Activities 2012

Dates of meetings and other activities are added to this page as arrangements are finalised. On most occasions a brief summary of the event is added after completion. Exhibitions, seminars, open days etc in which members may be interested are listed in our monthly newsletter. Frequently, some members attend & the more unusual of these are included.

Committee meeting dates are listed for member information.

JANUARY

January Newsletter for Downloading

Friday 27th - committee meeting

FEBRUARY

February Newsletter for Downloading>

Tuesday 31st January - Library volunteers resume duty for 2012

Friday 10th - General Meeting

Friday 24th - committee meeting.

MARCH

March Newsletter for Downloading

Friday 9th - General Meeting & Guest Speaker

Friday 23rd - committee meeting

Nepean Family History Society Annual Fair

Joan in charge of our Trade Table at the Nepean Fair.

Saturday 31st - Springwood Foundation Day

APRIL

April Newsletter for Downloading

Friday 6th to Monday 9th - Easter

Friday 13th - General Meeting & Workshop

The April General Meeting was held on Friday 13 April 2012 at 10.00 am in the Springwood Presbyterian Church Hall. Ian Kendall gave a presentation on the use and advantage of using the Rootsweb Mailing Lists. If you have never used the mailing lists you will be astounded at the help and information that is freely given on over 31,000 lists. There was time for questions and feedback at the end of the presentation.

Wednesday 25th - ANZAC

Thursday 26th - OUTING - The April outing is a guided tour of Garden Island on Thursday 26 April. Although we had to have numbers by the end of March, we can still take a few extras if you have not put your name on the list and you wish to attend. We will be catching the train that leaves Springwood at 8.01 am, sitting in the third carriage upstairs. There will be members travelling from Wentworth Falls and Hazelbrook, but we will all meet up once we get to Central, if not before. We will catch the suburban train to Circular Quay, where we will depart on the 10.05 am Watsons Bay ferry to arrive at Garden Island at 10.11 am. The tour ends at approximately 12.15 pm. I forwarded a letter from the Naval Historical Society of Australia, provided by Don to those registered to attend. Don is going to prepare a handout on Garden Island for distribution on the outing.

Friday 27th - committee meeting

MAY

May Newsletter for Downloading

Friday 11th - General Meeting & Guest Speaker

Our May meeting was a presentation by Tony Larnach-Jones, Chair of the NSW Committee of the National Boer War Memorial Association. Have a look at the design for the National Boer War Memorial to be erected on Anzac Parade, Canberra (funds permitting) on their website http://www.bwm.org.au/

Thursday 24th - TBA

Friday 25th - committee meeting

JUNE

June Newsletter for Downloading

Friday 8th - General Meeting & Workshop

The June General Meeting was held at 10.00 am on Friday 8 June 2012 in the Springwood Presbyterian Church Hall, 160 Macquarie Road, Springwood. We held a workshop at this meeting and Joan Edwards, Ian Kendall and Audrey King gave presentations on Caring for your Family History. Each presenter had a scribe - Pauline Hincksman, John Arnold and Jan Koperberg. As well as the three presenters, information and hints from those in the group were most welcome. We will make the combined notes available to our members ASAP after the meeting

Thursday 14th - activity. Berrima Historical Museum and Harper's Mansion, Berrima

Don booked a guided tour of Berrima Historical Museum and Harper's Mansion, Berrima for Thursday 14 June. Departure from Springwood was at 8.00 am from the northern parking lot at Springwood Railway Station (the 15 minute parking). Cost was $10.00 plus petrol money (probably $10.00 for those not driving). Don says the museum is arranged thematically and has wonderful exhibits relating to the internment of German internees at Berrima.

Friday 22nd - committee meeting

JULY

July Newsletter for Downloading

Friday 13th - General Meeting & Guest Speaker

The July General Meeting was held at 10.00 am on Friday 13 July 2012 in the Springwood Presbyterian Church Hall, 160 Macquarie Road, Springwood. After morning tea, guest speaker, Lorraine Turtle from Turtle Consolidated Industries, Transcription Agents talked about "Revisiting those BDM records: A practical talk for both the beginner or the advanced researcher" - how the BDMs can lead to further research.

