HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY 2014

HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY 2014


How many footsteps have traipsed this vast land in search of shelter, love and hope...
from the original inhabitants to those, who over time, ventured from far off lands, looking for a better life - just as they do today.

 This is a land of contrasts, vast desert to rainforests, majestic mountains to golden sands, towering water falls to trickling streams, vast cattle stations ... where to reach the boundaries, you have a day's ride... tiny villages and bustling cities...

 There is still room for homes on acreage, as well as highrise apartments towering in to the sky or homes on the typical suburban block.

Australians are a friendly lot, unless you beat them at sport, then it's a grumble and a groan, before they pat you on the back with a "she's right, mate... your shout".

We love our country, in a laid back kind of way... we are creative and innovative, we are descendants of many lands, of many cultures, but most of all, we are proud Australians.

So, raise a glass and help celebrate our past, our present and our future... and we'll welcome you with open arms.




(c) copyright of all photos remains with Crissouli with one exception
(c) photo of Uluru is licensed for free use by Thomas Schoch 
    refer Wikimedia

AUSTRALIA DAY CHALLENGE 2014: C’MON AUSSIE... Geneameme

She's done it again...the ever busy, ever creative Cassmob, alias Pauleen, has set us an Australia Day Challenge...

 She has given us a set of 26 questions to answer or gloss over as we will... Let's see how I go...





CLIMBING THE FAMILY GUM TREE

AUSTRALIA DAY CHALLENGE 2014: C’MON AUSSIE







(c) Photo by Crissouli


My first ancestor to arrive in Australia was... as far as I know...

Robert Hobbs, immigration in Sep 1791 on the ship "Active"



I have Australian Royalty (tell us who, how many and which Fleet they arrived with):

Robert Hobbs (see above), Bridget Heslin/Eslin Sep 1793 on the "Sugarcane"

 Others to be added

I’m an Aussie mongrel, my ancestors came to Oz from:

Ireland, England, Wales, Greece, 

Did any of your ancestors arrive under their own financial steam?

 Yes, several including my Greek grandfather, Theodore H.  Catsoulis, who arrived on the "Kurfurst" in 1904.

How many ancestors came as singles?

I'm going to be vague here, and in some of the other questions for now,  as I need to be able to check the exact details. There were quite a few singles, mostly my Irish ancestors.

How many came as couples?

Some of my British ancestors, including  Swadlings.

How many came as family groups?

Swadlings from UK, one lot that come to mind arrived on the "James Pattison"

Did one person lead the way and others follow?

 Yes, with regards to my Greek grandparents... my grandmother, Chrisanthe Catsoulis nee Coroneo, followed my grandfather, but I've been unable to find just when as yet... after 1904 and before 1910 I would think.

My Dillons also followed Michael Dillon, who it appears was the first to arrive in Australia, though he moved back to Ireland. I think John (Jack) was next... sadly he was killed here in an accident. Molly (Mary) McDermott, their sister arrived here next, as a young widow of Gerard McDermott, who was killed in WW1. She remarried later to Tom Foley.   The next was my grandmother, Bridget Teresa Dillon.

What’s the longest journey they took to get here?

From Ireland I would think. I haven't checked the length of the journey.

Did anyone make a two-step emigration via another place?

 More or less, as Bridget Dillon was travelling to Australia with her sister, Susan Dillon, and they stopped over in New Zealand, where Susan decided to stay, as another brother, James, was already living there. Bridget was very close to Molly, so she continued to Australia.

Which state(s)/colony did your ancestors arrive?

Western Australia and New South Wales

Did they settle and remain in one state/colony?

They mostly ended up in New South Wales.

Did they stay in one town or move around?

Few stayed in the one area, nevertheless town. My Greek grandfather, then my grandparents tended to move a bit more than most, though my maternal grandfather did also. The former moved from Sydney to Grafton, to Whiporee, near Casino, to Bellingen, to Aberdeen, then to Urunga. The latter moved wherever the sawmilling was in his early days.

Do you have any First Australians in your tree?

 Not that I know of in a direct line, but, yes, through marriage.

