News and Events
Lake Macquarie Family History Group Inc.

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Upcoming Saturday Meetings 21 June 2008 19 July 2008 Wednesday Library & Resources Access In addition to meeting days the meeting hall is also open for access to resources and research on the first Wednesday of each month from 2.00 pm to 5.00 pm or later if arranged beforehand.

Group members at the Morisset Community Fair

Newsletter & Journal

A newsletter containing informative information is available, free of cost, at each meeting.
Copies of recent editions are available for downloading in PDF format:

Sep 2007 (362KB) Jan 2008 (407KB) May 2008 (726KB)

Oct 2007 (366KB) Feb 2008 (473KB)

Nov 2007 (375KB) Mar 2008 (555KB)

Dec 2007 (395KB) Apr 2008 (681KB)

The Group's quarterly journal, "The Chronicle", commenced publication in August 1999 and is a means by which members may contribute and publicise various aspects of their research. The journal is free to members and is now exchanged with various other family history groups throughout Australia.

New Publication The long in production pioneer register is now available and it was well worth the wait. Titled Pioneers & Settlers of Lake Macquarie the book was launched on 16 September 2006 by the Mayor of the City of Lake Macquarie who praised Fay Markwell and her team for their work in the production of this excellent publication. Further details are available on the Products page.	Fay Markwell at the launch of Pioneers & Settlers of Lake Macquarie.
Current Major Project The Lake Macquarie Family History Group is transcribing the Parish Registers for St Matthews Church of England, Windsor NSW. This major work will provide an invaluable reference for this very historic area. The first book covers baptisms, marriages and burials from the start of the registers in 1810 to the end of 1856, comprising over 5,000 events. The second volume was released in late 2004 and covers 1857 to 1900 and the third volume covering 1901 to 1950 released in late 2006. Further information and purchase details are on the Products page. The transcribers are currently busy with the next time period, wondering why the handwriting is still not getting any easier to read!	Jenny Myers receiving a Ministry for the Arts grant from the Royal Australian Historical Society for the Group's St Matthews transcription project.
New Resources The Group has an active program to purchase new resources for the use of members. This material, in book, magazine or CD format, allows members to further their research as new material becomes available. Details of recent purchased are included in the monthly newsletter and members are encouraged to notify the committee of items suitable for purchase.

Recent Publications In March 2003 the Lake Macquarie Family History Group published a transcript of burial memorials at the Whitebridge Cemetery. The transcriptions were done by Kim Ranger who kindly made them available and the Group updated this work and added burial details based on records made available by the Lake Macquarie City Council. This follows the Groups successful publication in February 2002 of burial memorials for the Belmont Cemetery and the major revision in March 2005 of this work to include subsequent burials and details from the burial registers. Purchase details for these books are on the Products page.

Donated Resource

Thanks to a kind donation by Sue Woods the Group now has a transcription of the Parish Registers for High Ham, Somerset, England. Coverage is Baptisms 1645-1837 and 1863-1901, Marriages 1646-1900 and Burials 1646-1902. Members and visitors can peruse these transcripts in a two volume publication produced by the Group from Sue's work.

Aboriginal Research

The Library at the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies has a Family History Unit. Fact sheets and links to other resources and information is available.

NSW BDM Transcription Agents

Access to the New South Wales Registry Office records of births, deaths and marriages is available to authorised transcription agents. Their services provide a lower cost alternative to purchasing official certificates. Unrestricted access is limited to events registered greater than 100 years ago for births, 50 years for marriages and 30 years for deaths. Further details are able from the web sites of the agents Marilyn Rowan, Joy Murrin and Laurence Turtle.