www.rtfhs.org.au June 2017, THE CEDAR LOG 1

33rd Year of PublicationJournal of the Richmond-Tweed Family History Society Inc.

Ballina NSW Australia

gTHE

ISSN 0817-0185 • Free to Members • Issue No. 132 • JUNE 2017

Pansy at Camden Station, New South Wales. In 1882, the Campbelltown–Camden line was opened. It operated

along its thirteen kilometre scenic track for 80 years, the only line of its kind to survive until the sixties.

A passenger bus service commenced in 1961

and the tramway closed in 1962.

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At last we are finally over the long hot summer and flooding rains we had in autumn and on our way to some cooler weather. It is hoped that everyone stayed safe during the floods in the Northern Rivers area.

There are a few different stories in this edition – Pansy the Camden Tram and Ghost Story might capture your imagination. Stories We Are Told confirms that you can’t always rely on everything the family believed to be true. I hope you enjoy reading all the wonderful stories and we send a big thank you to all contributors for this issue. Without members submitting their stories we wouldn’t have a journal at all.

Our Christmas in July lunch is coming up on Saturday 22 July at Summerland House Farm. This year it will be a set menu of two courses with alternate service at $35 a head (includes a bread roll, dessert and tea/coffee). Please arrive at 11.30am for a 12 noon start. Gwen Clark is collecting names so ring Gwen on 6628 7797 to secure your place.

State Records NSW has a new name – State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales. They have also announced a new program of webinars which are online presentations that you can watch live on your computer. The webinar program is free and each session will focus on some of the vast resources of the State archives collection. If you miss a live presentation you can listen to the recorded ones on their website (records.nsw.gov.au).

Saturday 5 August is our Annual General Meeting. If you feel you can contribute to the running of the Society you might want to consider nominating for a position (a nomination form is included in this journal). All volunteers are greatly appreciated.

Following the AGM Frank Harvey will be screening highlights from the Ballina Digital Photo Archive. There are some wonderful old photographs of a bygone Ballina amongst this collection so come along and see them.

EditorialEditor’s Message by Carol Donaghey

Location: Marie Hart Library, 6 Regatta Avenue, Ballina NSW AustraliaWebsite: www.rtfhs.org.au

All Correspondence, Enquiries & Research Requests to be forwarded to: Secretary,Richmond-Tweed Family History Society Inc., PO Box 817, Ballina NSW Australia 2478

or email: secretaryrtfhs@yahoo.com.au

Patron: Martyn Killion, BA, Grad. Dip App. Science (Information), Dip FHS.

Honorary Fellowships: Marie Hart; Audrey Chappell; Nola Rodey; Suzanne Warmerdam; Esme Smith; Jean Cummins; Frank Harvey

President: Robyn Hilan – 0408 271 946 (email: robynhilan@gmail.com)Vice-President: Leonie Oliver – 6686 3389

Secretary: Kerrie Alexander – 6628 1663Treasurer: Bonnie Bennett – 6681 5242

Computer Coordinator: Carol BrownCurator and Publicity Officer: Allan Ridgewell

Public Officer and Membership Secretary: Nola RodeySocial Events Organiser: Gwen Clark

Research Officer: Don Howell – 6687 4279 (email: howell.donald@ozemail.com.au)

Committee Members:Carol Brown, Jackie Chalmers, Gwen Clark, Jane Griffin, Don Howell, Nola Rodey

Journal Editor: Carol Donaghey 6618 9458 (email: carold2478@gmail.com) Assistant to Editor/Production: Jackie Chalmers 6625 1898

Assistant to Editor: Dawn Lotty 6687 2442Societies Exchanging e-Journals: email to richmondtweedfhs@yahoo.com.au

The Marie Hart Library: Opening hours Monday & Wednesday 10.00 am to 4.00 pm; the first Saturday of the month closed; 3rd & 5th Saturdays from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm; 2nd & 4th Saturdays only open 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Closed on all public holidays. For more information about MH Library and our research facilities see inside back cover.

ContentsEditorial – Editor’s Message 3 •

The Last Goodbye to Pansy – The Camden Tram 4 • A Ghost Story 9 • Stories We Are Told 13 •

Soldiers – but not Citizens 16 • Booyong to Ballina – Abandoned 18 • Diary of a War 20 •

BDM Church Costs in Essex during the 1700’s 22 • All in the Family 23 •

We Need More Ballina Shire Photos 25 • In the Loop 26 • Monthly Speakers 33 •

FRONT COVER PHOTOGRAPH: Pansy pulls in to Camden Station © Camden Historical Society

THIS PAGE PHOTOGRAPH: Nashua station site © Camden Historical Society

Richmond-Tweed Family History Society Inc.(Incorporated in New South Wales)

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by Yvonne Hammond

The Last Goodbye to Pansy – The Camden Tram

It had meandered along its thirteen kilometre scenic track for 80 years, the only line of its kind to survive until the sixties. The demise of the Campbelltown to Camden branch line occurred on 1 January 1963. The Camden line, until 1963, had been useful in the transportation of coal and milk, but road transport inevitably became the better option. The reason why Pansy was called a tram had always intrigued me when she was obviously a train; running on rail lines pulled by steam engines. A phone call to the Railway Historical Society enlightened me. In the mid 1860s when these branch lines were approved for construction they were designed to be built parallel to the road, as this line was. Horses would provide the momentum much the same as horses pull boats along European canals. These branch lines could be constructed for about one quarter the price of a main line, however the horse power design was abandoned and when the light branch lines were built in the 1880s they were called tramways. A large sign on Campbelltown railway station displayed a large black pointing finger stating: Wait here for Camden Train, adding even more mystery to the name of the well-used tram. There had been very little change during the eighty years of its operation; it was not uncommon to see two 20 class engines pulling one carriage. These were replaced by 30 class and eventually by 40 class diesels in the final years. The Easter ‘Via Crucis’ Pilgrimage at ‘Maryfields Franciscan Novitiate’ began in 1937 and ended spectacularly on Good Friday 20 April 1962. Special trains composed of eight carriages and three engines, carried hundreds of passengers to Maryfields. There is no evidence of the Franciscan Monastery or rail line now but when I saw first-hand the massive road improvements, hazy impressions emerged from under the tomb of infrastructure and I was once more travelling in Pansy on my way to school. I am sure the gentler gradient now would be the envy of past firemen and drivers in charge of the engines pulling Pansy (sometimes without success) up the 1–20 gradient of Kenny Hill.

