Monday 24 November 2014

Genealogy Notes 17-23 Nov 2014 AFFHO congress papers due

Back home again and trying to get back into normal mode again but playing catch up with emails, blogs and things that should be done. Amazing how fast weeds grow when you have been away for a few weeks. One of my orchids also flowered while I was away and then got battered in the storm just before we got back.

The most pressing deadline is the end of November when all the AFFHO Congress 2015 speakers have to get their papers in so that the organisers can arrange publication in time for the Congress in March. The deadline for presentations is later so I have not given them any thoughts yet. My two papers are on sporting ancestors and court of petty session records for family history and I have my drafts here ready to go. I like to read them a few times before sending off because I quite often want to make last minute tweaks.

Still on Congress, I have been in touch with some of the presenters who I will be featuring in blog posts between now and Congress. Along with my official blogging team partners Jill Ball and Pauleen Cass we will be doing interviews in blogs, hangouts and YouTube. It will be interesting to learn more about everyone over the coming months. By Congress they will seem like old friends!

Speaking of AFFHO, I was asked to provide copy for the next News Flash on National Family History Month 2015 which I have not given much thought to yet. But I must get on to changing the website over in preparation for 2015. Contacting NFHM sponsors is also on the must do list. What I can say is that NFHM 2015 launch will be in Adelaide in 2015 so slowly moving around Australia now with previous launches in Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra. Make sure August 2015 is in your diaries!

I have also done a couple of ask an expert queries for Inside History Magazine and as usual they are challenging. Some people's brick walls are bigger than the Great Wall of China and in some cases it would be fantastic if we could simply go back in time and ask our ancestors why? In my post office box on my return was the latest issue of Inside History Magazine so when it gets too hot today I will be curling up with that for a good read.

While on the caravan trip I managed to read both of Nathan Dylan Goodwin's genealogical mysteries and I totally enjoyed them. Still in the process of doing a review but hopefully that will be completed in the next week.

Also managed to read quite a bit of Carol Baxter's new reference book - I'm providing pre publication feedback which is a great opportunity to see how another author works. I have to finish that by early December.

Of course my own new research guide is still nearing completion. I like to find dedicated time to do that and travelling in a caravan doesn't give you that luxury. So that is the major task this week - to finish it and send it off to the wonderful editor at Unlock the Past. Finishing a guide always seems to take me longer than writing the whole thing in the first place!

On the good news side I have been asked to present a master class on Public Record Office Victoria at the NSW & ACT Association of Family History Societies annual conference which is in Port Macquarie in October 2015. It is still early stages in their conference planning so the website is not up yet. There will be a link from the Association's website soon. There is a Facebook page for the NSW & ACT 2015 conference. I try to get to these conferences whenever I can, usually determined by their location which changes each year. Port Macquarie is one of those places we nearly settled in so it will be a great opportunity to revisit this historic area.

My speaking calendar for 2015 is full on and I hope to put all the dates on my website soon, still waiting on some confirmation of presentation titles. So far I have 15 events with more than one talk at some of those events. So a busy year ahead.

There hasn't been any opportunity for my own genealogy research but I am planning to give up television. At home we seem to have got into the habit of just flopping in front of the TV at night and while in the caravan we didn't too that. Other things occupied us so my new resolve is to try and be a little busier at night rather than just flopping!

Until next time, happy researching and think about attending some of the great conferences happening in Australia in 2015.




No comments:

Post a Comment