can still be priceless, affording glimpses into a family life long gone. My GGGF Dr. Thomas Lyle (1791-1859) although a qualified Scottish surgeon, was far more interested in Bryozoa – mosses Read more

Topic: Immigration. As an Australian, all my more immediate ancestors were immigrants. Australia’s very first immigrants were indigenous Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders who arrived over 70,000 years ago. The first European immigrants arrived with the First Fleet in 1788. Read more

Topic: Earning A Living. My Great Great Aunt Susan Darchy (1857-1922) was born to a wealthy pioneering family in western NSW, Australia. She had a privileged childhood growing up on an outback cattle station, with a private tutor and a Read more

Topic: Influencer. My 3rd cousin Dr. Patricia Ann Prendergast (“AnnieP”) did not come into my life until I was in my fifties, but I still consider her a major influencer in the rest of my life, particularly as regards my Read more

Topic: Witness to History. In 1885 Queen Victoria of England and her daughter Princess Beatrice spent some time at Aix-Les-Bains, a thermal spa town on Lake Bourget in the Savoie, eastern France. On April 14 it was Princess Beatrice’s birthday; Read more

Topic: Favorite Photo. This photo is of my late mother in law, Joy Hoffmann, and our beloved cat Minou who lived to 19. Take on board our boat in Pittwater, NSW, Australia, about 1975. Although the following story is a Read more