Whoever named her Pansy I do not know, but she was known and fondly referred to as such, by all except the school boys, who aptly and rudely, named her farting fanny, which probably came about from the noises she emitted in her endeavours to climb Kenny Hill each week day taking us to school. The Campbelltown-Camden line was opened in 1882 and had been in use for more than fifty years when I commenced travelling to school in Camden during the mid–1930s; the half fare weekly was two shillings (shilling commonly called a bob; sixpence was a zac; and threepence a trey). Campbelltown, Narellan and Camden were the only properly constructed concrete platforms, the remainder were built from heavy wooden planks; the sloping approach and platform planks set at right angles to the rail line. The back edge of the platform supported a light post and rail fence. Kirkham Lane and Elderslie each housed a small weatherboard structure with a high peaked roof which may have been to keep milk cans shaded and produce dry as the river was flood prone and these two sidings were closest to the river; although in big floods would prove to be useless. I’ve seen pumpkins and their vines hanging from telegraph wires as flood water receded. Although these platforms rarely had passengers waiting, the station name signs with their large black and white letters were almost the length of the platform. The only passenger car was divided with floor to ceiling partitions into four sections: 1st class smoking and non-smoking, 2nd class smoking and non-smoking with a compartment on the end for the guard. The leatherette seats had somersault backs which were noisily turned as we school kids chose to face the way of travel, or to sit in a foursome group, sometimes arguing and pushing to claim a window seat, rattling shades down and snicking windows up. I can’t imagine why we did as cinders from the puffing engine often blew in and caused many a bloodshot eye.

Pansy - Out on the flat, billowing steam and smoke Courtesy of L Manny Camden Images

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Maryfields was the first siding after leaving Campbelltown and it was from there that the engine found the going tough and more often than not, couldn’t make the steep grade up Kenny Hill which often made us late for school. Guttural expressions of effort issued forth, belching great clouds of black smoke from her chimney. Groaning, she would huff and puff, occasionally making the crest on the first attempt, but more often than not with brakes squealing in protest slide back down the hill. When this happened, which it frequently did, we had loads of fun. Progress was so slow the school children (generally the boys), but I am chastened to add, sometimes me, jumped down and ran alongside the barely moving overtaxed locomotive. Finally, after several attempts, on reaching the top of the cutting it paused, panting and puffing, almost it seemed to catch its breath, affording us the opportunity to scramble aboard. The driver, who was well aware of the situation and evidently enjoying the game as much as we did would give a prolonged blow on the whistle before zooming off at what seemed like breakneck speed down the hill to Kenny Hill platform. From the crest of the hill the water race could be seen; an open canal carrying Sydney’s Water Supply from Cataract, Nepean and other dams to the filtration plant at Prospect Reservoir, before disappearing into a tunnel under the road and rail line. This section of rail line was fairly flat, with open paddocks on the right and scrubby bush on the left but is now industrialised by Mt. Annan Botanic and Japanese Gardens before reaching the comparatively small

rise of Currans Hill. Rarely was there ever a passenger to use this siding and never in my wildest dreams then, did I ever imagine that I would be a regular user of it myself in years to come. The area along this section on both sides of the road from Mt Annan to Narellan is a huge housing estate now, but during the war years there was only one

house situated at the bottom of Currans Hill and it was into there we moved during the late 1930s. Clacketty–clack–clacketty–clack, down the hill and along the flat Pansy announced her arrival at Narellan by the ding–dongs (bells warning traffic to take care) as she crossed the Hume Highway.

Pansy crossing the Hume Highway Courtesy of Camden-Narellan Advertiser

On occasions when Pansy couldn’t make the grade up Kenny Hill from the Western side she had to leave the passenger car at the Kenny Hill siding and take the louvered milk vans into the Dairy Farmers’ Milk Depot in Campbelltown and come back later for the carriage. I wonder how many travellers missed their Sydney rail connection due to the essential milk delivery. We used Currans Hill platform frequently during WWII. Friends travelling from the city were fascinated with the novelty aspect Pansy provided, after leaving her city passengers on the platform she blew her effeminate little whistle all the way down the hill alerting us to the fact we had visitors arriving. The house Narellan Grange had before the war been a popular weekend picnic spot for clubs and families to spend a day: an easy drive from the city it provided swings, a cricket pitch, two tennis courts and a nine hole black sand ‘green’ golf course. A large community shed had facilities for hot water and protection from the elements if needed. Picnic tables and seats huddled together under the protective arms of shady eucalypts. On the homeward journey our visitors travelling back to Campbelltown by tram created some fun by competing with friendly engine drivers, racing each other up the hill to the station at the top. Snorting her presence with grinding reluctance Pansy spluttered trainy smells of cinders and coal smoke across the countryside, spilling chunks from the heavily laden open trucks filled with pyramids of coal. Sometimes the trucks were attached to passenger trains as well as the regular coal trains; these were so heavily laden that there was always a ready supply of black gold falling off almost on our doorstep which greatly contributed to keeping our home fire burning.Our time living at Narellan Grange was unfortunately limited; the Army was camped not far away and started using the grounds for manoeuvres and eventually the property was requisitioned and we had to move into town for the duration of the war.

Pansy, Crossing the Nepean Bridge, Camden Courtesy of Heritage Tourism

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Pansy no longer clacketty–clacks down Currans Hill, emitting her unique little whistle, but the house still stands there residing cheek by jowl with a multitude of newer houses, her character unchanged. A passenger bus service commenced in 1961 and the tramway closed in 1962. A great day for hundreds of folk, who for different reasons came to say goodbye.

The Australian Railway Historical Society made application to the Railway Department for a special Last Train to Camden and on New Year’s Day 1963 Pansy left Campbelltown with nine carriages carrying 500 passengers.Two 20 class engines

up front and another acting as push–up had to make more than one attempt at the rugged grade of Kenny Hill viewed by hundreds of people who left the train to watch, perhaps for the first time, that, which as a school girl I had witnessed many times before. Cars and hundreds of people lined the route to wave goodbye to Pansy, her gruelling 80 years behind her. Memories are unique mind photographs from which we draw life’s lessons; maybe Pansy had subconsciously contributed a well versed lesson for me.

‘If at first you don’t succeed try, try, try again’.

We would love to hear from YouHave you thought about submitting an article for the Cedar Log?You all have interesting stories so why not share them – it might give other members ideas.Articles can be sent as an email attachment (carold2478@gmail.com) or even hand written to the Editor.They don’t have to be long items – even a short fill-in is useful – or a photo, an achievement or a recent find. Our members enjoy reading about each other’s successes and sometimes disappointments so don’t be shy. We will love your contributions.

The Last Journey of Pansy 1963 Courtesy of Camden Historical Society

My father died in 1957 when I was half way through 3rd Year in High School and his death left us with insufficient finances for me to continue on with my education past the Intermediate Exam at the end of that year.I now had no idea what I wanted to do for a living but a neighbour had a friend who owned a printing establishment in Dean Place near Wynyard Station in Sydney and his friend was looking for a junior to work in the Bookbinding and Finishing section.

I applied and got the job and on my first day at work I was informed among other things that I would be required to work a good deal of overtime finishing at 7pm leading to my female colleagues telling me that I should not walk up Dean Place, or ‘the lane’ as they called it, by myself after dark as it was haunted.

