Colac & District Family History Group Inc. in Colac, Victoria | Non-profit organisation

Colac & District Family History Group Inc.

Locality: Colac, Victoria

Phone: +61 3 5231 5736

Address: History Centre COPACC cnr Rae and Gellibrand Streets 3250 Colac, VIC, Australia

Website: http://www.colacfamilyhistory.org.au/

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25.01.2022 DO YOU HAVE AN ANCESTOR WHO LIVED IN THE COLAC DISTRICT? Hop onto our webpage and click on the Name Search function to find out. It is amazing how many people have found that someone in their family tree had connections to Colac. If you find a name you can contact us and we will let you know what sort of information we have. It could be anything from hospital records, school records, family files, burial records - the possibilities are endless. There might even be a photograp...h. Also, if you are looking for something to read, you can catch up on our old newsletters which are also available on our website - just click on the "About" tab and you will find the Newsletter link. https://www.colacfamilyhistory.org.au/

24.01.2022 CHILDS HAND-PRINT TRIGGERS RESEARCH A small hand-print dated 1954 sparked the curiosity for this Wingham resident and now they want to learn more. https://www.abc.net.au//mystery-of-child-handprin/12150158 What is triggering your research while you have all of this time on your hands?

23.01.2022 If you love TROVE for your family history research and are still learning to use the latest version, this might help. These webinars are free and you can easily register on-line.

22.01.2022 The Library may be closed but our collection of ebooks that you can read from home numbers over 19,000 - and its growing all the time. If youre looking for a ...new project while youre spending more time at home, researching your family history could be it! Heres a small selection of titles to get you started: blogs.slv.vic.gov.au/family-m/ebooks-for-family-historians/

21.01.2022 For those with an Irish heritage this makes for very interesting reading. Click on the County your ancestors came from and learn what life was like there in 1837.

21.01.2022 THANKS FOR COMING... Thanks to the members and friends who came along to our open day today. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. After an overview of who we are, what we do, and the resources we use, it was down to some practical demonstrations. Raye showed how she has been researching the interesting Gibb family of Irrewillipe for our Almost Forgotten Pre1900 burial project. Several new burials in the Colac Cemetery have been located from that single family. Mary showe...d how we process photographs - she is working on around 3000 images, Beryl brought out some of the "Duty Called" albums - our military project - and it was very exciting when one of the guests today saw a photograph of a relative for the very first time. Everyone else was available for questions and assistance. Of course it was impossible to get around everything in a couple of hours and we look forward to seeing everyone again, including those that are keen to become involved in the work we do. And of course we finished with a delicious afternoon tea (as we usually do). Thanks Maree for again bringing the best sponges in Colac to share. Photos: some of the demonstrations in progress See more

21.01.2022 Good news for those of us who still need certificates.

20.01.2022 ISOLATION MILESTONE REACHED This amazing lady has tonight reached the milestone of transcribing 350 birth entries - each one with anything between 10 and 30 items - including place and date of birth, parents names, with mothers maiden name, occupation, date and place of parents marriage, siblings and their ages, the informant and the attendants at the birth. there is a rumour that Lexie even spent her birthday yesterday transcribing. Congratulations on a fantastic job Lexie. Some of our other wonderful volunteers are also transcribing certificates, maps and rate books and there has been work done on the Duty Called project and research for Almost Forgotten and lots lots more.

19.01.2022 WE ARE HAVING AN OPEN DAY Next Tuesday, 10 March. Demonstrations between 2pm and 4pm. Come along and see how our resources are used for local family history research and join us afterwards for afternoon tea. All welcome - contact [email protected] to let us know that you are coming along. We look forward to seeing you. History Centre, COPACC

