From time to time I come across all sorts of interesting history and/or genealogy related tidbits that I want to share with you, so I’ve collected them together to make up another Snippets post.

These aren’t meant to be comprehensive, but rather they are just bits that I’ve found and wanted to share. They are mostly Australian-related news, but I have tacked on some overseas tid-bits and details of some new books that you might find interesting too.

———————-

Australian news

Lutheran Archives Donation Appeal
The Lutheran Archives is actively trying to make its collection more accessible through digitisation, but it’s a long, slow and expensive process. As well as our ongoing digitisation of Registers of Pastoral Acts (baptisms, confirmations, marriages etc) they have begun digitising their collection of church periodicals. These date from the late 19th century up to today and contain not only general church news, theological discussion, and spiritual direction, but also personal details, photos and local community news. Digitising each year of a periodical costs $100 of digitising time and there are over 500 annual volumes of material across all synods and districts. Donations to complete this work can be made at: https://donation.lca.org.au/project?id=P21021 and identifying that it is for digitisation of periodicals. Donations of $2 or more are tax deductible.
[from the Lutheran Archives ANZ Facebook page]

Moreton Bay Regional Libraries adds preservation stations
Exciting news for all! All of the libraries at North Lakes and Strathpine have recently installed brand-new Preservation Stations. Whether you have old family photographs, slides, negatives, or important documents that you want to preserve for future generations, the new stations can help you create archive-quality digital copies. To book a session at these new preservation stations, simply contact the library. Don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity to protect your precious memories and keep them safe for years to come!
More info: https://mbrc.link/preservationstations

QSQ is fundraising with containers
GSQ has entered into a fundraising arrangement with CONTAINERS FOR CHANGE that every member can participate in. By collecting your recyclable containers, glass or plastic bottles, poppers and /or cans and recycling them the funds can be credited to GSQ fund raising account. Containers can either be taken to a recycling depot see below link for details of your closest depot OR arrange for a home collection. [GSQ’s Scheme ID is: C10659195]
More info: https://www.containersforchange.com.au/qld/where-to-return

Provisional State Heritage Listing of Victa Cinema
Great news from the Art Deco & Modernism, Adelaide Chapter, the Victa Cinema at Victor Harbor in South Australia has been granted Provisional State Heritage Listing. As the first South Australian picture theatre purpose-built to screen ‘talkies,’ the Victa Cinema established the pattern for all picture theatres that followed and is both an influential and pivotal example of its class. On 25 November 2022, the Victa Cinema (former Ozone Theatre) was provisionally entered in the South Australian Heritage Register under s17(2)(b) of the Heritage Places Act 1993 to protect the place from development so that it can be appropriately assessed. You can read the Summary of State Heritage Place about Victa Cinema here:  https://cdn.environment.sa.gov.au/…/26556-SSHP-Victa…

QR Codes on Headstones at Mount Barker Cemetery
Next time you visit the old part of Mount Barker Cemetery you’ll notice QR codes at some of the historic gravesites. The QR codes have been placed by the National Trust SA Mount Barker branch. Using the camera app on your smartphone, point your camera towards the QR code. You’ll first notice that the QR code will be highlighted briefly on your screen and then a banner will appear with a link to the website. Tap the link and you’ll be taken directly to the National Trust SA website with a biography of the person whose QR code you’ve viewed. Mount Barker Cemetery is the resting place of some absolutely fascinating pioneers who have made significant contributions to the story of Mount Barker.  The QR Code project was developed with the support of Council and Business Mount Barker.
[info from the Mount Barker Council Facebook page]

State Library of Queensland’s Transcription Project
The SLQ is  asking if you’re an expert at deciphering handwriting? Or if you are interested in improving your transcription skills? As they have recently digitised the letters received by the Colonial Secretary of the British Colony of New South Wales which relate to the Moreton Bay settlement and Queensland from 1822-1860. The correspondence documents the daily activities of a penal settlement, including petitions from prisoners’ wives, supply requests for items needed to establish and maintain the settlement, and proposed infrastructure plans. This is a large and historically significant collection of 42,000 pages of letters and documents. These letters have never been available online before and will be a valuable research resource. However, the machine-generated transcripts of the Colonial Secretary’s letters are, on average, 50% accurate. Technology is great, but there is no substitute for the human perspective in deciphering handwriting. If you are interested in Queensland history, family history, or you simply enjoy the challenge of decoding handwritten documents, they would welcome your help. To contribute to this worthwhile project, please visit http://ow.ly/sPmP50NSPL8 to sign up at From The Page and start transcribing.
[info from the State Library of Queensland Facebook page]