Were any self-employed?

Many of them were, mainly cafe owners and farmers.

What occupations or industries did your earliest ancestors work in?

As above.

Does anyone in the family still follow that occupation?

Not now.

Did any of your ancestors leave Australia and go “home”?

 Only my Great Uncle Michael Dillon, who returned home to work the family farm.

NOW IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU

What’s your State of Origin?

New South Wales

Do you still live there?

No, I'm almost a Queenslander now, having lived here since I was 12.

Where was your favourite Aussie holiday place as a child?

Anywhere my parents decided to take our truck, with a tarp and beds and all on the back. Our holidays weren't that often, and were mostly to visit relatives.

Any special place you like to holiday now?

I do like going back to Urunga, but I'm happy to just get a break... it's been quite a while.

Share your favourite spot in Oz:

As above, but I love Mt. Tamborine and the Northern Rivers district of New South Wales... 

Any great Aussie adventure you’ve had?

 Not really, the closest we've come to that was a 6,000km driving holiday when my husband took long service leave.  

What’s on your Australian holiday bucket list?

I've always wanted to go to Tasmania, Western Australia and the Northern Territory... I've been to a lot of the rest, though would be happy to revisit. Norfolk Island is also on the list.

How do you celebrate Australia Day?

Quietly in the main... if we have done anything, it's been a get together with friends. The only year we really celebrated was when our daughter and family returned home after living overseas for some years... now that really was a day of celebration!

If you would like to participate, please let Pauleen know at

Australia Day Challenge 2014: C’mon Aussie

CHRISTMAS GREETINGS ONE AND ALL

http://olddesignshop.com/

CHRISTMAS GENEAMEME

 Just five simple questions for this one...

Please answer via Comments, leaving your name.

Feel free to repost on your own blog as you wish.

Thank you in anticipation...

1.  What is the earliest Christmas gift you remember?

2. Your favourite Christmas memory is ...?

3. Do you bake anything special for Christmas?

4. Where do you usually spend Christmas Day?

5. if you could have just one Christmas Wish, what would it be?

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU. 

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT

Click on the link to hear one of my favourite Christmas songs while you work out your answers...

Driving Home For Christmas - Chris Rea

MOVING ON

As I write to friends all over the world, I often marvel at how things have changed. It's not unusual for people to be born in one country, then move to several, maybe with family, then move again, from one place to the next, as they follow various careers.

Like most in Australia, I come from a family of immigrants... few of us don't. My Greek grandfather left the village of Potamos in Kythera, in 1904 to try his hand in a new country. He had been a farmer and a guard at the Greek palace.. here he started out as so many before him, as a kitchen hand in restaurants owned by fellow Greeks. He went into partnership with his cousin, also from Kythera and had a cafe in Bellingen, previously having been in Grafton.

I wish I could ask him why he then decided to go back to farming, this time in Whiporee, near Casino... then Aberdeen, then to Urunga, where he farmed for the rest of his years. My grandmother grew cotton and spun it, then wove it, before also leaving Kythera and coming to join her husband.Their children became farmers, cafe owners, soldiers, truck owner/drivers, worked on the railway, hoteliers, small business owners... then came the grandchildren...

Occupations changed. Here we have bank tellers, businessmen, a geologist, teachers, university lecturer, small business owners, cosmetician, media promotions director, transport operator, lawyer, timber importer, company representatives, managers, with partners as lawyer, travel agent, theatre manager, chemist, medical representative, small business owners, developers, property managers... I'm sure to have missed some. The great grandchildren have become lawyers, public relations directors, company owners, health insurance representative, computer security, engineers, swimming teacher, DJ, entrepreneurs, project manager, writer, nutritionist, and various other careers along the way...

So many have travelled overseas, most for pleasure, many to Greece and other countries, some for business... to all parts of the globe... None of this is unusual for families today, but if we could chat a while to our ancestors, what would they think of all this? Do mothers feel any different today as they wave their loved ones 'farewell' than mothers of long ago? At least today, we have communication previously unheard of... we can email, or pick up a phone... We can sit in our homes and see the person we are talking to in 'real time' via webcam. We can send them videos via the internet; photos, not needing film, can be sent via email or uploaded to the web, then family and friends invited to see them... at their leisure. The miles fade away as instant communication keeps families in touch...

