27 FAMOUS (OR NOT?) ANCESTORS How often do you hear the assertion “I am descended from Henry VIII” or, my family owns a castle in England? Many of these stories have been handed down within families who truly believe what their forebears have told them. My greatgrandfather was supposedly a policeman in London and was found “bopped off” in the Thames. In fact both my great-grandfathers migrated to New Zealand and were never part of the British Constabulary. My father claimed, with great certainty, that his heritage was Scottish. Extensive research has his ancestry going back at least six generations in England on both sides of his family. Being born fair-skinned and redheaded does not necessarily show Celtic heritage. Similarly, he claimed his mother was Jewish. Whilst this is a little harder to prove or disprove no evidence has been found to support this tale. Again dark eyes and a large nose are not stereotypical of any ethnicity. These are just a few examples of how spoken family history needs to be fully investigated and documented. Sometimes this can be difficult within the family – they may be unaware some parentage claims are false, for example. It is easier to believe what they have always been told. However, if you are a true genealogist who deals only in facts then please sift through the rumours and establish the truth. For help with producing your family tree, you may like to join the Gold Coast Family History Society. For a modest yearly fee, you will have access to a comprehensive library, many worldwide subscription websites, and fellow researchers prepared to help you get started or break down any brick walls you may encounter. For further information visit http://www. goldcoastfhs.org.au or attend our rooms at Bicentennial Building, 833 NerangSouthport Road, Nerang. On Friday 8 March at 9 am we will be holding our Introduction to Family History class in our rooms at the Bicentennial Building, 833 Nerang-Southport Rd, Nerang. This session is free for members and $10 for non-members. Places will be strictly limited, please phone Pam on 0447 715 593 or email: goldcoastfamilyhistorysociety@gmail.com We will also be holding a mini-seminar on Saturday 9th March entitled ’Permanent Memorial – Decoding the stone’. For further information please go to our website www.goldcoastfhs.org.au GOLD COAST FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY THE ANTIQUE HUNTER’S GUIDE TO MURDER by C L Miller Freya, it’s down to you to finish what I started . . . Freya Lockwood has avoided the quaint English village in which she grew up for the last twenty years. That is until news arrives that Arthur Crockleford, antiques dealer and Freya’s estranged mentor, has died . . . and the circumstances seem suspicious. You will uncover a reservation, I implore you to attend . . . But when a letter from Arthur is delivered, sent just days before his death, and an ordinary pine chest concealing Arthur’s journals, including reservations in her name, are revealed, Freya finds herself sucked back into a life she’d sworn to leave behind. But beware, trust no one. Your life depends on it . . . Joining forces with her eccentric Aunt Carole, Arthur’s staunch best friend, Freya follows both clues and her instincts to an old manor house for an ‘antiques enthusiasts weekend’. But not is all as it seems; the antiques are bad reproductions and the other guests are menacing and secretive. Can Freya and Carole solve the mystery surrounding the weekend before a killer strikes again? ISBN: 9781035021819 | Format: Trade Paperback | Pub Date: 27/02/2024 | Category: Fiction & related items / Crime & mystery | Imprint: Macmillan | Pages: 384 | Price: $34.99 TO ENTER write your name, address & phone on the back of an envelope and post to: THE ANTIQUE HUNTERS GUIDE PO Box 3302, Burleigh Town 4220 • Entries close 29.02.2024 Winners book prize will be couriered so please provide a phone number. You may put phone number inside envelope if you are worried about scams... thankyou! Enter To Win BOOK GIVEAWAY Congratulations December Winners! $50 GIFT CARD SUDOKU: M. Utterson, Robina CROSSWORD: C. Maric, Elanora CRYPTIC: D. Mitchell, southport ABSOLUTE POWER BOOK COMPETITION J. Schlooz, Highaldn Park | M. Fraser, Elanora J. Cracknell, Labrador | P. Humphries, Coolangatta J. Shapland, Gilson LEAVING JACKSON CONCERT COMPETITION K. Farrer, Mudgeeraba Congratulations to our winners! We receive hundreds of entries for our competitions each month so keep on entering, you might be the next lucky winner!
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