Thursday 19th JULY - activity.

Don organised a guided tour of St John's Parramatta at 10.00 am, followed by a guided tour of Brislington House Nursing Museum Parramatta at noon.

Friday 27th - committee meeting

NATIONAL FAMILY HISTORY WEEK This year the dates were Friday 27 July to Sunday 5 August. Our society held "Introduction to the Resources in the Family History Section" of Springwood Library and had a display in the main section of the library. There were two sessions each day Monday 30 July to Friday 3 August, 10.00 am to 11.00 am and 11.00 am to noon, giving the introduction, or orientation, to the general public. The Librarians at the BMCC Libraries took the bookings (which were essential - in order to keep small groups) and the general public booked at any of the libraries or by phoning Springwood Library 02 4723 5040. There was no research assistance in the FH section that week till after noon.

AUGUST

August Newsletter for Downloading

Friday 10th - General Meeting & Workshop

The August General Meeting was held at 10.00 am on Friday 10 August 2012 in the Springwood Presbyterian Church Hall, 160 Macquarie Road, Springwood. We had a number of visitors at this meeting to see and hear Joan Edwards' presentation on the book she is writing about WWII in the Blue Mountains. We broke for morning tea at approximately 10.30 am and Joan's presentation started at 11.00 am. There was great interest in Joan's illustrated talk and in her work in preparing this publication that we believe will be widely received. There will be no charge for morning tea.

Thursday 16th - The August outing was to Bodington Hospital Museum at Wentworth Falls on Thursday 16 August 2012. Transport was by car.

Friday 24th - committee meeting

SEPTEMBER

September Newsletter for Downloading

Friday 14th - General Meeting & Guest Speaker

The September General Meeting was held at 10.00 am on Friday 14 September 2012 in the Springwood Presbyterian Church Hall, 160 Macquarie Road, Springwood. The meeting was followed after morning tea with "Show and Tell" instead of our usual guest speaker.
Quite a few of our valued members presented details in relation to their family history or family history research with a talk for no more than 5 - 10 minutes. These were very well received by all in attendance. A mystery item was presented for all of us to hazard a guess and then hear how it fitted in with an interesting family history.

Thursday 27th - Outing to Rouse Hill Farm and Hawkesbury Regional Gallery

Friday 28th - committee meeting

OCTOBER

October Newsletter for Downloading

Friday 12th - General Meeting & Workshop

Monday 15th - Visit Jewish Museum at 148 Darlinghurst Road, Darlinghurst

The October outing was to the Jewish Museum at 148 Darlinghurst Road, Darlinghurst on Monday 15 October, with a guided tour starting at 1.00 pm. The cost was $10 and was be payable to Blue Mountains Historical Society (as this was a combined guided tour of both societies). Only two members of the BMFHS attended along with 5 members of the Historical Society. The visit was most worthwhile to see the extent of Jewish influence on the early colony of NSW (there were 16 Jews among those of the First Fleet). As well the extensive displays of the Holocaust that every person should see.

Friday 26th - committee meeting

NOVEMBER

November Newsletter for Downloading

Friday 9th - Annual General Meeting (AGM)

November Annual General Meeting: Nomination forms for the AGM will go out in the October edition of The Explorers' Tree magazine. Nominations for committee membership are required 7 days prior to the AGM. As some members on the current committee are thinking of standing down, this might be the time for members to consider whether they would like to become a committee member. Being on the committee involves attending a monthly meeting at someone's home on a rotating basis. After the Society's business has been attended to, these meetings usually become a social event with everyone taking a plate.

Friday 23rd - committee meeting

DECEMBER

Friday 9th - Christmas function

DECEMBER CHRISTMAS LUNCH

Don't forget our Christmas lunch, to be held on Friday 9 December 2012.

There is no committee meeting in December

Convict Interests The Blue Mountains Family History Society has begun compiling a list of Convict Ancestors, Pioneers and Interests of our Members. Many of our members have quite a few Convict Ancestors whilst others are researching groups of Convicts or particular Convict Ships. This list, along with details of the member involved is available at the Family History Centre in Springwood Library in a loose-leaf folder.

This list is now also available progressively on this website and will be found here. Convict Interests

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