4947's blog

This full day seminar is co-presented by the Royal Historical Society of Victoria and the Genealogical Society of Victoria.

Join us for an enlightening seminar where leading experts will reveal how cemetery records can be a treasure trove for local and family historians. Learn techniques to deepen your research and unearth fascinating stories about the past.

Featured Speakers

• Dr. Celestina Sagazio – Historian with expertise in cemetery studies
• Dr. Cheryl Griffin – Social Historian
• Rod Armstrong – Family History Researcher
• Friends of Cemetery Groups – Insights from passionate cemetery preservationists
• Representatives from the GSV and RHSV – Details of our extensive resources

What You Will Gain

• Strategies for using cemetery records to expand your local & family history knowledge
• Tips for interpreting cemetery elements and records
• Knowledge about the resources from the GSV, RHSV and other sources
• An opportunity to ask questions

Details

• Date: Saturday 12 October – 9.00 am for a 9.30 start
• Where: Royal Historical Society of Victoria, 239 A’Beckett Street, Melbourne
• Cost: $65 for RHSV & GSV Members and $85 for Non-Members
• Inclusions: Light lunch, tea, coffee, and water

Explore the past and enrich your research with insights gleaned from cemeteries. Whether you are a seasoned historian or just starting your journey, this seminar is an invaluable opportunity to enhance your research skills and connect with a community of history enthusiasts.

Follow the links on the GSV and RHSV home pages to book your place

It has just been announced by AFFHO that the Ancestor journal has won the 2024 Nick Vine Hall Award for the best family history journal/newsletter in Australia and New Zealand, in category B for societies over 500 members.

The announcement was made at the beginning of the 2024 AAFHO National Family History Month opening session (by Zoom of course). This makes the sixth time the journal has received this award since 2009 - a real endorsement of the continuing value of the GSV's journal to genealogy and family history.

We've long known that GSV has an Editorial and Creative team to be very proud of when it comes to producing our Ancestor journal. That pride is well-placed, as confirmed again with our journal receiving the great national accolade of winning the 2024 Nick Vine Hall Award. The Editorial and Creative team are all volunteers and we owe them a huge debt of gratitude for their great work for GSV. And many thanks to the contributors as well, who provide such interesting and valuable content for the journal.

You can revisit and enjoy the award-winning edition - March 2023 - on the GSV website under the Ancestor Journal tab - log-in as a member to view our Ancestor journals, we have over 60 years of our journal online.

Stephen Hawke

President GSV

This Award honours Nick Vine Hall AM. Nick represented AFFHO at a National level in a Save the Census Campaign in the mid-1980s. Read more about this at Census Time Capsule.

BE PART OF THIS AWARD-WINNING JOURNAL!

You have a few weeks to get your entry in for this year's Ancestor Prize - closing 4 pm Friday 30 August. See details at https://www.gsv.org.au/gsv-writing-prize-2024

Inaugural Meeting – Thursday 8 August at 10.30am

Are you researching Welsh ancestors? Have you favourite sources of information that you can share? Are you encountering brick walls that are limiting your research? Looking for a forum to share experiences and seek help?

Come along to the inaugural session of this Circle and meet like-minded members. Please be prepared discuss where you are researching, what approaches you have used and to share your research experiences at this first meeting. Plans for future meetings of the Circle will also be discussed.

All GSV Members are welcome to attend. Please register through the GSV Events page to obtain the zoom invitation link. If you need any assistance with registering please contact the GSV Office.

It may be a silver spoon, or a book, or a piece of furniture, or a photograph, or a painting, or even a thimble?

All these treasures will have a story behind them.

Why not tell that story as an entry in the GSV Writing Prize?

Enter the GSV Writing Prize

It closes on Friday 30 August 2024.

Win a subscription to Ancestry.com

and be published in Ancestor.

Full details on the GSV website — https://www.gsv.org.au/gsv-writing-prize-2024

Inaugural Meeting – Thursday 8 August at 10.30am

Are you researching Welsh ancestors? Have you favourite sources of information that you can share? Are you encountering brick walls that are limiting your research? Looking for a forum to share experiences and seek help?

Come along to the inaugural session of this Circle and meet like-minded members. Please be prepared discuss where you are researching, what approaches you have used and to share your research experiences at this first meeting. Plans for future meetings of the Circle will also be discussed.

All GSV Members are welcome to attend. Please register through the GSV Events page to obtain the zoom invitation link. If you need any assistance with registering please contact the GSV Office.

Do you have a story to tell?

Does your family tree have a villain or a saint; a rejected suitor, or a devoted lover; a wild adventurer or a contented stay-at home; a hilarious comedian or a sad, peculiar and mysterious character?

Is there a fantastic, funny or heart-warming incident you would like to tell us about?

Enter the GSV Writing Prize

It closes on Friday 30 August 2024

Win a subscription to Ancestry.com  

Image

and be published in Ancestor

Full details on the GSV website at https://www.gsv.org.au/gsv-writing-prize-2024

‘Finding Family’ is a one-day seminar organised by Uniting Heritage Service to help people seeking family, known or unknown. It is particularly relevant to those who have experience in the family of adoption or out-of-home care.

Handouts on useful resources and a planning guide will be provided to you. Members of the Uniting Heritage Service will present. Alan Rhodes from the Genealogical Society of Victoria (GSV) will talk about the use of DNA and planning a family research project, and David Down will explain how the GSV can assist in your search.

