PRESIDENT’S REPORT
Annual General Meeting 15th July 2023
It is once again a great pleasure to review the activities of the past year and present the annual report of Bathurst Family History Group. Our aim is always to provide our members with a wide range of resources and support to assist with their research, contact with members through ZOOM chat sessions, informative talks and tours as well as social activities which again included Christmas lunch which was once again enjoyed in the beautiful ballroom at Abercrombie House, a wonderful way to conclude our activities of 2022. On reflection, we have certainly accomplished a lot in the past twelve months.
Bathurst Family History Group has a remarkable collection of resources both at the Centre and on our website. Our Centre is open for three sessions each week for members to come in for a chat, research assistance or to use our expanding collection of resources. We have upgraded the shelving in the Research Room to accommodate our newly cataloged collection of books whilst books that are too fragile or rare are now housed in the Stack cupboard. It is well worth exploring the collection and we are grateful to the volunteers who open the Centre and are on hand to assist members and visitors. Our volunteers have also attended two training days where we all gained greater insights into the vastness of the collection and how best to assist enquirers.
This year we have presented a variety of topics through guest speakers at our General Meetings: Sarah Swift – “I Like Aeroplane Jelly: the story of Albert Lenertz and the Aeroplane Jelly Jingle”; Andrew Fletcher – “Finding Soldiers and Nurses of the Great War 1914 – 1918”; Alek Schulha – “Greta Migrant Camp and links with the Bathurst Camp”; Sarah Swift – “Family Treasures”. We also had the pleasure of welcoming Lyn Innes from England to discuss her book “The Last Prince of Bengal”, a fascinating family history with some links to Bathurst. Lyn was in conversation with Dr Robin McLachlan who also took Lyn and other family members on a tour of the former Experiment Farm the following day. This was Dr Rob’s last event before he sadly passed away just weeks later. He is greatly missed. Each presentation has been accessible via ZOOM and is now available on our website.
Bathurst Family History Group has been involved in the annual Autumn Colours Heritage Festival for many years presenting a variety of tours. This year’s well-attended tours were “Bathurst on Show – the Story of Bathurst Showground”, “A Walking Tour of Lower Durham and Havannah Streets” and “A Country Drive to Mount David”, our first joint venture with Bathurst District Historical Society. Our Cemetery Wanders have been a feature of each Festival and this year was no exception as we focussed on the oldest section in Bathurst Cemetery, the Presbyterian Section, and the stories of some of the Scots who found their way to Bathurst and District. An absolute highlight was being piped into and around the cemetery by two bagpipers – a hard act to follow for the next Wander!
Cemeteries are a real preoccupation of family historians and last October members and friends enjoyed a fascinating Graves & Grub tour to Black Springs where we visited the historic Avoca Church and the Old Black Springs Cemetery. We enjoyed wonderful country hospitality in the gardens of “Mt Bathurst Poll Dorset Stud” and at the Black Springs Hall with Christine Healey, our host for the day, providing not only morning tea but her extensive knowledge of the area at each venue. The story of Black Springs was also presented through an impressive photographic display at the hall.
In 2022 we began observing Family History Month, which is held each August, with a range of activities: a My Block Walk which explored the historic area in which our Centre is located; a talk on the Hill End 150 Celebrations by Sharon Shelton and the opportunity to visit the outstanding Bathurst Remembers World War 2 Exhibition held at the Showground. This year we are expanding the activities with an Open Day at the Centre, Morning Tea at Abercrombie House with a talk by Christopher Morgan on the Tenant Farmers on the Stewart Estate, an afternoon learning about the Bathurst Female Factory and a tour to the Parramatta Female Factory.
Bathurst Family History Group is very proud of our quarterly magazine “Carillon Chimes” which continues to keep members informed and provides opportunities for members to share some of their research. We are grateful to all who have contributed stories and to our editor Barbara Knox who unfailingly delivers an
exceptional edition. Like all organisations and households this year we have had to address the challenges of increasing costs in a number of ways: by charging $10 per annum for paper versions of “Chimes” (all members continue to receive an electronic version), raising the annual Membership Fee by $5, putting a cost on Autumn Colours tours and encouraging attendees at meetings and events in the Seniors Hall to contribute a gold coin donation towards the hall hire.
Behind the events of the past year is an outstanding team, the members of which have contributed in so
many ways. The biggest THANK YOU goes to our dedicated committee; to the volunteers who open the
Centre and assist members and visitors; to the research team that responds to the many enquiries; to Joy
and Marie who attend the Bathurst Library each month; to those who manage our resources; to Barbara
Knox and the Chimes team who assemble and distribute each edition of the magazine; to those who organise tours and those who do the essential background research; to Graeme who manages our ever-evolving website and the membership; to those who cater for meetings and events; and to our members who attend the meetings and various activities. You are all the reasons why Bathurst Family History Group is such a successful and dynamic Group. We look forward to another wonderful year and to celebrating the Group’s 40th anniversary in 2024.
Jan Page
President