Apparently it had been customary for a particular gentleman to have a couple of beers at the Euston Hotel on the corner of George Street and Dean Place then to walk down Dean Place on his way home but this particular night in about 1920 he was the victim of an armed robbery and unfortunately was shot and killed.

As a result, I was told, the man’s ghost walked down Dean Place at night in the hope that he may one day safely make it home. Growing up hearing my mother tell hundreds of ghost stories this all seemed reasonable.

Stories were told about the signs of his ‘haunting’. Lights flashing in otherwise dark windows, the one street light flicked on or off for no apparent reason, strange sounds including the sound of footsteps when there was no one there and a deathly cool breeze that would waft past you.

There were logical reasons for all of this as some male workers pointed out. The lights were a reflection from the trams and buses travelling along George Street and it was obvious that there was a faulty connection in the street light. As for the noises, we shared the lane with undoubtedly the largest rats you will ever see who had the choice of dining either on the garbage cans behind the Euston Hotel Dining Room or next door at Sargent’s Café. As for the cool breeze it was, we were reliably told, associated with the cellar doors that opened onto Dean Place.

A Ghost Storyby Dawn Lotty

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Their logic was put to the test one winter night just after 7pm. As we were nearing the side door of the Hotel a man dressed in white stepped out in front of us. There was pandemonium with both men and women screaming and running. The poor kitchen hand in his white apron and shirt was in shock, he had merely stepped out to get some fresh air.In 1962 we were informed that all the buildings in the area bounded by Hunter, George, Bond and Pitt Streets, were to be demolished to make way for Australia Square. My work mates took photos of each other and all the buildings. Unfortunately I didn’t, my main concern as I lived by myself was to quickly find another job.Life went on and it wasn’t until nearly 20 years later when I was studying Labour Law and attending lectures at the Law Society in Phillip Street that I found myself walking down Hunter Street and past Australia Square to catch the train home from Wynyard Station that I started to become very nostalgic about the loss of an area of Sydney that I had loved with its sandstone buildings and secret lanes.Over the next 35 years I searched everywhere for information and photos about Dean Place. All I could find was an old drawing and a 1900 photo that showed the block on George Street from Hunter Street to what I could identify as the Euston Hotel at Dean Place.

About two years ago Frank Harvey wrote a story for the Cedar Log that identified pubs as a useful source of local history and so I decided to Google the Euston Hotel and on Trove found an advertisement that said

the Euston Hotel on the corner of George Street and Robin Hood Lane has undergone extensive renovations and can now offer the concerning traveller fine food and comfortable accommodation.

Robin Hood Lane – I thought ‘That can’t be right’ so I Googled that name and to my absolute amazement up popped a 1910 photograph of the southern side of Dean Place looking almost the same as it looked in the 1950s. The couple of lines under the photo said that in 1889 the City of Sydney Council had decided to change the name of the lane to honour Alderman Alexander Dean but this did not occur until well into the 20th century.

What also took my attention was an article – it read

A MAN CHARGED WITH MURDER. SYDNEY,Saturday 10 January 1920.

An inquest concerning the death of a man named George Francis Long in Robin Hood Lane was opened to-day. Constable Michael stated that he saw two men fighting. As he walked towards them Edward O’Brien drew a revolver and fired, and Long fell to the ground. O’Brien then walked down Robin Hood Lane, and the Constable ran after him. When five or six yards from O’Brien he said he was a police Constable. O’Brien did not speak, but drew a revolver and pointed it at Constable Michael who then rushed at him, and when he was about two feet from him O’Brien fired. The Constable struck O’Brien on the jaw and knocked him down. He wrested the revolver from him and hit him on the head with it. Then, assisted by a returned soldier by occupation a printer, O’Brien was overpowered. After hearing further evidence the coroner returned a verdict of wilful murder and committed O’Brien to trial. Dean Place, 1910, originally called Robin Hood Lane

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15 YEARS FOR MANSLAUGHTER,Friday 4 June 1920.

Charged with having murdered George Francis Long, Edward O’Brien was placed on trial at the Central Criminal Court to-day. He pleaded not guilty.

Having heard the evidence the jury returned a verdict of manslaughter, and commended Constable Michael for his conduct. Mr Justice Pring imposed a sentence of fifteen years’ penal servitude.

I had not only found my photo but also our ghost and now armed with the correct information I was able to find other photos and maps of what I knew as Dean Place. However in my excitement I had omitted to make sure I had the dates of all the material and so went back into Trove again.

What I had not seen initially was a small article of March 1921 which read

The City of Sydney Council today acknowledged the lengthy petition of the businesses of Robin Hood Lane, Sydney asking for the name of that Lane to be changed. The businesses stated that their customers often confused the nefarious goings on in Robin Hood Lane in Surry Hills with their Sydney address leading to a loss of business particularly for the Euston Hotel. This was most apparent since the recent manslaughter of one George Long by Edward O’Brien which took place in Robin Hood Lane in Surry Hills.

My initial disbelief gave way to amusement when I realised that sometime probably in the early 1920s someone had mixed up the two lanes and mistakenly placed the manslaughter of George Long in our Robin Hood Lane. Heaven knows how the ghost story evolved but it had lasted for approximately forty years probably because it added an aura of excitement to our otherwise long working days.

It is recommended that we ask our oldest relatives about their knowledge and memories of family and ancestors. After hearing many stories over several years I have found that most of them have been either family myths, incorrectly detailed or lies to protect forebears. My advice would be to listen and record all the information but check every detail thoroughly. In 1984 I received a letter from my second cousin, Dr Rodney West, who was told by his father that our great-grandfather, Thomas West, came to Australia from Ireland aboard the ship Grafton and he asked me if I could research and verify that fact. This began one of the most interesting and fulfilling periods of my mundane life.First, I joined the RTFHS and began the search, not on a computer but by travelling to various locations and handling and reading original records. I wrote numerous letters and waited impatiently for a reply. My voyage of discovery set sail that day in 1984 and now 33 years later I am still discovering and getting excited about family history.Thomas West’s birth certificate stated he was born at 35 Phillip Street, Sydney in 1837 to Robert West and Johanna Regan. So Thomas was not born in Ireland. I then researched the Grafton because it is my grandfather and father’s Christian name and I wondered what the connection could have been. The paddle steamer PS Grafton was built in Liverpool, England for the Clarence and Richmond River Steam Navigation Company (CRRSNC) and arrived in Australia in 1865. The Captain of the PS Grafton was Henry Creer who later became manager of the CRRSNC. My grandfather’s name is Grafton Creer West. Further research showed that my great-grandfather, Thomas West, and Henry Creer were close friends and associates. Thomas was a contractor and used the shipping company to transport his goods.Investigating Thomas West’s parentage revealed that both Robert West and Johanna Regan were convicts, Robert arriving in 1809 on the Glory and Johanna in 1828 on the City of Edinburgh. They married in 1831 and began a dairy in Phillip Street, Sydney. When Canterbury Village was established in 1841 and the Australian Sugar Works began operation there two years later, Robert obtained a licence for an inn named Seven