GenealogySA – New Family Historian Special Interest Group
Ok, this isn’t brand new news as this group was formed late last year, but I don’t think I’ve mentioned it, so figured it was worth doing so. So for those who have the software program Family Historian, and would like to meet with other users, this group meets on the 2nd Tuesday, of each month via Zoom, at 7pm (South Australian time).
Be sure to check the GenealogySA events calendar for details: https://www.genealogysa.org.au/whats-on/events-calendar

Have you started listening to the National Library of Australia’s ‘Bold Types’ podcast?
The podcast tells the stories of some of Australia’s first female journalists and how they blazed a trail for the industry today. Read about their stories and the experiences of the book’s author, Patricia Clarke – a trailblazing female journalist in her own right – in the book that inspired the podcast. Find the ‘Bold Types’ book in the NLA bookshop: https://bit.ly/3Ncm0F4
[info from the National Library of Australia Facebook page]

New Index from Archival Access Victoria
Mark from Archival Access Victoria has been busy, busy and has now indexed the Victorian State Ward records from 1911-1922. This contains 18,867 names of children who were made wards of the State (of Victoria) between 1910 and 1922. Use the index to find the reference, and then you can access the full ward record at PROV. View the index here: https://www.archivalaccessvictoria.com/indexes-tools-1
[info from the Archival Access Victoria Facebook page]

Bendigo Regional Archives Centre releases Patient Records Index 1908-1931
A full index is now available for patient records from the Bendigo Receiving Ward (1908-1931), series VPRS 18845 and part of the Bendigo Health collection. These registers contain two pages per patient, and record various particulars like age, locality, native place, marital status and their discharge details. Many also contain notes on the patient’s symptoms and delusions, and other details about their lives.  Once you’ve found a relevant entry, note the Unit number and order that Unit from the PROV catalogue to view at the Bendigo Reading Room (link beneath the index): https://www.brac.vic.gov.au/catalogued-collection.
[info from the Bendigo Regional Archives Centre Facebook page]

WA Convict Website Updated
The WA Convict Website compiled by the FHWA Convict Interest Group has been updated. Convict details and files containing links to UK prison registers have now been added for all convicts up to and including the Edwin Fox (Convict No. 5340).  The means that we have now loaded details for 5,112 convicts. Only 4,468 to go! Check out the website at https://waconvicts.fhwa.org.au/index.htm
[info from the FamilyHistoryWA Facebook page]

New Home for the National Trust of South Australia
The National Trust of South Australia head office has officially moved from Beaumont into their new home at the North Adelaide Baptist Church on Tynte Street. The historic Church was built in 1870 and has been generously gifted to the National Trust. Come say hello to the team and check out their office space!
[info from the National Trust of SA Facebook page]

New Website for Saving Karrakatta Cemetery
We are proud to announce the launch of our new website savingkarrakatta.com. This website contains important information about the Karrakatta Cemetery redevelopment process. Please share it with friends and family to help get the word out. https://savingkarrakatta.com/
[info from the Saving SA Graves Facebook page]

Applications are now open for WA heritage grants
The 2023-24 Heritage Grants Program budget is $1.221 million, with $1 million allocated for the WA State Heritage Grants funding stream, and the balance allocated for the WA Community Heritage Grants stream. Eligible not-for-profit organisations, businesses and local governments are encouraged to apply for the Community Heritage Grants that assist innovative community engagement activities or interpretation projects that promote or celebrate a State Registered Heritage Place or local heritage listed place.
More info: https://www.miragenews.com/applications-are-now-open-for-wa-heritage-grants-1023793/

Overseas News

Findmypast Family History Forum
The Findmypast Facebook group has had a makeover! Now named the Findmypast Family History Forum, it will continue to be a place to seek help with your family tree and share your discoveries. Plus, you can take advantage of exclusive content, expert advice, and of course, being a part of a friendly, welcoming community. Join their group => https://www.facebook.com/groups/findmypastofficial
[info from the Findmypast Facebook page]

Pharos Tutors Launches ‘New Look, New Website, New Student Experience’
The online genealogy course site, Pharos Tutors has just launches their brand new website and it looks very schmick. They offer over 50 courses all easily findable with their new course finder. Check it out at www.pharostutors.com.
[info from the Pharos Tutors Facebook page]

