Dec 282013
 


I am very pleased to announce I will be speaking at the biennial “Harvest Your Family Tree” Conference 2014 (September 26-28) with the Kelowna & District Genealogical Society in British Columbia. I have not been to British Columbia preciously so am very much looking forward to the conference as the pictures of the area look great.
It will cap an interesting year of speaking as I am also speaking on the 4th Unlock the Past cruise in early February (along with other wonderful presenters such as Thomas MacEntee, Chris Paton , Shauna Hicks and more), then jetting off to speak at Who Do You Think You Are? Live! in London. 
Then home again doing local presentations until July when I head back to England to speak on the 5th Unlock the Past cruise circumnavigating England.


More great speakers on this one with Paul Blake, Jackie Depelle, Marie Dougan, Jayne Shrimpton  from the UK, Lisa Louise Cooke from the US, Rosemary Kopittke, Mike Murray, Lesley Silvester and myself from Australia.

Then back home again for more Australian presentations until I go to Canada!

I am also working on a potential visit to New Zealand in 2014 to speak again at the Auckland Library. 
To see where I will be speaking  check out this page

A great year ahead!

Dec 022013
 

Apart from the obvious health benefits of regular flossing there is another way we can use dental floss.

Many of us have inherited the old magnetic photo albums which were popular in the 1970’s and 80s. They have glue strips on the page and a plastic sheet that folds over the page to protect the picture. At the time they seemed a good idea but we have all come to know that the glue was acidic and can cause long term damage to your precious image.

Initially the photos were able to be removed easily but after a long  period of time the photos are firmly attached to the pages.

This is where the trusty dental floss comes into its own.  Take a piece that is at least six inches (15cm) longer than the photo you want to remove as you will want to wind the floss around your fingers. Gently lift one corner of the photo and then work the floss in a gentle sawing motion back and forth under the photo. It doesn’t really matter if you work away from yourself or towards yourself and I have found it sometimes depends on where the photo is placed as to which is easier to do.

2013-11-28 09.20.12
    2013-11-28 09.20.40    2013-11-28 09.21.26
Continue until the photo is released from the page.

2013-11-28 09.13.15 2013-11-28 09.13.32 What is even better is by doing this carefully you will be able to see any writing that was on the back of the photos!

Dec 012013
 


Lost Your Ancestors in Queensland?
 

A 30 minute online presentation by Helen V. Smith

Come along to find out what records are available, where found, both online and offline so you can start finding your missing ancestors in Queensland. 
There will be a particular emphasis on online records for people researching Queensland from far away.

Tuesday, December 17 – 8:30 AM (DEST)in Sydney, Australia   

Time zones: Monday, December 16th – 4:30 PM Eastern; 3:30 PM Central; 1:30 PM Pacific; 9:30 PM in London, England; Tuesday, December 17 – 8:30 AM in Sydney, Australia   

 

(NOTE: No user name or password required. Please type in your first and last name; then click “Enter as a Guest”.)


The National Institute for Genealogical Studies  has recently launched a new subject, Lecturing Skills Including Preparation, which teaches the skills needed to present genealogical-related lectures. This presentation is being done as part of the subject requirements and it is good to see a subject that has a practical component putting in active use the theory taught in the course.
The subject was written by well known presenter and technology guru Thomas MacEntee who will also be presenting on the Unlock the Past 4th cruise departing Sydney in February

The subject as part of the new Professional Development Certificate in Genealogical Studies being run by the National Institute. 
This is a 40 subject course designed for those who wish to pursue a career in genealogy, create a genealogy business or to augment their income potential by adding niche areas to their business plan. Skill-building courses are of high importance in this certificate to ensure quality results as a professional researcher.