As I picture my grandfather's family seeing their son leave for a virtually unknown country, I can feel their heartache... knowing that in all probability they would never see them again... was it any different for my maternal grandmother's Irish parents? They, too, watched their family leave for Australia, America, New Zealand, Canada.

(c) Wikimedia  

Bronze figures, Fleetwood, Lanc

Though both families were filled with hope, that their children would never have to endure the hardships they had in their native lands, the tears of the mother still rolled down a quivering lip; the firm handshake or hug of the father lasted just a little longer, while they tried so hard to keep their emotions confined and hearts still break a little more with each goodbye.

Crissouli (c)

Image from http://bestclipartblog.com/26-writing-clip-art.html/Writing-clipart-1

THE RAJAH QUILT-HURRAH!

One of the exhibitions I have most been looking forward to is the one that includes the famous Rajah Quilt... I have written about it before... It was every bit as fascinating as I expected, but it was by no means the only quilt of interest. 

I could have spent far longer exploring the intricacies of the wonderful quilts on display, so diverse, so intricate, so inspiring and to me, most importantly, such a wonderful glimpse of times gone by. 

 If you didn't get to see it, then it's too late, at least in Brisbane... maybe a trip to the UK is in order.

 This is part of what you missed.

Until 22 September 2013: 'Quilts 1700-1945' exhibition | Maker unknown | Central section from a printed cotton patchwork coverlet showing King George III reviewing the troops 1803-05 | © Victoria and Albert Museum, London | view full image

There was also....

and so many more. 

No photos were allowed to be taken at the exhibition, so these photos are courtesy of the 

Queensland Art Gallery exhibition information.

The Rajah Quilt is far larger than I expected, even though I had looked briefly at the measurements. 

Considering the conditions in which it was made, it is an incredible piece of work... a great achievement by many who had never sewn before. 

You can read more about it here...

http://thatmomentintime-crissouli.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/the-rajah-quilt.html 

I marvelled at the intricate designs of many of the quilts, at the very neat stitching, at the colour combinations and at the

patience and persistence of sewing by hand by daylight mainly and candlelight when available.

To me, the stand out quilt was simple, not particularly perfect sewing, but created with something far more important,

love.

The Changi Quilt

Video may take a moment to load.

Olga Henderson with the Changi quilt at the V&A exhibition in London Photo: JAMES

TRANSCRIPT:

OLGA HENDERSON: The hut we were put in was for 34 people to sleep in and there was 119 of us in it. So you can imagine what we were like. I mean you just more or less slept together and you had no bedding, you had nothing like that.

The Japanese gave us a piece of land and each person, each child worked it. But you were not allowed to eat anything off it. As soon as it ripened you had to tell the guard and they would pick it. You weren’t allowed to eat it at all.

I think the horrible thing was that you had no soap. You had water … if you were in the fields, because you had to work in the fields, if they turned the water on it wasn’t a gush, it was a very slow flow, but by the time you came off the field, picked your piece of tin up that you had – an old tin can – by the time you got there they’d turned the water off, so you had nothing. We used to try and clean our teeth with ash if you could get it. We used to get the little twigs and knock the ends off and make a toothbrush.

When we were first in Changi, after we’d all got settled down and were given our allotted spaces, it was very boring because there was nothing to do.  So Mrs Ennis decided to start a little girl guide group. There were 18 of us that started. Eileen and Helen and Evelyn and Shirley – they were all from one family. Shirley was the elder one. She was more the leader of one group. Mrs Ennis was the boss, you might say. We decided to do the quilt for Mrs Ennis as a birthday present. We didn’t know which year she was going to get it, but we started it anyway.