New Publications – Recently Released

How to Discover Your Family History Using FREE Resources
by Anthony E. Trice, Family History Books, £9.95
https://www.familyhistorybooksonline.com/how-to-discover-your-family-history-using-free-resources-by-anthony-e-trice-372

Suffering, Redemption and Triumph: The first wave of post-war Australian immigrants 1945-66
by Peter Brune, Big Sky Publishing, AU$32.99
https://www.bigskypublishing.com.au/books/suffering-redemption-and-triumph/

Generation by Generation: A Modern Approach to the Basics of Genealogy
by Drew Smith, Genealogical Publishing Company, US$29.95
https://genealogical.com/store/generation-by-generation/

Getting the Most Out of RootsMagic 9
by Bruce Buzbee, RootsMagic, US$17.95/AU$29.95
https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Most-Out-RootsMagic-9/dp/1932932178

Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians
by Chris Paton, Pen & Sword, £14.99
https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Belfast-Ancestors-Paperback/p/23194

Fettered Frontier: Founding the Moreton Bay Settlement, the First Four Years 1822-1826
by Jennifer Harrison, Boolarong Press, AU$34.99
https://boolarongpress.com.au/product/fettered-frontier/

Convict Orphans: The heartbreaking stories of the colony’s forgotten children, and those who succeeded against all odds
by Lucy Frost, Allen & Unwin, AU$34.99
https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/book/Lucy-Frost-Convict-Orphans-9781761067686/

Esme Quentin Mystery series ‘The Scourge of the Skua’
by Wendy Percival, the 5th book in the Esme Quentin Mystery series. Available in both Kindle and paperback formats from Amazon.
https://mybook.to/Skua4Kindle

New Publications – Coming Soon

The Deserter’s Tale by Nathan Dylan Goodwin available for pre-order
A new short Morton Farrier story is now available to pre-order on Kindle! The Deserter’s Tale will be released 15 September 2023 (10 years to the day after Hiding the Past was first published). Audiobook to follow soon after. Hardback & paperback will be combined with Morton #10. https://getbook.at/Deserters

———————-

If you have any Australian genealogy and/or history related news that you’d like me to share, please feel free to send me an email with the info, and I’ll put it in my next Snippets update.  

From time to time I come across all sorts of interesting history and/or genealogy related tidbits that I want to share with you, so I’ve collected them together to make up a Snippets post.

These aren’t meant to be comprehensive, but rather they are just bits that I’ve found and wanted to share. Mostly it is Australian news, but I have tacked on some overseas snippets on the end for you interest too.

---

Discovering Anzacs website “Decommissioned”
News on Twitter is that the National Archives of Australia have “decommissioned” (deleted) the Discovering Anzacs website. This is a perfect demonstration of why the community are hesitant to engage with and contribute to institutional projects. How many hours of work and contributions of material has been thrown away? –  via @michwatsonoz@ausglam.space on Twitter. More info on the NAA website.

Are you interested in helping to research and preserve the history and heritage of the WEA (SA)?
Are you interested in helping to research and preserve the history and heritage of the WEA? The WEA are in their 110th year, and they are launching an exciting volunteer-led project to ensure their  history is properly recorded and preserved for future generations. The project will include a research component as well as cataloguing, digitising, and storing our vast treasure trove of documents, photographs, and objects. Initially we are seeking 3 enthusiastic Volunteers to take on the role of WEA Volunteer History Project Team Leader for our three categories: Research; Cataloguing; and Digitisation. Once our Team Leaders have been appointed we will also be calling for general volunteers to assist with the project. If you’re interested, CLICK HERE for more information or to apply.

