Ancestral footsteps, big things, new resources & other news: my genealogy month June 2026

 Six months of 2026 are now gone. I've made  good progress with the PhD research but writing it up is more slower. The trip out west was great and I'm looking forward to the next six months of 2026 when I say goodbye to my swinging 60s and embrace my slower 70s. To party, or not to party?

Ancestral footsteps

The Big  Opal, Eulo

Instead of wandering around the midlands of England looking for my mother's family, we ended up driving out to western Queensland in search of my father's great grandmother who lived in Eulo and Thargomindah in the 1890s. They were opal miners and her husband was a jeweller. 

There is not much out there now and it is still incredibly remote. An airconditioned car was obviously better than a Cobb & Co Coach although the bumps and potholes in the road may have been the same. 

On the way we stopped at Miles and had dinner at the pub where Max's Mum and Dad met during the war. He was a soldier stationed out there and she was the barmaid behind the bar (her father was the publican). 

In Charleville we went to the secret American WW2 army base and did the tour. Amazing how much history is out there  that probably most of us don't know about.

Russian rocky road,  Dirranbandi

Of  course we also had fun and relaxation in the hot springs, great pub food, even camel burgers and Russian rocky road from  the Dirranbandi bakery. 

Speaking of bakeries, some of the pies we had were creative and delicious. Just glad that they are not local, as I could be tempted more often. 

Books

Any trip with me usually means I come home with more books and the western road trip was no different. But only two and both focused on  my family history around Eulo and Thargomindah. 

The opal fridge magnet had my name on it as did the pink yabby in support of breast cancer fundraising.

Enjoying all the background reading for my PhD on incarcerated women in colonial Queensland. 

So many ideas to follow up on my own family history once I get this finished (possibly submitted in 2028, although I have until 2031). 

Hopefully there will be a few pockets of personal family history between now and then.

Conferences

In September there is the  NSW & ACT conference in Port Macquarie where I am giving a talk on using digital archives. That will be a road trip down the coast and back, probably by an inland route for something   different.

The AFFHO conference in Wellington next February sounds like it will have quite a few Queenslanders there. So I will need to think about booking airfares and accommodation as I don't want  to miss out. FOMO is a terrible thing.

Family History Month and Nick Vine Hall Awards

Just a reminder that August is AFFHO's Family History Month so keep an eye out for some great events. Due to the timing of my trip I will only get the last few days of August and of course, the closing event which is usually a fantastic speaker. No details yet.

The Big Watermelon, Chinchilla

The judges have got their scores to me for the Nick Vine Hall Awards. Now to tally up the scores and work out the winners for 2026 which are usually announced at the opening event of Family History Month. 

Who will do the announcement this year in my abscence still to be decided.

Resources

If you just want to sit back and learn some new tips, don't forget FamilySearch have free webinars each month. Of particular interest this month is on 16 July Using the FamilySearch Catalog Effectively and on 30 July Using Google Maps for Family Hitory. You can also view earlier webinars if you missed one or  need a refresher. 

What's new in Trove in June 2026 - I love these updates as they illustrate just how much is in Trove  in all the various categories. This month there is a WW2 focus which is interesting.  Follow the link.

The Digitising Our Collections

The Big Yabby, Moonie

page will give you an update on digitised newspapers and other resources. Follow the  link.

Talks

I'm doing an update on Scottish resources for the Genie Chats group this month. Plus I'm working on my presentation for Port Macquaries and a Legacy Family History webinar for after my return from Europe.

I've decided not to give presentations in 2027 - firstly my PhD will be in crunch time and secondly, I will be over 70 and quite probably should think about retiring and just go to events as a spectator. 

A novel idea but given I gave my first talks back in the early 80s, I'm just about talked out!

What's coming up

After the disappointment of having our flights to London cancelled in June and having to abandon our road trip around England and Scotland, I fully expected that my August trip would also be cancelled as it flies through the Middle East. But just notified that it is still on and I leave in four weeks. Wow. So not prepared. This trip is a bus trip around the UK and Ireland then across to Europe for four weeks. 

Until next time, happy researching, stay safe and take care,  Shauna