News - April 2020
OUR BRANCH AND THE CORONAVIRUS
It cannot be said that we don't live in interesting and challenging times! The Coronavirus has stopped Branch activity in its tracks. However rest assured that it is still worthwhile being a member of the Society and that this regular newsletter will continue to be produced and the Society journal Tasmanian Ancestry will appear in your letter box every three months.
But of course some things have changed:
- monthly Tuesday evening meetings with guest speakers have been cancelled until further notice.
- Branch Library is closed until further notice.
- regular Monday Working Group (indexing records etc. in the Library) has been cancelled until further notice.
- monthly meetings at the DNA Interest Group have been cancelled, however Ros Escott and Andrew Cocker are holding 1-hour on-line meetings fortnightly using Zoom. Contact Ros if you have difficulty with Zoom or joining the group. Meetings will run from 1.30pm from 2 April.
The Branch AGM scheduled for 21 April has been postponed as have Committee meetings. The Society AGM and Conference scheduled for Ross on 20 June has also been postponed. At the last Branch Committee meeting the following resolutions were agreed to:
- cancel future General (monthly Tuesday evening) meetings until further notice.
- postpone the Branch AGM to a date to be decided, and in the interim the current (2019-2020) Committee and Appointed Officers continue in their roles.
- produce the Annual Report including audited Financial Statement, for the year 2019-2020 and to circulate the report electronically to members by the 21 April (the advertised date of the postponed AGM).
- recommend to the Society Executive that caretaker arrangements be put in place for existing Society and Branch office-bearers to continue in their roles for the duration of the coronavirus state of emergency and until the Society is able to hold its 2019-2020 AGM.
Now for some positives:
We would like to use this Newsletter as a vehicle for sharing "Isolation Ideas" so we are asking members to share the titles of interesting family history and research ideas by contributing them to be published in the Newsletter. It might be something about what you are doing to clean up your messy records; or your discovery of a film/DVD with a strong family history or reunion theme; or a book discovery; or your discovery of a good website or YouTube clip; even requests for help with a 'brick wall'. You might think you don't have things to share that others don't know. But let others be the judge of that.
Send your contributions to our Newsletter Editor Judy Crossin or the Secretary.
To get things started here are some suggestions from our Branch President and Secretary.
PHOTOGRAPHIC COLLECTION
Most of you will remember John Watts Beattie, a prominent photographer in Hobart, with his business said to be the oldest photographic business in Australia. The business was sold to Arch Stephenson and through his sons the massive collection is slowly being uncovered and made available on-line.
RESEARCH
If you had some ancestors who went further afield, perhaps during the gold rush, these websites with free index searches are worth some investigation:
www.bendigofamilyhistory.org or www.helendoxfordharris.com.au
FILMS
The BBC-produced DVD "Perfect Strangers" has strong family history and family reunion themes.
WRITING
For some, the time might be NOW to write that articles of Tasmanian Ancestry. A 500-word article is a page and the Editor would love to be inundated with copy for the next issue. Copy closes for the next issue on 1 July.
TFHS on FACEBOOK
The Branch has a presence on Facebook with Eddy Steenbergen managing the Branch page and Ros Escott managing a DNA Interest Group page. The DNA Facebook page is a closed group, joined by contacting Ros.
A FINAL THOUGHT ABOUT ISOLATION
If you are feeling "down" about isolation, remember that our parents and grandparents were sent off to two World Wars and suffered great danger and hardship leaving loved ones at home. All we are asked to do is stay home, sit on the couch and watch Netflix.
And, Snow White only has six dwarfs now that Sneazy has been quarantined.
Library Accessions October 2019
The following items were accessioned during the month of October.
Books / Computer Disks
* Martyn, Susanne (Finnigan ); A COUNTRY COP - The Police Career of Superintendent Patrick Finnigan [Q363.2092 MAR]
* Reynolds, Henry; A HISTORY OF TASMANIA [994.6 REY]
Computer Disks
* Denotes complimentary or donated item
DISCOUNTED CERTIFICATES for the MONTHS of APRIL and MAY
The Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages have on offer downloads of uncertified historical certificates for $20 each, a saving of $4.50, until the end of May.
LIBRARIES TASMANIA - ANCESTRY
Due to the Library closure, you can now access Ancestry from home if you are a member of Libraries Tasmania.
2020-2021 - MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL
The society membership year is 1 April 2020 to 31 march 2021. If you have not already renewed please do so as soon as possible. You can direct deposit through your financial institution, please use your CRN as the reference (bottom right hand side on front of form) or pay by credit card, complete details on back of form and send to PO Box 326 Rosny Park TAS 7018. If you have misplaced your membership renewal (pink form) please contact us and we will arrange a replacement.
Channel Museum - Margate
We tell the many, varied, and quirky stories of the D'Entrecasteaux Channel region of Southern Tasmania. The Channel Museum was presented with a Bronze Award for Cultural Tourism in 2017 by the Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania.
Our Inspiration
Mr J.B. 'Jim' Waldie, a descendant of early Channel settlers, founded the Channel Museum in Snug back in 1977. Jim was passionate about the spirit of the early settlers - the whalers/timber cutters, shingle splitters, bullock drivers, pit sawyers, early sailors, and river craft men. He wrote:
"We owe it to our early settlers to keep their memory before the present generation".
Our Facilities
The Channel Museum moved to its present, more spacious 700 sq. metre purpose-built facility in Margate, and welcomed the first visitors on 28 July 2012. Our extensive artefact collection has been amassed over the past 42 years, and now includes more than 6,000 pieces. Our collection is mainly comprised of common every-day items that have been used and donated by the residents of the Channel community.
Our Displays
- Our permanent exhibits explore early exploration, Aborigines, timber getters, boat building, fruit growing, fishing, transport, the 1967 bushfires, and militaria.
- Our representation of a school room, a shop and colonial-style rooms (kitchen, bedroom, laundry, and workroom) display authentic features of everyday life as was for earlier generations in regional Tasmania.
- Our depiction of sporting memorabilia, churches, and social life recreate important social interactions.
- The Electrona Carbide Works was unique in Australia and has its own display, with many infographics and tools that were used during that time.
- We have specialty displays comprising the Don Norton Camera Collection and two rooms depicting the home life of the Dutch migrants during the 1950s.
- In a separate external exhibition space, there is a growing collection of vintage farming machinery.
House Histories
Do you know who lived in your House?
Investigated and written by an experienced researcher, these House Histories bring to life people who occupied your home in times gone by, their hopes and dreams experienced amid local and world events. By Barry Campbell, author of numerous books covering homes in all Australian States and New Zealand. Also Office Buildings, Public Halls etc.
Barry Campbell, approved researcher by Libraries Tasmania and specialist in World-wide Genealogy research & Ancestral Charts construction
For more information please email Barry, including the following details:
- Your name:
- Address of home or office to be researched