18.01.2022 AUGUST IS NATIONAL FAMILY HISTORY MONTH At the Colac & District Family History Group we like to participate in these special events, but unfortunately this year there is a limit to what we are able to do. We know a lot of people are researching their family history during this isolation / lockdown period in Victoria, so as part of National Family History Month we are discounting sets of Colac & District Pioneer Register 1 & 2 to help with that research. Usual price is $12.50... for Pioneer Register 1 and $23 for Pioneer Register 2 or $30 for the set. SPECIAL PRICE UNTIL AUGUST 31, 2020 is just $20 for the set of two books, plus postage. The sets can be ordered through our shop on our website and we are able to post up to three sets of books to the one address for just $15.70 https://www.colacfamilyhistory.org.au//colac-and-district/

17.01.2022 Due to Stay at Home restrictions in place for Metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire, the Victorian Archives Centre is temporarily closed to visitors. This c...losure applies to Reading Room visits for the Public Record Office Victoria (PROV) and the National Archives of Australia. All bookings and record orders for July will be cancelled. Our catalogue is still available on prov.vic.gov.au with digitised collection items available online. Staff will continue to answer research questions submitted through our website and on social media. We will closely monitor the directions from the Victorian Chief Health Officer and the Victorian Government and keep you updated about our plans to reopen. For information about coronavirus (COVID-19), how to reduce the risk of infection and slow its spread in our community, visit the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) website: www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/coronavirus Thank you for your understanding.

16.01.2022 For your information

15.01.2022 Happy Mothers Day to all mums and thinking about our women ancestors and the incredible hardships they endured raising their families. This nice little article about the History of Colac - published in 2008 in the Sydney Morning Herald is still worth a read on this cold wet Sunday. Remember though - alongside the men who are mentioned here, there was usually a hard working, caring woman. https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/colac-20080227-gdkqs0.html

14.01.2022 WALTER ARCHER - GROCER, WARRION can you help? Walter Archer was a baker by profession. Sometime after returning from service in the First World War, where he had a leg amputated, he became the proprietor of the Warrion store. He remained there until about 1936 when the store was sold to George Glover. Walter, an Englishman by birth, married Elizabeth Jane Neale of Warrion in 1919 at the Methodist Church Beeac. There were no children from the marriage and at this stage it s...eems that no photographs of Walter have survived. He died in 1944. Walter arrived in Australia in 1911 and in October 1914 was among the first volunteers to board the Hororata to join the war effort. If you have a photograph of Walter, or can think of someone who might be able to help, please share this post and contact us. Thank you. Photo - HMAT Hororata in 1914 taking the first Australian troops to the war. - Weekly Times 17 October 2014 See more

14.01.2022 COLAC BOTANIC GARDENS MYSTERY One of our members is spending this time very productively and working on some of her old photographs and you might be able to help solve a little mystery in this one. This is the Colac Botanic Gardens in the 1930 and there is a small walk bridge on the right of the photograph. Does anyone know where in the gardens this bridge was located and when it was removed?

14.01.2022 Please read this important notice. If you are a local and thinking of coming to the family history group to do some research, or if you are from further away and were going to make a special trip to come and see us, please read this important notice We thank you for your understanding.

13.01.2022 COLAC HERALD TODAY Thanks to Billy at the Colac Herald for the lovely photograph and coverage of the upcoming Harlock family reunion - page 9 Friday 28 February. Great photo of our president, Diana and the story about some exciting findings in her research. Colac Herald Camperdown & District Historical Society Inc

13.01.2022 LAST DAYS FOR DISCOUNTED PIONEER REGISTERS Thank you to everyone who purchased their sets of Colac & District Pioneer Registers at the very discounted price of just $20 the set plus postage. The special price for Family History Month ends on midnight, Monday August 31. There is still time so you wont miss out.

13.01.2022 A spontaneous rendition of a traditional Cook Island song for us by descendants of the Archer family - thank you! it was beautiful

13.01.2022 OPEN DAY TODAY come along between 2pm and 4pm to learn about what we do and how we do it... and how you can become involved. Join us for afternoon tea

12.01.2022 MESSAGE TO MEMBERS If you are a current member of the family history group, we encourage you to join our Members Only Facebook Group. This group is only open to members and It is a place where you can keep up to date with what is happening in our group. Members can connect with others researching the same family names, ask questions, share research, photographs and resources. Membership of the Colac & District Family History Group is just $20 per year - check out our website... for more details: https://www.colacfamilyhistory.org.au/ Our Members Only facebook group is https://www.facebook.com/groups/colacfamilyhistorygroupmembers/

12.01.2022 A GOOD OUTCOME thanks everyone for your interest in connecting family to the photograph we posted. The current owner now has someone she can pass it on to and it can remain in the family of one of the girls pictured.