Sydney Jewish Museum Major Expansion
News from the Sydney Jewish Museum … “We’re thrilled to announce that we’re embarking on a major expansion project to transform the Sydney Jewish Museum into a state-of-the-art, tech-enabled museum precinct by 2027. The new precinct will be home to two museums: a Centre of Contemporary Jewish Life and a Sydney Holocaust Museum. It will offer new exhibitions and programs that celebrate Jewish life and culture, whilst strengthening our position as Australia’s leading Holocaust museum, and responding to a changing world with programs that actively challenge racism and antisemitism. This expanded Museum will allow us to almost double our capacity by 2032 – so we can grow our reach, extend our impact and meet the existing high demand for our programs. [via the @sydneyjewishmuseum Facebook page]

Volunteers Wanted for the South Australian Schools Admission Project
GenealogySA are asking if you can you spare a few hours a week to help with their project? The Schools Admissions Project has just experienced a massive influx of records and needs your help with both data entry and checking to prepare these records for their online databases. Work can be done at home or in the society library at Unley.  For those working from home arrangements can be made for work to be collected and returned to the library. If you are interested can you please contact the Schools Team Leader, Meryl Stephenson on schoolslead@saghs.org.au or R&D Chair, David Ballinger on saghs.randd@saghs.org.au. [via @GenealogySA Facebook page]

Wanted … an Events Coordinator for the History Trust of South Australia
Are you looking for an opportunity to have a meaningful impact on South Australia’s major historical events? The Events Coordinator is a crucial member of the team that develops, produces and manages the major events of the History Trust of South Australia. The Events Coordinator assists with the successful delivery of South Australia’s History Festival, the Bay to Birdwood and the History Trust’s named orations program. More information on iWorkforSA:  http://ow.ly/eNPx50NkJmU
[via the History Trust of SA Facebook page]

Find and Connect’s New website being tested for usability
The Find and Connect website is a resource for “Forgotten Australians, Former Child Migrants and anyone interested in the history of child welfare in Australia”. Their website has grown exponentially over the past few years, and they have undertaken the task of redesigning their site. But rather than go ahead and launch it, they are asking you, the users for join in and give feedback on how you find their new site. For more information and to join in as a usability tester, head to their blog.

Ancestry Australia looking for a Digitation Operator
If you’re in Sydney, and are looking for a short term contract (4 months), Ancestry Australia are after a digitation operator for a new project. For full details head to: https://www.seek.com.au/job/66333868

SLSA wants 2023 Adelaide Fringe and Festival ephemera
The State Library of South Australia has been collecting ephemera from Adelaide’s iconic festivals since the 1960s. And they are after your help to keep collecting. They’re looking for flyers, programmes, leaflets and posters produced or collected during the Adelaide Fringe and Adelaide Festival 2023.  CLICK HERE for more information.

Don’t throw out your NSW election ephemera
The New South Wales State Election is on tomorrow (25 March 2023), and the State Library of NSW are asking you to send them the election material that you’ve received. They are collecting brochures, postcards and leaflets to document the New South Wales election. You can drop off your material in person or via the post: Election Ephemera, State Library of New South Wales, 1 Shakespeare Place, Sydney, NSW 2000. [via @statelibrarynsw on Twitter]

Temporary change to NLA collection access
News from the NLA is that “as part of major improvements to our heritage building, the National Library is replacing elements of the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system. The building roof is also being replaced due to the severe hail damage in 2020. Access to parts of our collection will be temporarily impacted from June 2022 to November 2023. This means that some requests for deliveries of Library material to the Reading Rooms will not be fulfilled during this period. Orders for copies through Copies Direct will also be affected.” CLICK HERE to read the full details out the temporary changes.

The Lutheran Archives needs donations to digitise their collections
Accessibility is key for archives. If researchers cannot access material, then what is the purpose of preserving the material?  The Lutheran Archives is actively trying to make its collection more accessible through digitisation, but it’s a long, slow and expensive process. As well as our ongoing digitisation of Registers of Pastoral Acts (baptisms, confirmations, marriages etc) they have begun digitising our collection of church periodicals. This date from the late 19th century up to today and contain not only general church news, theological discussion, and spiritual direction, but also personal details, photos and local community news. Digitising each year of a periodical costs $100 of digitising time, and there are over 500 annual volumes of material across all synods and districts. Donations to complete this work can be made at: https://donation.lca.org.au/project?id=P21021  and identifying that it is for digitisation of periodicals. Donations of $2 or more are tax deductible.
[via @LutheranArchivesANZ Facebook page]

Overseas

British Newspaper Archive Gets a Makeover
Have you noticed the brand new look on the BNA website? To celebrate the ongoing partnership between Findmypast and the British Library, which brings you The Archive, the BNA has splashed out and given themselves a bit of a makeover. Enjoy as you search through over 60 million newspaper pages. And remember behind every news story, is a family story. Check out their new-look website.

