News from MyHeritage Australia – 19 October 2011

This is a guest post by Shauna Hicks.

Shauna is a professional genealogist, former archivist and librarian who has been researching her own family history since 1977. She is also a MyHeritage member.

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As always, much has been happening in Australian genealogy circles, so let’s get straight into it:

I have recently been looking at the State Records NSW (SRNSW) pilot project which will place online (free) digital copies of their microfilmed shipping lists.

While the microfilm is fairly accessible at major libraries and genealogical societies, it is fantastic to be able to see these microfilms at home without having to travel anywhere. Also,  you don’t have to worry about anyone else wanting to use the microfilm reader!  Although the quality is not the same as if the lists had been digitised from the original, the lists are still quite easy to read. It would be useful  if other archives would undertake  similar projects.

Speaking of SRNSW, there’s an easy way to keep up with what’s happening there. Readers may subscribe (free) to their e-newsletter Now & Then. I it’s a great way to  learn about new indexes, specific record collections and other matters. Each month there is a difference focus. In October, the theme was  Professions & Occupations.

I was interested to read that the Who Do You Think You Are? team visited State Records of Western Australia in September to film two Australian celebrities – now I can’t wait for the series to be shown on TV! I’m not holding my breath but, as it won’t be until the first half of 2012.

The Unlock the Past history and genealogy cruise in November is also running some onshore seminar programs in various New Zealand and Australian cities. These seminars   are a good opportunity to hear Chris Paton (Scottish/Irish specialist), Richard Reid (military and Irish specialist) and Perry McIntyre (Irish specialist) if you can’t make the cruise. Cities include Auckland, Tauranga, Napier, Wellington, Akaroa, Dunedin, Burnie (Tasmania) , Melbourne and Sydney. Details are still being finalised.

Finally, I’d like to report on some good news from my Smart Matches on MyHeritage.

My great grandmother’s brother was killed in a mining accident in 1906. According to the family story, his wife and their two young children then went back to Ireland. When I started researching my family in the late 1970’s nobody had any information about what happened to them after they returned to Ireland. Last week, 30 years after I first started my research, I checked my Smart Matches and found a match with his wife. Amazing. It really is a fantastic time to be doing family history!