Stories We Are Toldby Gloria Booker

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Stars Inn which catered for the timber fellers, wool scourers and the many workers in the busy new township. Robert and Johanna had licences for various inns in Canterbury –

Sugarloaf, Gardeners Arms, Travellers Arms, and lastly the Woolpack until Robert’s death in 1870 when his daughter Johanna and husband John Gorman took over the Woolpack Hotel which is still trading today.At the age of sixteen Thomas West owned a champion bay mare ‘Queen of Trumps’ (he owned racehorses until his death in 1902) and he and his mother, Johanna, were

involved with the regular race meetings organised by the innkeepers in the 1850s.A notice in The Argus newspaper 3 June 1854 stated

every information was available at Mrs West’s public house near the Sugar Works.

This was very interesting to me as my grandfather, Grafton, was a horse trainer and my father an accountant for several racing organisations. I have been a keen race-goer all my life. I wonder if we are born with these inherited genes!I am sure that the colonial children of these convict emancipists loved their parents as we all do but it seemed that they passed on wrongful information to their children to protect them from the shame and social stigma that would have occurred in those times.Another family concoction told to me was that my third great-grandfather, Samuel Hockley, came to Australia with Captain Cook in 1770. Samuel was born in 1770! That’s another story.Note: As a matter of interest for those who have travelled to Hawaii and have visited the USS Arizona Memorial Visitors Centre, my cousin Dr Rodney West (b.1910 Hawaii d.2008 Hawaii) was the gentleman who wrote and sold signed copies of his book ‘Honolulu Prepares for Japan’s Attack’ at the pier entrance.

The Sugar Mill –Canterbury

GIANT SPRING PLANT SALE

Members are asked to donate plants (of various kinds) which will be sold

as part of a RTFHS Fundraiser

GIANT SPRING PLANT SALE

at the RTFHS Members meeting on Saturday 2nd September 2017

at the Players Theatre.

Plants will be sold for $1 each

Will members please get busy and prepare seedlings, cuttings and plants suitable for sale on that day.

GIANT SPRING PLANT SALE

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Soldiers - but not Citizens by Frank Harvey

Many Aboriginal Australians who served as ordinary Servicemen during World War One, with the same conditions of service as other members, experienced equal treatment for the first time in their lives. However, upon return to civilian life, many also found they were treated with the same prejudice and discrimination as before. They were truly ‘Soldiers – but not Citizens!’

How many Aboriginal Men served in the First World War?In the past the official statistics from the Australian War Museum record that a little over 400 Indigenous Australians fought in the First World War. Tracking indigenous involvement is difficult because the Defence Force did not record ethnicity when people signed up and photographs are few and far between.However, there are now two Aboriginal men who work at the Australian War Museum in the positions of Curator and Aboriginal Liaison Officer (both ex-soldiers). Combining their military and research expertise they have been able to establish that of the 417,000+ men who served, almost 1300 were Aboriginal! At least eleven of these were killed at Gallipoli, and twenty-one others are known to have survived the battle – but only one photo exists to add any other weight to their research.

Enlistment and Service First World WarMany Indigenous Australians who tried to enlist in 1914–1915 were rejected on grounds of their race; but others slipped through the net. However, by October 1917, when recruits were harder to find, and a Conscription Referendum had been lost, restrictions were cautiously eased. A new Military Order stated: ‘Half-castes may be enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force provided that the examining Medical Officers are satisfied that one of the parents is of European origin.’Many Aboriginals served with the Australian Light Horse and the AIF as well as the Royal Australian Air Force. Indigenous women also served as nurses in WWI. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women made significant contributions both during the war and in peacetime.

Why did they enlist and fight?In the early 1900s Aboriginal men came from a section of society with few rights, low wages, and poor living conditions. Most Indigenous Australians could not vote and none were counted in the census, but once in the AIF, they were treated as equals. They were paid the same as other soldiers and generally accepted within the Ranks without prejudice. And for many Australians in 1914 (of all races) the offer of 6 shillings a day for a trip overseas was simply too good to miss!

The Post First World War PeriodThe camaraderie which developed between black and white Australian soldiers during the war did not occur within Australian society while the soldiers were away. Aboriginal soldiers who had fought and survived overseas received none of the accolades their British–Australian counterparts did. Often they were ignored or shunned by the white Australian community when they returned home…But that’s an account for another time!

Ed: taken from a talk presented by Frank in April 2016

ReminderSt Matthew’s Windsor Bicentenary

In October 2017 St Matthews will be celebrating the bicentenary of the laying of the foundation stone by Governor Lachlan Macquarie on 11 October 1817.

Our March Cedar Log has all the details relating to the bicentenary of this NSW historically significant church and graveyard.

If you would like further information please email:

stmatthewsbicentenary@windsoranglican.asn.au

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from Out of Puff - the Ballina Train by Ian Kirkland

Official opening of the line took place in Ballina, 20 September 1930, Mr Budd performed the ceremony.A rail motor known as The Hare, because of its slowness, began but only ran for six months, being replaced by mixed trains which ran six days a week from Casino.Landslides, floods, costs of frequent repairs, location of the Ballina terminus away from the water - all factors in the eventual closure of the line in 1949.

Sir, So they’re pulling up the Ballina line because it doesn’t pay! Sydney Harbour Bridge will also be dismantled, I presume and the steel girders used in the construction of some other public (f)utility that will in its turn be taken apart because it doesn’t pay.

R. Nuts 28 January 1949

Booyong to Ballina – Abandoned

The former railway bridge at Ballina now carries sewerage lines over North Creek.

©Abandoned Railways of Australia’s post to Facebook

Part of the railway corridor here on Houghlahan’s Creek Road also continues along a sealed driveway.

©Abandoned Railways of Australia’s post to Facebook

The remaining concrete pylons looking towards Saunders Park where the line terminated.

©Abandoned Railways of Australia’s post to Facebook

The line ran past the Bowls Club towards where Saunders Park is now situated.

©Abandoned Railways of Australia’s post to Facebook

The corridor is quite visible from Houghlahan’s Creek Road.

©Abandoned Railways of Australia’s post to Facebook

Remains of Disused Waiting Room at Teven from ‘Byways of Steam 18’

Eveleigh Press 2002

From Booyong Road the site of Nashua Station

Courtesy of Peter Woodard

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Timeline of important events during the First World WarThe battles of Ypres were notorious battles, not only because of the heavy casualties but also because of the conditions the soldiers fought in – mainly thick, deep mud. The Third Battle of Ypres, fought between July and November 1917, and which included the Battle of Passchendaele, is known as the battle in the mud. It caused a British Commander on his first visit to the front to burst into tears, crying Good God, did we really send men to fight in that? Australians were involved in several offensives as part of this battle.

