Genealogical Society of Queensland - GSQ

03/12/2025

As well as 191 Irish Orphan Girls, the Lady Kennaway brought convicts and immigrants to New South Wales and Tasmania between 1834 and 1851. Thanks to the Irish Famine Orphan Girls Commemoration

This week it is 176 years since the first ship of the Earl Grey Scheme, the Lady Kennaway, left Plymouth bound for Port Phillip (Melbourne). It was 11 September 1848 when the barque set sail with 191 Irish Famine orphan girls on board.

Weighing-in at 585 tons (530 tonnes), the Lady Kennaway was launched in 1816 and worked the seaways between India and England for the East India Company. From 1834 to 1851, she became a regular visitor to Australia, also transporting convicts and immigrants to New South Wales and Tasmania.

The Lady Kennaway was wrecked in 1857 off the coast of Africa, luckily with no loss of life. The passengers on that ill-fated voyage were immigrants numbering 153 single Irish women, 21 couples and 35 children bound for East London in South Africa and Calcutta (now Kolkata), India. They all settled in South Africa.

Image: Lady Kennaway, Grosvenor Prints. Painted by JW Huggins.

02/12/2025

Hedge Schools. Thanks to Irish Roots

How Hedge Schools Helped Preserve Irish Heritage 🇮🇪📚

During the harsh years of the Penal Laws, when Catholic education was forbidden, learning in Ireland didn’t stop—it simply went underground. These were the hedge schools—humble, hidden classrooms tucked away in barns, glens, and along hedgerows. ☘️

Here, children learned more than reading and sums. They carried forward the stories, language, and traditions that defined Ireland—each whispered lesson a quiet act of defiance. Books were passed hand to hand, and every word learned was a stand against erasure. 💪

These schools became more than places of learning—they were symbols of resilience, courage, and a fierce love for Irish heritage.

Many hedge school teachers were scholars themselves—poets, storytellers, and Latin speakers—passing on knowledge that might otherwise have been lost. Subjects ranged from classical studies to Irish folklore, depending on the teacher’s skills and what little resources they had.

Have you heard the story of the hedge schools? A reminder of the lengths our ancestors went to preserve what it meant to be Irish. 📖



📸 Danny Howes

02/12/2025

If you have an ancestor who served as a prison warder or served their time on St Helena Island in Moreton Bay, then have a look at the St Helena Community page, and their website itself.
On the website you can order a detailed record concerning the person for a small fee:

Through our original research and the medium of story telling, we aim to bring the unique social history of Queensland's St Helena Island into our present day.

02/12/2025

Have you heard about the Morpeth Roll of Ireland? In 1841 More can be read of this gigantic document, basically a farewell card when Lord Morpeth, then Chief Secretary for Ireland, was leaving office having lost his seat in the UK parliament.
The Duke of Leinster gathered a petition of "outpourings of affection and support" from across the country - in effect a gigantic farewell card filled with 160,000 signatures. The signatures, gathered on 652 sheets of paper over a six week period, were stuck together, creating a continuous roll measuring 420 metres, three times the length of Croke Park.

In 1841, Lord Morpeth, then Chief Secretary for Ireland, was leaving office having lost his seat in the UK parliament. During his time as Chief Secretary for Ireland Morpeth carried through reforming legislation on Irish tithes and municipal government and enjoyed good relations with Daniel O'Connel...

02/12/2025

Thanks to Irish Genealogy Irish Genealogical Research Society for this post.

IGRS Top Research Tip #183: Was one of your Irish ancestors in receipt of a US civil war pension? Try this new online resource: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/4e3d403b289342ad92a9259de2597c24
*PLEASE FOLLOW, LIKE & SHARE* *

02/12/2025

Thanks too one of our members for bringing this to our attention. A post from The Dave & Malou Channel.

01/12/2025

From the Memory Archive Christmas collection. Thanks to People's Collection Wales

Were you a wise man, Mary or Joseph or perhaps an animal? What character did you play during your school nativity? 🎄

This image is a part of the Memory Archive Christmas collection. This collection is a small selection of Christmas images that can be used for reminiscence 👇
https://bit.ly/MemoryArchive-Christmas

The Memory Archive is a People's Collection Wales initiative led by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales. It is a curated account aimed at facilitating reminiscence with people living with dementia. The Memory Archive is open and available for everyone to use.

📷 Papur Pawb

Dementia UK Alzheimer's Society Cymru

01/12/2025

A great time was had by members of GSQ Monday Morning & Wed Night Zoom groups at Club Southside today.

01/12/2025

Jetty Wharf, Townsville. Thanks to Townsville 100 Years Ago

View of Jetty Wharf at Townsville, 1918

Image: State Library of Queensland

30/11/2025

Christmas at Grannie Bell's, thanks to Linda Kuhn, our GSQ Blogger for the 1st December 2025.

Christmas at Grannie Bell’s. GSQ Blog Posted on November 30, 2025 by Linda KuhnNovember 30, 2025 My mother always enjoyed telling a story and as the year’s end approaches, I am reminded of one of my favourites from her childhood, “Christmas at Grannie Bell’s”. Pop and Grannie’s 60th Wedd...

30/11/2025

Rabbits. Story from the Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame and Outback Heritage Centre

“We had nothing—but we had each other. And we had rabbit.”

There was a time in Perth and across the dusty stretches of Western Australia when the clink of coins in a pocket meant everything. The Great Depression hit like a dry wind—relentless, hollowing out hopes and stomachs alike. Men queued along Barrack Street and outside the Treasury building, hats in hand, for a day’s labour or a warm bowl of soup. Some walked miles from the outer suburbs, boots worn thin or barefoot, chasing rumoured jobs that had already gone by the time they arrived.
Out in the Wheatbelt, crops failed, and debts mounted.

Many farmers turned to trapping rabbits—not as pests, but as dinner. In the city, rabbit meat became a staple. Cheap, plentiful, and sold from carts by blokes with sacks slung over their shoulders, shouting, “Two for a shilling!” Mothers stewed them with onions and what few vegetables they could find, stretching the pot to feed a family of seven.

Unemployment in Western Australia soared to over 30%. Thousands of men—many with families—were out of work and turned to government “sustenance” or “relief” jobs, which paid a bare minimum in exchange for hard manual labour. These jobs often involved building roads, clearing bushland, and digging drains. Men were sometimes given pick and shovel work far from home, staying in makeshift camps or tents, returning only occasionally.

Kids played barefoot in the streets of Subiaco, Victoria Park, and Fremantle, fashioning toys from scraps—old tins, bits of string, and fence wire twisted into hoops. If they were lucky, they'd share a slice of dripping on toast. The few who had bikes or marbles were kings of the neighbourhood. Boans and Foy & Gibson's still stood proud in the city, but few could afford even the simplest treat from their shelves.

Yet somehow, despite the hardship, people shared what little they had. Neighbours helped neighbours. The backyard chook pen became a lifeline, and community halls echoed with the sounds of secondhand dances and the odd bit of laughter.
It wasn’t easy—but those years carved out a quiet strength in the hearts of Western Australians. A resilience that would carry them through droughts, wars, and boomtown dreams yet to come.

“We had nothing—but we had each other. And we had rabbit.”
Source: Lost Perth

30/11/2025

Some Ports and Jetties of Western Australia. Thanks to the State Records Office of Western Australia