Tracing Family Branches

As a former military family ANZAC Day has played a big part in the life of our family.  This year the day is being marked considerably differently due to Covid 19 and so I thought I would post about how we spent this current ANZAC Day as it will be a part of our family history from now on.  My husband served for twenty two years in the Australian Army from 1982 until 2006, with a small gap from 1993 until 1995 when he took a career break as our Autistic son needed to stay in Canberra to access resources longer than the military could guarantee us a posting there.  Unfortunately he was medically retired in 2006 aged forty three with a DVA TPI pension due to his service related injuries. Today we were up before 5am so we could be out on the front verandah for the Dawn service from 5:30am.  The rest of the day will be passed quietly. Lest we forget. Phil wearing his medals out in our front yard during the Dawn Service Phil observing the minute silence a...

Today's post involves my Great Grandfather Leo Battye. Source: RICH GOLD STRIKE REPORTED (1934, June 25). The Gundagai Independent (NSW : 1928 - 1939), p. 2. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article224994056 Transcript: RICH GOLD STRIKE REPORTED Below Old Prince of Wales Mine Reports are current that a rich gold strike has been made close to Dwyer's old mine, down from the Prince of Wales. Mr. Leo Battye has been working on the spot for some time, and though no official information was given, the strike is said to be highly satisfactory.

Genealogy has been taking more of a backseat with me of late but that is now going to change!  My schedule changed in late February when our daughter finished working full time to gain a better work life balance and spend more time with the children.  Which means that I am no longer the grandchildren’s daycare provider five days a week, from 8am to 5pm (our oldest granddaughter started school this year so we had her for less of the day).  This has been a great move for them all and we are blessed to still get to spend quality time with them, as they are all the light of our lives!  Then March came along with Covid-19 impacting lives around the world and our routines changed yet again.  I have spent the past month pottering around a little aimlessly, sorting out random things around the house, finally establishing the new vegetable gardens at this house and making new plans! We got flooded in 2010 and knowing that the possibility of it happening again was high ...

Today’s photograph is of my Mother and my Father’s sister taken in 1967.  Mum would of been twenty years old and Aunty Nita thirty at the time.  Aunty Nita, who was the last surviving sibling of my Father’s family sadly passed away last month. From left: Judy Donnelly née Stevens and Nita Longstaff née Donnelly