From the Australian War Memorial website

In the Australian experience of war, no year has been more tragic than 1917. It was a period that ended much as it had begun with the diggers bogged in the muddy trenches of France and Belgium. In the intervening 12 months great battles were fought at Bullecourt, Messines, and in the third battle of Ypres. The culmination of fighting was the attempt to take a village whose name – “Passchendaele” – would invoke painful memories of suffering and grief for a whole generation.

‘Good God, did we really send men to fight in that?’

This Quarter’s World War I Diary: 1917July – Greece declared war on the Central Powers, following the abdication of pro-German King Constantine who was replaced by a pro-Allied administration. Greek soldiers were now added to the Allied ranks.Third battle of Ypres in Belgium began, leading to the Battle of Passchendaele later in the year. In England Winston Churchill was appointed Minister of Munitions. There was mutiny in the German Navy and the leaders of the mutiny were executed. Proclamation issued in England changing the name of the British Royal House to Windsor.August – Liberia and China individually declared war on Germany and Austria-Hungary. Last German aeroplane raid on England by daylight. Fighting continued on Western and Eastern Fronts.

September – On the Eastern Front, the final Russian battle in the war began as the Germans attacked toward Riga. German planes for the first time raided England by night. A German submarine bombarded Scarborough in Yorkshire. References: historyplace.com and Wikipedia

Oz Soldiers - Third Battle of Ypres

Battle of Ypres, Gas Masks Passchendaele, 1917

Diary of a Warby Editor Carol Donaghey

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In the front of the 1707–1787 Register of All Saints Church, Writtle, Essex the Vicar had listed a table of fees to be paid to him as follows:

Registering Baptism 6d

Going to give Baptism at home 5s

Publishing Banns 2s

Certificate of Banns 1s 6d

Marrying with Banns 5s

Marrying with Licence 10s

Licence to marry – Bond, Warrant, Stamps & oath £1.19s 6d

Churching a Woman 6d

Breaking the Ground in the Churchyard for a Parishioner dying in the parish

2s Headstone 5s

Easter Offerings for each Person 16 years old [to be paid by the Master of the Family]

4d

It makes you wonder if it was normal for a vicar to decide on a charge or was it stipulated by a higher church authority.

How would this relate to annual income for people today? You would have to assume that each of the above would be a pretty large sum. A quick look at rural wages in the mid 1700s seems to indicate that wages were about 2–10 pounds a year depending on the employment (domestic or farm).

BDM Church Costs in Essex during the 1700s

by Don Howell

Hello to everyone in June and a very warm welcome to the new members who have joined us this year. We are very glad to have you with us and hope you will enjoy a happy and successful membership. Be sure to ask for help if needed and more experienced researchers will be eager to assist you. Here we are, half way through another year and all wondering where the time has gone and how much we have to show for it. Ah, but we are planning to really get going now aren’t we and your success stories will inspire us at monthly meetings or will appear in The Cedar Log so we can rejoice with you.President Robyn announced at our February meeting that Jane Griffin had agreed to join the Committee of our Society and she was given an enthusiastic vote of approval by members. She is relatively new to the Society and still working as a nurse, but also manages to fit in an afternoon duty in the MHL so we say ‘well done Jane’!In February we were very sad that foundation member Judy Scott endured the loss of her much loved son Stephen while he was serving with the RAN overseas. Our deepest sympathy was extended to her and her family. We sympathised too with Maurie Lewis whose eyesight has deteriorated so that he is now unable to drive to meetings, but members living nearby will call for him when possible. We send our best wishes to others who may be unwell too and hope we will see you at our meetings or in our Library again soon. Myra and Alex Arrighi are excited that a grandson, Lachlan, has gone to London to take up the opportunity to train as a Coldstream Guard, so another overseas trip for them may not now be out of the question.Early in January a visitor to the MHL surprised us with a bundle of old photos which he believed may be useful to us. Were they ever! Included were copies of the various stages of construction of the Missingham Bridge, the original Coast Guard tower and various street parades, but best of all was a picture of the former Ballina Railway Station with two cows standing on the platform. There was no sign of their luggage so we assumed they were just awaiting the arrival of bovine passengers! When telling Nola about the photo she recalled her one trip from Lismore to

All in the FamilyNews From Within the Society

by Marie Hart

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Ballina, but doesn’t remember if she made the return journey the same way! Does anyone else have a memory of the train? It is so hard to believe

it ever existed and we would all enjoy hearing more about it I’m sure. The closure of the line reminds us also of the Richmond River trade which allowed vessels, large and small, to make their way to Lismore servicing towns and businesses along the way. That rich early history is captured in the Ballina Naval and Maritime Museum adjoining our own Marie Hart Library and is well worth a visit.

We have around 150 financial members who receive the quarterly Cedar Log which is also emailed or posted to over a hundred Family History Societies around the world. To achieve this, a huge amount of work is done ‘behind the scenes’ by a diligent team of members and we take our hats off to them! If you would like a job, large or small, have a chat with Robyn and I’m sure she will have something in mind that will be just right, or you might like to think of nominating for the Annual General Meeting which will take place in August.

New Membershipa warm welcome from Membership Secretary, Nola Rodey

We are pleased to welcome the following new members who have joined our Society within the past few weeks:974 Mrs Joann Clapham 6/120 North Creek Road, Ballina NSW 2478975 Mrs Janette Gourlay 74/120 North Creek Road, Ballina NSW 2478976 Mr & Mrs Jan & Richard Millburn 72/120 North Creek Road, Ballina NSW 2478977 Mr Richard Goss 28 Killarney Crescent, Skennars Head NSW 2478978 Mrs Helen Dyson 12 Joindre Street, Wollongbar NSW 2477979 Mr Peter James Hatfield 5 The Ridge, Cumbalum NSW 2478

Patient customers queueing at the Waiting Room and Ticket Office

at Ballina Station. Courtesy of APN

We Need More Ballina Shire Photos

by Frank HarveyAs many of our readers will know, for some time the RTFHS has been establishing a Digital Photo Archive of anything of interest to Family History researchers with a connection to anywhere in the Ballina Shire.

The RTFHS owes a big ‘Thank You’ to those members who have already made photos available to us for scanning; but we feel certain there are so many more which are hidden away in photo albums and boxes – stashed in cupboards or under the bed!

We will consider any photo or postcard which has a family history significance – but at this time we are particularly interested in photos which depict the undermentioned places or events. If you have any photos which you feel may interest us will you please scan them at 600dpi or above, and forward them to RTFHS member Frank Harvey on email: spiritword8@bigpond.com

If you will trust us with the physical copies of your photos will you please leave them in the Marie Hart Library marked for Frank Harvey’s attention. They will be returned to you in a very short period.

