Thursday 19 February (10.30am - 12.30pm) - Life and Death in Quarantine
Sailing to Australia was a surprisingly healthy experience for many people in the nineteenth century. But when disease broke out on the confines of a ship, layers of discipline, confinement and treatment were quickly imposed. How did immigrants and travellers cope with being quarantined at Sydney's North Head? Why were some given stout to drink and others permitted to swim, while their shipmates were cast aboard a hulk surrounded by those dying of smallpox? This talk draws out some cases from the history of Sydney's former Quarantine Station to explore life and death in this surprising place. Join Dr Peter Hobbins in this fascinating talk, which can be complemented with a tour of the Station the following week, on February 26. Bookings essential. $20 ($30 non-members).
Saturday 21 February (10.30am - 12.30pm) - An Introduction to Scottish Family History
Researchers with Scottish ancestry are fortunate that there is a large amount of information online for them to use which can help establish details of their Scottish heritage. This talk will discuss the digital resources such as ScotlandsPeople that play such an important part in Scottish research and will also address the question of ‘where to go next’ so that a fully rounded family history can be uncovered. Presenter: Jeremy Palmer. Bookings essential. $20 ($30 non-members).
Saturday 28 February (10.30am - 12.30pm) - English Research Group - Having a Yarn about the British Woollen Industry
Did your ancestor work in the Woollen trade? This industry was a major employer and played an important part in the English economy. Looking into the lives and tasks of our ancestors involved in the industry and the records they left behind. Presenter - Pauline Kettle. Bookings essential. $8 ($12 non-members).
Feel the salt spray and hear the seagulls as the State Records NSW talk on Immigration outlines and showcases a wide variety of immigration records available at State Records NSW and online.The talk will overview Immigration ‘at His Majesty's pleasure’ (i.e. the transportation of convicts) and explain the mysteries of the Assisted Immigration programs. The talk will include unassisted immigration and reveal differences in the records with a wide variety of images. It will also showcase the diary of an immigrant providing fascinating insight into the difficulties faced by our ancestors. ‘No rowboat has been left unturned’ in our effort to add experience to researchers of their family history. Presenter: John Cann. Bookings essential. $20 ($30 non-members).