We left our homes and went as we were dressed so that’s all the clothes we had, so we had to make do. Practically all the time we were in patched bits and pieces. I started by having a little eidelweiss because I got a bit of blue wool and anything to get bits of material. We had to scrounge enough thread to make our own little badges. Thread and needles were the most important things and we used to get those by unpicking old dresses to get the thread from the seams. My mother took some needles in and thread. She gave us a little bit of thread, but it was like gold. But needles were the most important thing because you didn’t get any more. What you had in camp was what you had. We used to try and sharpen them on the concrete pavements, but it didn’t really work.

Tiny URL to a book that talks about the Changi Quilt...

http://tinyurl.com/k4wh7hn

There were other quilts made in Changi... see

http://www.awm.gov.au/blog/2011/11/16/the-iconic-changi-quilts/

As a lover of stitching, of patchwork, of history, 

of those who rail against incredible odds, I have been 

" truly replenished of soul ".

PATCHWORK AND PEACE

 Mary Cassatt's  "A Woman Sewing"

copyright expired

Every now and then you come across someone who makes an instant impression on your life. 

One such person was Ruth Stoneley, quilter, fibre artist, teacher, shop owner, mother, friend and Churchill Scholarship recipient... to summarise her incredible presence...

Many tributes have been written, one of the most moving was by her great friend, Judith Baker Montano... see link at the end of this article.

I had the pleasure of meeting Ruth for the first time in 1983... to say that she made an impression can best be summed up by the following ....

PATCHWORK AND PEACE

As I climbed the many stairs

I felt it reach out to me

We sat, coffee in hand,

amongst the clutter

that only 'moving in' can arrange..

and yet, the feeling was there

all around us.

In her company

I felt surrounded by tranquility

yet knee deep in energy.

The patchwork of her life

enveloped her

not merely in the marvellous fabrics

awaiting her creative talents

but in her assortment of baskets

and interesting glass jars. 

An old fashioned urn sat in a corner

resplendent with rolls of fabric

spouting from it's top

where once there'd been steam.

She explained her life

and her ideas and dreams

and wove them into a quilt of visions.

She was so content in her life

at peace with the world.

Today, I met a lady and her soul.

© Crissouli

Ruth Stoneley portrait by Richard Stringer.

Ruth introduced me to many ideas, one being the process of printing photos on fabric, something which I had admired, but hadn't got around to trying... This is but one of her pieces.... part of a beautiful memory quilt.

Sadly Ruth passed away in May 2007. 

She lives on in the incredible pieces she left behind and the lasting memories of all who knew her.

Ruth Stoneley, Australia 1940-2007 | Quilt: It’s not all sweetness and light (detail) 1983 | © The artist | view full image

Ruth Stoneley: A Stitch in Time

13 July – 7 October 2013 | Glencore Queensland Artists’ Gallery (Gallery 14), Queensland Art Gallery (QAG) | Free admission

Opening Hours
10.00am — 5.00pm Monday to Friday
9.00am — 5.00pm Saturday and Sunday
9.00am — 5.00pm Public Holidays

To complement 'Quilts 1700–1945', the Gallery presents an exhibition of contemporary quilts by the late leading Brisbane quilt-maker Ruth Stoneley (1940–2007).

Links re Ruth Stoneley...

http://www.judithbakermontano.com/weblog/2007_10_17.html

http://www.artabase.net/exhibition/4820-ruth-stoneley-a-stitch-in-time

http://www.qagoma.qld.gov.au/exhibitions/current/ruth_stoneley_a_stitch_in_time

THE WRITING IS ON THE WALL... Parramatta Female Factory

THE WRITING IS ON THE WALL

You are invited to attend a showcase of artworks created by 

the 

PARRAMATTA FEMALE FACTORY PRECINCT MEMORY PROJECT 

on

14 September 12.30 -4.30pm. 

This is an official history week event and will be followed with a public history symposium

 exploring the institutionalisation of women and children in Australia

held consecutively on the 26 and 27 September at UTS Broadway and at the Precinct.

Both events are free, symposium seating is limited and bookings are essential.

Parramatta Female Factory Precinct Memory Project

www.pffpmemoryproject.org

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/PFFPMemoryProject