Do You Have Any of the Following Photos?General Photos from anywhere in the Ballina Shire:Public memorials of any kind – Postcards, especially from earlier times – Railway photos – Ships, Shipbuilding and Shipping photosBallina: 100-year re-enactment of the landing of Captain Rous (1st January 1929)Ballina Racecourse and Stables North Creek Bridge (built 1906 – closed 1970 – demolished shortly afterwards), together with any photos of the Ferry that was replaced by the bridge.Alstonville: Tosher FallsLennox Head: Camp Drewe aka the Presbyterian Conference Centre – Historic Markers – Local Scouts Hall – Tea Tree Fence photosTeven: Old Methodist (Timber) ChurchPhotos from any of these smaller areas within the Ballina Shire: Alstonvale – Bagotville – Brooklet – Cabbage Tree Island – Cumbalum – Dalwood – McLeans Ridges – Meerschaum Vale – Pearces Creek – Pimlico – Rous or Rous Mill – Teven – Tintenbar – Tuckombil – Uralba

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In Descent for March 2017 the article by SAG member Kim Hatherly should be read by every new researcher. How Do You Solve a Problem Like Ancestry exposes the risk of believing everything you read on Ancestry.com instead of following the old rules such as ‘starting with yourself and carefully working backwards’. The NSW and ACT Family History Conference is to be held in Orange from September 22 to 24 which would be a delightful time to visit that city.

Footsteps from the Port Macquarie & Districts FHS in February stated that Dr Christina Henri is only five hundred short of her target of 25,655 cloth bonnets made by volunteers to represent that number of female convicts transported to Australia. Some of our members have sent their home made bonnets to Dr Henri and will be eager to know when the project is finalised.

Irish history and names appeared in the Glamorgan FHS March issue of their journal and a former member has donated some Clan Munro Newsletters to us which can be read in the MHL if of interest to you. We subscribe to Who Do You Think You Are which you are welcome to borrow and enjoy and if you are likely to be in London at any time you may like to attend a lecture or course at the Society of Genealogists. Check out their Events brochure in the MHL to see the great variety offered.

Dr Judith Godden’s Crown Street Women’s Hospital: a history 1893–1983 was launched at the State Library of NSW on 9 February 2017 (Ryde Recorder, March 2017). The new address for the Genealogical Society of Victoria is Level 6, 85 Queen Street, Melbourne and the March issue of Alstonville Plateau Historical Society’s Pioneer tells of the collaboration of the Society with Alstonville High School students in recording local events in the Pixel the Past.

Happy researching everyone!

Footsteps, February 2017

Are you ready for a long list of events, enquiries and suggestions? In The Northern Star of 8 March 2017 I read that the Casino Folk Museum is seeking help to find WWI soldiers’ photos with surnames ABDULLAH, ADAMS, ALCOCK, ANTHONY, ARMSTRONG (3), ANNAN, ARNDELL, ASKEW and AMOS. Barry Dennis, Vice President at 6662 2748, would be happy to provide further details. Also, if you are a descendant of a New Italy (near Woodburn NSW) settler in the 1880s please contact Jenny Hicks at hicksandickson@gmail.com.

In the Ballina Public Library is a copy of A Noble Heritage by Douglas Johnston, published in 2016. Among local names mentioned are NOBLE, RUTLEDGE, ARMSTRONG, DUDGEON, TRIMBLE, VIRTUE, JOHNSTON, VANCE, FLETCHER and others. Aboriginal History of North Lismore can be read in the March 2017 Richmond River Historical Society Bulletin.

You can now search the records of the South Australian Red Cross Information Bureau in the State Library of South Australia. From 1916 until 1919, 8000 enquiries were received about missing AIF personnel fighting in WWI. They can be searched online at https://sarcib.ww1.collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/. The Queensland Family Historian for February last contained worthy information on USA search sites and 10,000 WWI deaths of Queenslanders.

The RAHS Newsletter of February 2017 advised that Women’s Business: Midwives on the Mid North Coast of NSW will be published in mid 2017 and mentions some 200 midwives and 70 hospitals they established or managed, noelinekyle@gmail.com. Ances-tree, March 2017 mentioned Faith, Hospitality and Service: a History of St Martha’s, Strathfield 1916–2016 which lists 700 names from the 1880s. If your ancestors were living in The Rocks area of Sydney in the early1900s you will find details of the eradication of rats and demolition of properties during the outbreak of bubonic plague (the Black Death) which caused 103 deaths from the 303 cases reported; for photos and details read the SL Magazine of the State Library of NSW for Autumn 2017 in your local library.

From the Media… by Marie Hart

In the Loop

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Journal GleaningsAustralianThese journals are on the shelves in our Library and may be borrowed so you can read them at your leisure. You may well pick up some clues that are unlikely to be found in other places.Danish Settlers in Poowong East Victoria Kith ‘N’ Kin, Feb 1730 Shipwrecks near Newcastle NSW 1856–1929 Dust of Ages, Feb 17History of St Martha’s Strathfield 1916-2016 Ances-tree, Mar 17City of Sydney Sands Directories – free Ances-tree, Mar 17Aboriginal History North Lismore RRHS Bulletin, Mar 17OverseasMy Ancestor was a Clergyman WDYTYA, July 16WWI Red Cross Volunteers WDYTYA, July 16My Ancestor was an Engineer WDYTYA, Summer 16Scottish Clergymen WDYTYA, Sept 16Royal College of Nursing WDYTYA, Sept 16Irish in Wales Glamorgan FHS, Mar 17Finding Ancestors in South Africa Gallus, Mar 17Gretna Rail Crash Disaster Gallus, Mar 17

eJournalsby Jackie Chalmers

The following eJournals may be read on the computer in the Marie Hart Library..

