GSV News

We’ve ‘travelled’ to South Australia and New South Wales in our State to State series so far.
If you weren’t able to attend these, you can find them as webcasts in the Members area of our website. They are well worth a visit.

Thursday 21 August sees us travelling just a little further: to New Zealand. 
Sarah Hewitt, chairperson of New Zealand Society of Genealogists will speak to us about their unique records and how they can help you further your research.
So many of those who came to Australia came via New Zealand, or spent some time there. I’m always surprised at the ease at which people moved between our two countries.

Sarah will also give you a sneak peak at the AFFHO Congress that will be held in February 2027 in Wellington.

More information about the New Zealand Society of Genealogists can be found at their web site - https://genealogy.org.nz/

Thursday 21 August at 11am via zoom.
This event is also open and free to non-members as part of Family History Month. 
Please register via the Activities tab of the GSV website.

Forward notice:
The State to State series will see us travel to Queensland on 18 September and ACT on 28 October. Stay tuned for more.

We all know writers LOVE a deadline!
This is it!
You only have until 4pm on Friday 22 August 2025 to get your entries in for the 2025 GSV Writing Prize.

Ancestry™ is again generously sponsoring the competition with a first prize of a 12-month subscription to their Worldwide Membership together with an Ancestry™ DNA kit. A runner-up prize of a 6-month subscription to Ancestry™ Worldwide may also be offered at the discretion of the judges.

Entries should:

• be between 1,200 and 2,400 words
• have a family history/genealogy theme
• be the author’s own original work
• not have been previously published in any form
• contain appropriate citations to sources.

Entries can contain up to four images.

Members of the GSV and GSV Member Societies are eligible to enter.

Check the full details of the prize, including eligibility and entry conditions, on the GSV website: https://www.gsv.org.au/gsv-writing-prize-2025

This is no time to procrastinate. 
Put the final polish on your story and get it in!

The International Settlers Group (ISG) has a special guest speaker at their next meeting on Saturday 16 August at 1pm. 

GSV member, Bronwyn Paschalidis, will be talking about Scandinavian research. Bronwyn recently wrote an excellent article for the March 2025 Ancestor on this subject, and this talk will build on that information.

Bronwyn invites members to submit their research questions in advance, and perhaps she can then show them how to tackle their problems. Please send your questions to isg@gsv.org.au

Have a read of her article before submitting your question, you’ll find it on page 30 of the March 2025 issue of our Ancestor journal.

GSV Discussion circles are usually only open to members but this meeting is part of AFFHO Family History Month and will be open to non-members.

Be sure to register at the drop down menu from the Activities tab on the website. If you are a member please log in first so your details are auto filled.

Family History Month is an initiative of the Australasian Federation of Family History Organisations (AFFHO). Each year AFFHO promotes events relating to family history, genealogy and related initiatives to encourage our community to explore their family connections.

Please check out the website, particularly the drop down box of Family History Month, for a list of events and sponsors offering prizes. Many societies and libraries are offering events that are not always open to non-members. Some are in person, many are hybrid or online. More events are being added every day, so keep checking back: https://www.affho.org/family-history-month-events/

There is an opening event on Fri 1 Aug at 5pm that features Andrew Redfern’s talk ‘A Lasting Legacy in the Digital Age’, exploring how we ensure our legacy survives the test of time, technology and interpretation.

The closing event is on Sun 31 Aug at 5pm. This event features Jane Smith’s talk ‘Keeping your family’s historical stories alive through writing non-fiction’; and Anne Young’s talk ‘Sharing your legacy through blogging’.

There are many prizes from sponsors to be given away to registrants. You can read about these events here: https://www.affho.org/opening-and-closing-ceremonies/

There is also a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AFFHOFamilyHistoryMonth

We know there are some great stories out there just begging to be told. 

Who has become your favourite ancestor?

What is the most exciting / tragic / funny story you have discovered in your research?

Have you unearthed a scandal?

Well, get writing about it and enter the GSV Writing Prize.

