Speakers

Option For Non-Members

Non-members are welcome to attend Zoom meetings featuring our speakers on payment of a $5 fee. CLICK HERE to register and pay (must be at least 24 hours prior to meeting)

2 February

What's In a Mason's Case? - Rob Hamilton

Rob Hamilton is an inspirational speaker specialising in all things Masonic. Born into a family steeped in Freemasonry dating back to his great Grandfather and the Island of St.Helena. He gave BBFHS a wonderful talk in 2021 and in this talk will share more of his vast knowledge from his 48 years of research into Freemasonry and family history. He has amassed an extensive private library of books and documents, some dating from the mid 1700’s, research papers and modern electronic sources. CLICK FOR MORE DETAILS

2 March

Leonie Bell - Dappeto

Leonie, BBFHS member and Writers Group leader, has won the Ron Rathbone History Prize for 2021 for her story Dappeto. The judges found Dappeto a high quality and engaging story of Dappeto House, its owner and builder Mr Frederick Gibbins, and the girls who lived there when it was known as The Nest --- a Salvation Army home for girls.

6 April

Judy Russell - Putting Those Records to Work

The Legal Genealogist, Judy Russell, is a genealogist with a law degree. She writes, teaches and lectures on a wide variety of genealogical topics, ranging from using court records in family history to understanding DNA testing.

A native of the American west with roots deep in the American south on her mother’s side and entirely in Germany on her father’s side, she is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, the National Genealogical Society (U.S.) and numerous state and regional genealogical societies.

4 May

Ian Waller - Agricultural Labourers

Ian Waller is a retired professional genealogist with considerable experience in English research. He currently serves as the vice chairman and education officer of the Family History Federation (Federation of Family History Societies) and is a Fellow of AGRA (The Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives) the body which represents professional genealogists throughout England and Wales and was a former Chairman.

Ian is a Fellow of the Society of Genealogists and previously served as a trustee and chairman of the Society Education Committee and has authored several books in the Society’s “My Ancestor” series including My Ancestor was an Agricultural Labourer, My Ancestor was a Mormon, My Ancestor was in the Royal Navy and My Ancestor was a Leather Worker and has also written “Family History Research Challenges and how to solve them” and “Introducing Manorial Records” published by Family History Books.
He taught Family History at both basic and advanced levels at various adult education centres in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire and currently lecture and run workshops at many family history societies, U3A Groups and other organisations interested in local, social and family history

1 June

Janette Pelosi - Using NSW Legislative Website for Family History

BBFHS Member Janette is Lead Archivist Documentation at NSW State Archives and was project co-ordinator for Sentenced Beyond the Seas - Australia's Early Convict Records.

6 July

Fiona Brooker - A Step Through Timelines

Fiona Brooker is a professional genealogist who has been actively researching her family history for over 30 years, inspired by two marriage certificates and a collection of family letters written from New Zealand back to her immigrant ancestor's family in Devon. Looking for a way to share family recipes with others she discovered digital scrapbooking and has used this as a way to preserve both the present and the past for the future

7 September

A Tale of Two Translators: A Personal glimpse of Chinese-Australian History - Megan Nielson

BBFHS member Megan Nielson will share her journey discovering her Chinese ancestors

5 October

Janet Few - Putting Your Ancestors in Their Place: Ten Steps to a One Place Study

Dr Janet Few is in her fourth decade of local and family history research. She was the critical reader and family history advisor to the Open University for the course Family and Community History and went on to tutor this course. Janet maintains her own one place studies for three North Devon villages. She is Vice-chair of the Society for One-Place Studies and lectures regularly on One Place research.