Australian

Dustydocs by Cynthia Neale Australian Institute of Genealogical Studies, The Genealogist, Dec16

From Here and There: Casino FHG’s, ‘The Crossing Place’ Australian Institute of Genealogical Studies, The Genealogist, Mar 17

Mittagong’s McFarlane Family - Part Two compiled by P Morton with Marg Muntz, Marie Chalker Berrima and District FHS, Newsletter, Feb 17

Mittagong Station’s 150th Birthday compiled by Philip Morton with Frank Mitchell and Marg Muntz Berrima and District FHS, Newsletter, Mar 17

Name on the Church Window – John GUTHRIE by Val Messer Bundaberg Genealogical Association Inc., Family Ties, Dec 16

Washing Day in the Old Slab Hut by George James Central Coast & District FHS Inc., E-Muster, Dec 16

Do You Ever Yearn for the ‘Good Old Days’? by Narelle Hoy Coffs Harbour & District FHS, Genie Allergy, Mar 17

The Rajah Quilt – notes from Helen Reichenbach Descendants of Convicts Group, The Mail, Mar 17

A Letter from Susan BROOKS supplied by Julie Spiers Echuca/Moama FHG, Bridges and Branches, Mar 17

All at Sea – Sculptures by the Sea by Ron Withington Fellowship of the First Fleeters, Founders, Feb-Mar 17

Remembering the Loss of the H.M.A.S. Sydney (2) on 19 Nov 1941 by Yvonne Cooper Genealogical Society Gladstone District Inc., Timeline, Mar 17

SS Zealandia 1910-1942: The Remarkable Lives of a Steamship by Bruce Cumming GS of the Northern Territory, Progenitor, Dec 16

Turnbull Graves compiled by Michelle Nichols and Jonathan Auld Hawkesbury FHS, The Hawkesbury Crier, Mar 17

200 Years of Bathurst: First Family Home by Kia Handley Hawkesbury-Nepean Chapter Fellowship of First Fleeters, Hawkesbury-Nepean Newsletter, Mar 17

Tambaroora Telegraph from the Australasian Wesleyan Almanac for 1867 Hill End & Tambaroora Gathering Group, Newsletter, Jan 17

Hidden Histories: Canned Food from Your Family History, Sep 2016 Hill End History, Newsletter, Mar 17

Plants, Insects, and Fish, Louisa Anne Meredith by Guy McDougall Hobart Town First Settlers Assoc. Inc., Newsletter, Mar 17

‘Pride of the North no. 23’ a Friendly Society in Times of Need by Brian Jeffrey Ipswich Genealogical Society, Bremer Echoes, Feb 17

Spot on the Lake – Wangi Wangi – Water, Water by Clare Shiels Lake Macquarie FHG, The Chronicle, Feb 17My Favourite Grandparent – Robert James TREGONING as submitted by John Tregoning Lithgow & District FHS, Lithgow Pioneer Press, Feb 17Occupations Over the Years by Barbara Merriman Maitland & Beyond FH Inc., Tracks and Trails, Mar 17

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My Favourite Ancestor – Sarah Cooper FERNLEY by Anne Fernley Manning Wallamba FHS, The Fig Tree, Feb 17

State Emergency Services – Visit to Flood Area from the Archives Mid-Richmond HS Inc., Newsletter, Feb 17

WALSH’s Family Hotel by Jane Ison Newcastle FHS, Journal, Mar 17

National Trust Listing for GRANT Family Cemetery by Mark Muller Orange FHG, Newsletter, Apr 17

Letter from Egypt – Mena Camp from Gunner James DALTON Port Stephens FHS, Lemon Tree, Autumn 17

The Uralla – Raymond Terrace Examiner 6 Sep 1928 Raymond Terrace FHS, Newsletter, Jan 17

My Mum’s Name by Diane Oldman FHS of Rockingham & D, Between the Lines, Mar 17

Rev. Rex DAKERS – the Australian who saved my father’s life contributed by Marg Pegler South Gippsland GS, Newsletter, Mar 17Webinars: Are they Helpful? What are They? Genealogy Sunshine Coast, Kin Tracer, Mar 17

Dave WARE, our Great Uncle, the Movie Star by Heather Clarey Tenterfield FHG, Tenterfield Generations, Feb 17

Memories of the Early 20th Century on the Downs submitted by Lou Walsh on behalf of Kathleen Toowoomba & Darling Downs FHS, The Gazette, Mar 17

The DEAN Family 1858-1984 information supplied by Marie Dean Wyalong District FHG, The Mallee Stump, Mar 17

Off on a Tangent by Lynda Smith nee Prentice Wyong FHG, Tree of Life, Feb 17

OverseasLove on e-Bay by Linda Murray Alberta FHS, Chinook, Apr 16

Census Substitutes by John Hanson FSG Barnsley FHS, Domus Historiae, Jan 17

The Accident by Valerie Brown Bedfordshire FHS, Journal, Mar 17

An Australian Emigrant’s Letter transcribed and contributed by Jan Kilburn Cambridgeshire FHS, The Journal, Mar 17

1812 Riots in Macclesfield by Rosie Rowley FH Society of Cheshire, Cheshire Ancestor, Mar 17

The HUNLOKE’s by Edith Gilthorpe and Brian Austin Chesterfield & District FHS, Chesterfield Magazine, Mar 17

The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter by Beverley Hart FH Society of New Zealand, New Zealand Family Tree, Apr 17

Persecution by Malcolm Reay Felixstowe FHS, Roots and Branches, Dec 16

Melancholy Event Three Lives Lost by Geoffrey Holme Furness FHS, Furness Families, Winter 17

The Story of Adella and Reginald (Cont.) by John Bridger Hillingdon FHS, Journal, Mar 17

Memories of New Lanark 1970 by Eleanor Douglas Lanarkshire FHS, Journal, Jun 16

Spotlight on Maps … Northamptonshire FHS, Footprints, Feb 17

A Park Has Kept Him Young by Mike Pealing Ormskirk & DFHS, Ormskirk & District Family Historian, Mar 17

Rabbie Burns and Me! by Paul Lambie Troon & Ayrshire FHS, Journal, Oct 16

Life and Death in Bolton by Dave Joy Wharfedale FHS, Journal, Mar 17

Recent Accessions into the Marie Hart Libraryby Eldon Wright

Midwives Coffs Harbour District: Coffs Harbour Family History Society, (Hnsw–319)

Memories of Early North Creek and Lennox Head: Lennox Head Heritage Committee (Hz–313)

Clearing out sales Raymond Terrace and Lower Hunter 1895–1930: Raymond Terrace and District Historical Society (Hnsw–320)

Britain in 1914: (Hb–1)

The Story of the Tudors – The rise and fall of a dynasty from Henry VII to Elizabeth I: (Ht–1)

Old Dog and Duck – The Secret Meanings of Pub Names: Albert Jack (Q–23)

Discover your family’s Occupations: (Q–24)

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Computer Cornerby Carol Brown

CD Accessions May 2017CD289 Pioneers & Settlers of Kiama District pre 1920 Vol 2.CD290 Index to Court Records Supreme Court 1842.CD291 Qld School Pupils Index Part 6.CD292 Registration Of Applications for Gold Mining Licences Beechworth 1860–1865.CD293 Index to Registrations of Private Hospitals in NSW 1910–1928.CD294 Qld Customs House Shipping 1852–1885.CD295 Growing up in Ballina – Ted Bushell (same as book Bb-001).CD296 1861 Census for Sussex (5 CDs).CD299 Rookwood Columbarium Walls and Gardens 1985–1999.CD300 Indexes Liverpool General Cemetery 1892–2014.

USB Accessions(These have been copied to Alpha computer with a shortcut on the desktop.)