Updated and Redesigned FamilySearch Help
Based on user feedback, FamilySearch engineers have reorganised the help material in order to make some great help resources more visible. The biggest difference that users will notice is the refresh of the graphics and new navigation for the pages. Clicking on “Find help by topic” will display major topics that will help narrow a search. What are your thoughts on the new update? [via FamilySearch Facebook page]

Canadian 1931 Census to be released on 1 June 2023
FamilySearch is working with the Libraries and Archives Canada (LAC) and Ancestry to make the 1931 Census of Canada freely searchable online. In this collaborative effort to increase access to the 1931 Census of Canada, LAC has digitised all 234,687 pages of the census and Ancestry will apply its state-of-the-art handwriting recognition technology to the digital images to create a full index of the entire census. More information on this major release on the Press Release. [via FamilySearch press release]

---

If you have any Australian genealogy and/or history related news that you’d like me to share, please feel free to send me an email with the info, and I’ll put it in my next Snippets update.  

From time to time I come across all sorts of interesting history and/or genealogy related tidbits that I want to share with you, so I’ve collected them together to make up a Snippets post.

These aren’t meant to be comprehensive, but rather they are just bits that I’ve found and wanted to share.

---

Call for expressions of interest for new editor/s of the Journal of the Royal Australian Historical Society
The Council of the RAHS is seeking expressions of interest for the position of editor of the Journal of the Royal Australian Historical Society (JRAHS). The current editor Adjunct Associate Professor Carol Liston AO and our proof reader Mrs Joy Hughes are stepping down after many years of distinguished services in their respective roles. [via their email newsletter]

Billionaire fails in bid to partially demolish historic goods shed in Victoria
A $750 million twin office tower project has been turned down in a move by Heritage Victoria to preserve the state’s largest and most architecturally elaborate 19th century railway goods building. [via The Age]

New Records at Queensland Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages
New records alert!  The Queensland Registry now has 107,603 new records available to search on their BDMs website. These include BDMs from the following years: 1923 Births, 1948 Marriages, 1993 Deaths. Start searching today! www.qld.gov.au/familyhistory [via Facebook post]

Labour History Society South Australia
Did you know that there is a society dedicated to the history of labouring in South Australia? No, nor did I until I found it mentioned on a website. So if you’re interested be sure to get in touch with them, or if you’re local, pop along to one of their meetings. [via Experience Adelaide site]

41,000 Burials for the ‘Adelaide Plains’
Recently the Adelaide Northern Districts Family History Group (ANDFHG) added the Adelaide Plains Burial Register to their records. A searchable (onsite) database consisting of some 41,000 names for Burials across the whole of the Adelaide Plains. It includes many of the Burials not listed in the Council districts, from the smaller lesser-known cemeteries. [via their email newsletter]

Happy 167th Birthday to the State Library Victoria
On February 2023, we celebrate another Library birthday. At 3pm #OnThisDay in 1856, State Library Victoria (then known as the Melbourne Public Library) opened its doors for the very first time. Upon opening, the Library was one of the first free public libraries in the world with a humble 3000 books in the collection. While the Library has remained on the same two-acre allotment since 1856, the structure you see today is made up of around 24 individual buildings that have changed dramatically over the years. You can learn more about their history here. [via Facebook post]

The History Trust of South Australia has a new home
The History Trust of South Australia is delighted to announce our new home at 233 North Terrace, ‘Security House’! You can find them Level 2, 233 North Terrace, from May this year. They say “we are grateful to our community for being so patient with us throughout this transitional period; we welcome you into our new home”. [via Facebook post]

Keith Conlon to leave state heritage council after criticising WCH site decision
Keith Conlon is stepping down from the state heritage council after publicly sharing disapproval of the new Women’s and Children’s Hospital project. The state government on Wednesday said Mr Conlon, 78, would leave the position in March. It comes after Mr Conlon criticism of the state government’s decision to build part of the new Women’s and Children’s Hospital on a site consisting of parklands at the heritage-listed Thebarton Police Barracks, near the Old Adelaide Gaol. The barracks will be torn down to make room for the new hospital, which will cost up to $3.2bn. “When we did get the chance to oppose it, it was all too late,” he told The Advertiser. “It makes you concerned for the future of state heritage.” [via The Advertiser, Saturday, 11 February 2023]

---

If you have any Australian genealogy and/or history related news that you’d like me to share, please feel free to send me an email with the info, and I’ll put it in my next Snippets update.