12.01.2022 Colac Family History were pleased to have Karen from Princetown along with visitors from Melbourne at the History Centre. It was great to see a group with links to the Cornthwaite family catching up. If you want to know more about this family come and visit as we have a book on them in our family history library which you are welcome to read at the History Centre.

11.01.2022 75TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATION The Colac Herald is publishing a series of articles featuring local men and women who served during World War II. As always, we are grateful for their support. This article appeared last week and there is another in todays issue. Thanks Jacob and the Colac Herald for the ongoing support. If you have a story about a local WWII veteran that you would like to share and have a photograph, please send it to [email protected]

10.01.2022 AWESOME RESPONSE Thank you to all of the people who have contacted us through our "Name Search" function on our website. The response has been overwhelming and please be patient, we will get back to you... but it might take a little while. We recognise lots of the names that have been sent through and look forward to letting you know the sort of records we have in our collection.

10.01.2022 MYSTERY PHOTOGRAPH We have been asked to share this photograph in case anyone knows what the occasion might have been - and if any of the people can be identified. There are very strong Colac district connections in the family of the person who provided the photograph. Please let us know if you have any ideas.

10.01.2022 HARLOCK FAMILY REUNION If you are visiting Colac, come into the Colac Otway Performing Arts & Cultural Centre (COPACC), and have a look at the amazing family tree that Diana, Mary and Raye have created in the window of the History Centre. Benjamin and Rebecca Harlock and their large family moved to the district in the 1860s and several descendants still remain in the area. The reunion will commence at Beeac this Saturday before moving to Colac in the afternoon and onto Campe...rdown and Terang on Sunday. Photos; The family tree and photograph display Visitors to COPACC stop to investigate the Harlock Family Tree soon after it was completed See more

09.01.2022 2020 DREEITE REUNION DELAYED BUT YOU CAN HELP This year there was supposed to be a reunion of people who grew up on the Dreeite Soldier Settlement - created after the First World War for returned servicemen. Ray, who grew up in the area, and a representative from the Colac Otway Shire and a small committee, were working on a weekend program for the reunion, which would have been held this year in September. Unfortunately it was not able to go ahead, but on the positive sid...e, that has allowed time for some detailed research into all of the men and their families who took up the offer of these small farm-lets. One of our volunteers, Lynette, has used a variety of resources to identify these people and will use the next twelve months to gather as much information as possible for the delayed reunion. You can help by sharing this post with anyone you think might be connected to the Dreeite Soldier Settlement or by contacting us with stories, photographs, anecdotes etc. - anything that will add to this project. If you are able to help, please email: [email protected] This is a map of the area where the soldier settler farms were situated. See more

09.01.2022 HELP US REMEMBER THEM It is coming up to the 75th anniversary of the end of World War 2. Between 1939 and 1945 more than two thousand women and men connected to the Colac district volunteered their service. Our group has been collecting, researching and collating information about these service personnel for more than 30 years and during this isolation time, Raye, one of our volunteers, has compiled a data base of 2751 people who were either born, lived or worked in this dis...trict and were connected to the war effort. You can now search that database on our website and find out if any of your family members are listed. If you would like to submit information, photographs or stories about anyone on the list - or if you feel any extra names should be added, please contact Merrill on [email protected] Please note that this is a work in progress and there will be some names missing from the list and even though the information is from the National Archives and the DVA, there might be some names that will be removed from the list if the person is shown not to have strong ties with Colac. We look forward to your feedback and contributions. https://www.colacfamilyhistory.org.au/projec/duty-called-2/ See more