CD297 Qld Police Gazettes 1864–1945.CD298 Pubs and Publicans of NSW 1860–1900.

Pubs and Publicans of NSW 1860–1900

Queensland Customs House Shipping 1852–1885

For those members who were unable to attend meetings over the last three months this is a summary of the topics presented by our guest speakers. MarchQueensland Research was the topic of guest speaker, Helen Smith. Helen concentrated on Online Resources and researching Queensland Archives. Queensland Church records have been indexed and together with civil registration indexes are free to search online – Births: 1829 to 1917 Marriages: 1829 to 1942 Deaths: 1829 to 1987:qld.gov.au/law/births-deaths-marriages-and-divorces/family-history-research

A digital copy may be downloaded for $20.There were two information filled handouts. If you weren’t able to attend the meeting and would like copies please email Don Howell and he will send them to you. Helen is like a friend to our members. Her lively and animated talk kept everyone entertained and if you have Queensland ancestors her information sheets are just what you need.AprilTom Skeyhill, World War 1 poet and entrepreneur, was the subject of this month’s speaker Gordon King. Gordon traced Tom’s life from a telegram boy and postal clerk in Victoria to a signaller at Gallipoli. During that campaign Tom was blinded by a shell explosion and upon returning to Australia he embarked upon a very successful lecture tour telling wartime stories accompanied by his Soldier Songs of Anzac. He migrated to the USA in 1917 where he again undertook a similar lecture tour before equally enthusiastic audiences. Tom miraculously regained his sight in 1919.Gordon pointed out the many ambiguities of Tom’s stories and photos not only about the incident at Gallipoli but Tom’s supposed friendship with the poet Rupert Brooks, his education at Oxford and the claim that he was an expert on Russia having interviewed the Russian revolutionary leaders in 1920 while not being able to speak Russian.

Monthly Speakersby Editor Carol Donaghey

Frank Harvey, Kerrie Alexander with Guest Speaker Gordon King

34 THE CEDAR LOG, June 2017 www.rtfhs.org.au

MayA Look Inside the Parish Chest was the topic of President Robyn Hilan’s presentation. Robyn outlined the history of the Parish Chest from 1597 then spoke of the value of its contents to present day family historians as a major source of information about the daily lives of our ancestors who lived in that particular parish.

The Parish Chest records can provide information omitted from your official birth, death and marriage certificates, track relationships, provide names for apprenticeships, report bastardy bonds, settlement and removal of people into and out of the Parish as well as assistance for the poor.

The business of the Parish is also contained in the Chest such as rates levied to meet the needs of the parish – e.g. the night watch, lighting, highway upkeep and similar functions. The Sexton’s records cover grave digging and bell ringing while Churchwarden’s Accounts and Vestry minutes list any failure by the parish to carry out their responsibilities and disciplinary matters such as not attending church or drunkenness.

Robyn noted that Germany also has a ‘Parish Chest’.

Access to the Parish Chest records can be obtained from LDS, GENUKI, FREEREG, SCOTLANDS PEOPLE or GOOGLE the town where your ancestors lived and add ‘Parish Chest’.

Parish Chest at St Mary Magdalene, Great Burstead, Essex by John Salmon

Enthused Audience: Margaret Fryer, Gwen Clark,

Tanya Binning and Helen Dyson

Parish Chest: All Saints, Hawstead, Suffolk by John Salmon

The Richmond-Tweed Family History Society Inc. was established in 1983 to serve the family history needs of researchers initially with a special interest in Northern New South Wales, Australia in the area bounded by the Richmond and Tweed Rivers, often referred to as the Northern Rivers.

The Marie Hart Library holds numerous local records including the Local Schools Admission Registers, Cemetery Records, Burial Records and Honour and Memorial Rolls from many locations within the Northern Rivers.

Over the years the library has expanded and now holds a wealth of information from across Australia including historical and pioneer records, war records, shipping lists, probate records, landholder returns, Colonial Secretary papers, cemetery books etc. and journals including those from other English speaking countries. Access to Microfiche, CDs and a computer connected to the genealogical website Findmypast is also available. Contact Carol Brown on 02 6687 8443 if you need assistance.

The Society is able to do small family history searches for a fee of $15 per hour. Please include a 22 x 11 cm SAE and research fees where applicable.

Journal of the Richmond-Tweed Family History Society Inc.Published March, June, September & December

The Editor, Carol Donaghey, would be pleased to accept articles for inclusion in this journal. Ideally they should be sent by email to Carol at carold2478@gmail.com but typed hard copy is also welcomed. The format preferred is Times New Roman font; 12 point; single spacing.

Please add your contact details as the Editor may need to discuss with you any editing, abridgement or deferral to a future date of any material submitted for publication. It is your responsibility to ensure that your article does not infringe copyright. Items remain the copyright of the Richmond-Tweed Family History Society and the author.

Your input is important and makes for interesting and diverse reading for our members as well as to the other readers of our journal throughout Australia and overseas. We would love to hear about how you broke down those brick walls or any interesting information you have found out about an ancestor, so get those fingers typing.

The society does not accept responsibility for opinions and statements published by individual contributors. Original material in this journal may be reproduced with written permission from the society.

Cedar LogTHE

The Society meets at the Players Theatre, 24 Swift Street, Ballina – unless otherwise advised. Society meetings are held every month except January. The Society meets at 2.00 pm on the first Saturday of the month.

DATES TO REMEMBER

Saturday 3 June: Subject: ‘Dead, Buried and Cremated’. Speaker: Leonie Oliver.

Tuesday 6 June: The RTFHS Writers’ Group meets on the first TUESDAY of each month – at 1.00 pm – at the Marie Hart Library. Phone Group Leader Joan Fraser (6686 9664) for further details.

Saturday 1 July: Subject: ‘Early Germans in Moreton Bay’ and ‘Church Records in Australia’. Speakers: Eric and Rosemary Kopittke.

Saturday 22 July: Christmas in July luncheon at Summerland House Farm. Set meal: two courses including tea/coffee and bread roll with alternate service menu. Cost $35 per person. Contact Gwen Clark 6628 7797 for booking and further enquiries.

Saturday 5 August: AGM. Following the Annual General Meeting on this date Frank Harvey will be screening highlights from the Ballina Digital Photo Archive.

Saturday 2 September: Subject and Speaker: tba. Giant Spring Plant Sale at this meeting at the Players Theatre. All plants selling for $1 each.

Saturday 7 October: Subject: ‘A Moment of Fame in the Family’. Members contributing: Kerrie Alexander, Carol Brown, Robyn Hilan and Dawn Lotty.

Saturday 4 November: Possible Podcast.

Saturday 2 December: Christmas Function.

MEMBERSHIPMembership fees for the year 1 January 2017 to 31 December 2017 are $35 Individual/$45 Joint Membership. Journals will be sent to financial members only.

SoCIETy EvENTS