The workshop will provide a good overview of planning and conducting a family search project, and will cover:

• The history of adoption and out-of-home care in Victoria,
• How to obtain records of your family member
• How to plan a family search project,
• Privacy and ethical considerations in your search,
• Key resources for family searching,
• Using DNA in your search, and
• How to conduct and organise your search.

Cost: $100
Date: Saturday 27th July
Time: 9.30-4pm
Lunch will be provided.
Venue: Uniting, Level 4/130 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne

RSVP and enquiries: Catriona Milne 0402969621
Email: Catriona.Milne@vt.uniting.org
Learn more: https://unitingvictas.org.au/heritage-service

The Genealogical Society of Victoria is delighted to invite non-members to our library to learn about and spend time researching your family story in Scotland.

As part of the Melbourne Tartan Festival 2024, we are opening our Library to give you an opportunity to learn about our resources and meet our experts.

The session will include an introductory talk and then time to explore our resources and receive individual assistance with your research.

This session is relevant to any level of knowledge and experience of family history research.

Due to our limited space, the Library will be open to eight (8) members of the public only at each of two sessions.
WHEN: WEDNESDAY 10TH JULY  
MORNING SESSION: 10.30am - 12 NOON
AFTERNOON SESSION: 1.30pm - 3.00pm
WHERE: Level 1, 10 Queen St, Melbourne (Accessible access is available from Bond St at the rear of the building). Take the lift to the 1st Floor.
COST: $15. Payment options are PayPal or call the GSV on 9662 4455 to provide credit card details over the phone.

Book by selecting the session you would like to attend and click the link to access the booking page. Registration is essential. All participants will receive an email containing further information upon booking.
Click https://www.gsv.org.au/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=2626 to register for the first session between 10 30 a.m. and 12 noon.

Click https://www.gsv.org.au/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=2627 to register for the second session between 1:30 pm and 3 pm.

You may also be interested in our other contribution to Tartan Festival 2024: ScotlandsPeople a Zoom class about using the Scottish government’s official site for searching government records. This session is open to both members of the GSV and non-members. More information about this event can be found at https://www.gsv.org.au/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=2625

A quick reminder that the 30 June financial year end is fast approaching and donations to GSV are tax-deductible and very much appreciated.

The GSV is a place where members volunteer to assist other members to research their family histories, aided by a small but highly experienced team of professionals. It is fair to say we are a respected and well-loved organisation.

Whether you are currently seeking information about your ancestors, have yet to start, or think you may have finished, the GSV is here to assist you at every stage of your journey.

Our highly regarded quarterly Ancestor journal is probably the most visible of the GSV’s offerings, but there is so much more. Behind the scenes is a sophisticated, technologically advanced organisation with teams of dedicated volunteers continually updating the means by which you can carry out your research.

Then we have a number of discussion circles where members share their special interests, seek help, learn more and enjoy the company of other members.

Our volunteers are in at GSV five days a week, working for the benefit of our members and ready and prepared to help you with your research – or to point you to the multitude of GSV resources and other sources of information.

It is costly to maintain and to add to what we have to offer, to keep up-to-date with changes so as to be prepared to help you when you are ready.

For the GSV to continue to “be there” for you when you need us, we rely on donations.

We hope the approach of the end of the tax year, June 30, is a time when you might think about supporting “your” organisations and interests.

We ask - “Would you please consider a donation to the GSV to ensure a strong and healthy future?”

We hope your answer will be “yes”.

Donations to GSV are tax-deductible. They can be made online through the Donate Now link on the GSV website homepage, or by calling the GSV (on 03 9662 4455) with your credit card details, or by a cheque in the mail (to Level 1, 10 Queen Street, Melbourne Victoria, 3000).

We are looking for volunteers who have hidden talents and are willing to help us out.
Perhaps you have experience from your working life, or with another community group?
Perhaps you have a passion to learn a new skill? We’d love to talk to you.

Please note, you can do all these tasks from the comfort of your own home. Some training might need to be at GSV.

Marketing
We are reviving the marketing team with the aim of looking at what our members want, are we reaching enough of our members?, how do we attract new members? Perhaps you have experience growing membership, or in conducting member surveys? We’d love to talk to you about it. Please contact Jackie via gsv@gsv.org.au

Website
We’d love more volunteers to help us with creating and updating website content on a regular basis. You will need reasonable computer skills. It would be great if you have some writing and editing skills, basic image editing skills and the ability to create user-friendly content layouts. Some training can be provided. Please contact Tom via gsv@gsv.org.au

Blog creators
Content creators need some basic writing skills to write or edit info sent to them. As many discussion circles now share 350 word stories, that would be a perfect background for this role. Please contact Jackie via gsv@gsv.org.au.

Webcast editors
Do you have experience with editing videos? We have a backlog of recordings waiting to be edited and added to our webcast library. We currently use the Macintosh program iMovie and it would be great if you have some experience using this. If not, we can train you. Alternatively if you have experience or skills using a Windows video editing program we would love to hear from you. The editing can be done from home. Please contact us by emailing education@gsv.org.au

Ancestor contributions
We welcome the submission of articles from both GSV members and non-members on family history topics for possible publication in our journal. We especially encourage new writers and we look for, and appreciate, stories and research which break new ground. See the website for details: https://www.gsv.org.au/submit-an-article.   Editorial assistance  will be provided for articles accepted for publication.