Discussion Group

The Cape Banks Family History Society Inc. Discussion Group is held bi-monthly. It aims to encourage the attendees to think about, talk about or write about aspects of their lives or the lives of the ancestors they are researching, and to put those lives into context. The topics help us to think about, talk about and write about how we and our ancestors lived our/their lives, what we/they experienced through work, education, accommodation, health, play and many other aspects of life today or in the past.

The group was started in 2014 and has since become a popular event for our members. The number of attendees varies depending on the topic and whether they can attend our Research Rooms on the day.

During the Covid-19 lockdowns, the Discussion Group went online where members were given a topic to write on, including photographs if they so desired, and email their story back to the society. These stories were then compiled, a pdf file created and emailed out to our members.

YEAR

TOPIC

2014

  • 24 July 2014 – Trove – explaining the use of TROVE with the many various research categories available for research
  • 27 September 2014 – Computer Software for Family Historians – Recording Your Family History Using Software
  • 29 November 2014 – Becoming a Better Researcher

2015

  • 28 February 2015 – Exploring our Bookshelves
  • 30 May 2015 – Using Photos in Your Family History Research
  • 29 August 2015 – Exploring Cape Banks FHS Library
  • 31 October 2015 – Transport – exploring the different means of transportation to and used by our ancestors

2016

  • 30 January 2016 – Maps – Discuss and show how maps have assisted in your family history research
  • 19 March 2016 – Occupations
  • 28 May 2016 – Leisure Time
  • 28 July 2016 – Holidays
  • 24 September 2016 – School and Education
  • 26 November 2016 – Postcards and Letters

2017

  • 28 January 2017 – Food and Recipes
  • 25 March 2017 – Houses and Housing
  • 27 May 2017 – Toys
  • 29 July 2017 – Clothing
  • 30 September 2017 – Unexpected Find
  • 25 November 2017 – Collections

2018

  • 27 January 2018 – Family pets
  • 31 March 2018 – Which ancestor would you most like to meet?
  • 26 May 2018 – Jewellery
  • 28 July 2018 – What’s in a name? – History of names, naming patterns in families, etc.
  • 29 September 2018 – Flowers and their significance in the lives of our families
  • 24 November 2018 – In the Shed! – Household items both indoors and outdoors

2019

  • 19 January 2019 – A Grave Experience – Cemeteries & Headstones
  • 30 March 2019 – Babies
  • 25 May 2019 – I’m Related to……
  • 27 July 2019 – Entertainment
  • 28 September 2019 – My Favourite Resource
  • 30 November 2019 – Mementoes and Trinkets

2020

  • 14 April 2020 – Found in the Newspapers
  • 30 May 2020 – It comes down through the family (or not)!
  • 22 June 2020 – If these walls could speak
  • 31 July 2020 – If I could turn back time or Let’s do the time warp again
  • 20 September 2020 – Hard Times
  • 1 November 2020 – A picture is worth a thousand words

2021

  • 29 May 2021 – In the kitchen
  • 31 July 2021 – Seeking out family history! (Day trips or longer)
  • 20 November 2021 – A story behind a photograph

2022

  • 29 January 2022 – Neighbours
  • 19 March 2022 – Getaways – where we went for holidays (and what we did)
  • 28 May 2022 – In the backyard – This suggests a variety of memories about which to write. A few suggestions could be childhood games, gardens, backyard sports, sheds, animals, etc., etc., etc.
  • 30 July 2022 – Family History in Numbers (and the story behind the number or numbers)
  • 24 September 2022 – My most difficult ancestor
  • 29 October 2022 – Shopping in days gone by

2023

  • 28 January 2023 – What the family wore and when they wore it
  • 25 March 2023 – The Corner Shop
  • 27 May 2023 – Obituaries – What you found or didn’t find