Life & Experiences
“I have a connection to the pub across the road” I told the woman who was looking after things at St Bede’s Catholic Church in Appin today. “Two of my ancestors ran the pub back in the 1840s”, I told her, referring to William Rixon and Ann Hoare.
“There was a close connection between the church and the pub” she told me, pointing to the family, the Carolls who owned the pub and who ran it as a guest and boarding house, who were buried in the graveyard.… Read the rest “Appin Bi-Centenary”
If you look closely at the faces of the people in this photograph, there’s bound to be someone who looks a bit like me. All of these people and I have the same ancestry: a couple called John and Elizabeth Love who came to Australia in 1792.
John Love, his wife Martha, and his daughter Elizabeth came to Australia on the “Matilda” which departed from Portsmouth, England on March 27, 1791. He was a member of the newly formed NSW Corps, whose role was to supervise convicts.… Read the rest “Common Ancestry”
I went in search today of details about the still-born child my mum and dad had back in 1953. As with many things in my family, it wasn’t something that was talked about. Indeed, when I mentioned it to one of my older sisters, and showed her the record from the online historical indexes of the NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, she seemed genuinely surprised.
Although unnamed on the BDM records, a visit to the Lismore Lawn Cemetery revealed she was buried on July 10, 1953 and that her name was Joan Kathleen O’Brien (named after an aunt).… Read the rest “More History”
Sometimes you can forget how beautiful Sydney is at this time of the year. That is, until you take a walk along the coastline near Bondi, Bronte and Tamarama. The sandstone cliffs, the blue-green colour of the water, and the gentleness of the walk are both relaxing and hypnotic. The walk wasn’t overly busy, though, as most people were down on the beach.
My reason for a visit today wasn’t to relax: I went in search of the gravestone of one of my ancestors, Ann Hoare.… Read the rest “Granny was a Hoare”
As I walked home this afternoon I noticed a bit of renovation work underway in my back laneway. As I wrote a few weeks ago,
… Read the rest “Don’t Tell Me What To Do”For as long as I’ve lived in Surry Hills, I’ve been quite intrigued by a warehouse located on Wiltshire Street. It’s remained a bit of a mystery for me. I’ve never known how many people live in there or what they do. But they’ve always held some fascination for me, as I’ve imagined a “Barbery Lane”-like living arrangement you might associate with “Tales Of The City” They’ve held legendary laneway parties.