08.01.2022 Its our AGM this Tuesday at 1:30pm at the History Centre in COPACC. Guest Speaker Afternoon Tea All WelcomeIts our AGM this Tuesday at 1:30pm at the History Centre in COPACC. Guest Speaker Afternoon Tea All Welcome

08.01.2022 If you are looking for something interesting to fill in your time, the NLA webinars are always worthwhile

08.01.2022 Archer Family Reunion The Archer family were early white settlers in the Colac district, with William Brown Archer and his family arriving about 1850, followed by his parents, David Archer and Elizabeth Brown, and siblings in 1861. Many of the Archer family stayed in the Colac district, but in 1868, William Brown Archer moved to New Zealand with his family. Some years later a grandson went to the Cook Islands and fell in love with a beautiful Island woman and they had eleven ...children. Today many of the descendants of the Cook Island branch of the Archer family came to Colac to share stories about their heritage and visit the gravesite of the Australian patriarch and matriarch of the Archer family. The family history group was humbled to be a small part of the experience, preparing a window display of the family tree and re-creating an 1868 Archer family scene as well as researching the Archer family history. Photo: some of the Archer family descendants at the History Centre today. See more

07.01.2022 Newsletter By now all of our members should have copies of the latest newsletter, which is a tribute to the local men and women who served in the Second World War. Please contact us on [email protected] if you are a member and have not received your copy. The previous newsletter has now been uploaded to our website for public view. www.colacfamilyhistory.org.au Thank you to all members who have already renewed your memberships for another year. We greatly appreciate your support.

06.01.2022 Can you help? This photograph is believed to be of Clare Baker and Jean Cook in Colac. The owner would like to give it to current family of either of the girls. If you know of Baker or Cook families in Colac who this might relate to, please send us a message or email [email protected]

05.01.2022 PERCY BAKER It has been four years since we posted a story about Percy Baker who died in World War 1 and whose remains had never been found. His family were on a mission to find an appropriate relative with DNA to be tested. Hundreds of our facebook supporters got behind the story and shared and posted it - thank you. With your help we found a relative and tests were undertaken. Today we received an update from Di, who has been co-ordinating the quest to identify Percy. This ...is an extract from her email: .... DNA samples were sent to London for assessment; family were to be notified in March this year... Unfortunately, because of the coronavirus, this assessment has not taken place, so we are no closer to hopefully identifying Percy since my last update. If he had been identified, there would have been a ceremony at Fromelles on the anniversary of the first day of battle on the 19 July this year. Hopefully there will be some good news for the family when life gets back to "normal" post CV19. See more

05.01.2022 MEMBERSHIP It has come to our attention that many of our members did not receive their renewal forms, which were emailed and mailed out early this month. Several members have also reported that the email went into their "junk" file. If you didn't receive your renewal, please contact us and we will re-send it. For those members who usually pay in person, we do not know when the History Centre will re-open, but you can go into the Bendigo Bank and pay the membership directly into our account. Membership is just $20 a year and new members are always welcome. Thank you for your ongoing support.

03.01.2022 Beautiful photographs and interesting stories of the waterfalls in the Otways - presented by Anthony Car, guest speaker at our meeting today.

02.01.2022 Very interesting article about the Eurack Avenue of Honour in todays Age.

02.01.2022 HAPPY ENDING WITH A COLAC CONNECTION Judy Moore, who has a long association with our group has helped to reunite a family - follow the link to read this uplifting story. https://www.abc.net.au//janet-buttel-finds-her-la/12020752 Judys own story was also a happy one - she was given some very precious family mementos by a stranger who connected to her through facebook - her story was featured in our newsletter - Coladjins No 101 in 2017 - page 7... photograph - part of the Coladjins article in the 2017 newsletter See more

01.01.2022 World War II Commemoration The is the second article on local people who enlisted and served in the Second World War. These stories are published by the Colac Herald and prepared by Jacob Traynor with assistance from the Colac & District Family History Group. Thank you to our local paper, the Colac Herald, for their continued support. A third article appeared today featuring Robert "Darcey" McMinn.