You have until 4pm on Friday 22 August 2025 to get them in.

Ancestry™ is again generously sponsoring the competition with a first prize of a 12-month subscription to their Worldwide Membership together with an Ancestry™ DNA kit. A runner-up prize of a 6-month subscription to Ancestry™ Worldwide may also be offered at the discretion of the judges.

Entries should:

• be between 1,200 and 2,400 words
• have a family history/genealogy theme
• be the author’s own original work
• not have been previously published in any form
• contain appropriate citations to sources.

Entries can contain up to four images.

Members of the GSV and GSV Member Societies are eligible to enter.

Check the full details of the prize, including eligibility and entry conditions, on the GSV website: https://www.gsv.org.au/gsv-writing-prize-2025

We’ve recently had two requests for participation from our members

Miriam Reynoldson, a PhD student at RMIT University is researching how people engage in non-formal learning in digital spaces. She is seeking people to interview. Miriam is particularly interesting in people who learn through family history research, especially through digital archives and online communities. Her mother is involved with the GSV and with the Geelong Family History Group.

The image attached is her poster.

If you are interested in taking part in an interview with Miriam, or want learn more about her study, you can phone her on 0414 278 269 or email s4136644@student.rmit.edu.au

Another request was published in our recent e-News:

Wei Zhao is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne. They are conducting a project called TALES (Technology, Ageing, Life Experiences and Stories).

This project aims to explore life storytelling - how older adults capture and share their life stories and memories, and how technology can support these meaningful practices. They are also interested in hearing from those who have supported an older adult in telling their story.

There will be a short online survey. You can opt to do a follow up interview and be rewarded with a $30 gift voucher.

You can read more about the project here:

https://cis.unimelb.edu.au/research/hci/projects/digital-storytelling

If you are interested or have any questions you can email them at

tales-project@unimelb.edu.au

They offer help to complete the survey over the phone too

A friendly final reminder from the GSV Education Team.

If you've already completed our short survey—thank you! Your feedback is already helping shape the future of our talks, seminars, and resources.

Maybe you lost the original email or simply forgot; there's still time—but only until Monday, 15 July.

We know surveys can feel like a chore. But this one really is quick to complete, and your input genuinely matters. It helps us better understand what topics interest you, how you prefer to learn, and at what level.

You can also let us know if you’d like to get involved—whether that’s sharing your experience or helping out in small ways.

It only takes a few minutes, and your voice will help shape what we offer next.

Complete the survey here → SURVEY

Warm regards,
The GSV Education Team

We recently sent a short survey to all members.

You might be thinking, “Oh no, another survey that’ll take longer than they claim.”

But this one truly is brief—and the insights we gain from it are invaluable for shaping future GSV education talks, seminars, and resources.

The GSV Education Team is refocusing its efforts to identify and then offer more of what members genuinely want, at the level that suits you best. This is your opportunity to have a voice—and even a role—if you're interested in volunteering your time or skills.

A heartfelt thanks to everyone who has already responded. The feedback so far has been fantastic.

If you haven’t had a chance yet, please respond by 15 July.

Warm regards,
The GSV Education Team

Come and spend the afternoon with us on Wed 9 July from 1.30pm - 3.30pm.

The Genealogical Society of Victoria invites you to learn more about researching your Scottish family history. The GSV library holds a large number of resources to assist with researching Scottish family history and many of our members have considerable research experience in this area.
Don’t miss this opportunity to learn more about our resources, and meet our experts who will provide some individual assistance for your research. There will be an introductory talk and then plenty of time to explore both online and on the shelves.
This session is free and open to non-members as well as those members who aren’t familiar with the huge array of Scottish resources at the GSV.

Numbers are limited so book early.
Location: Level 1, 10 Queen St, Melbourne.

Bookings are essential
To book please go to: https://www.melbournetartanfestival.com.au/genealogy-discover-world-fam…
Other events we are offering for the Tartan Festival are on zoom:
Fri 18 Jul at 1pm: Research your Scottish ancestry - from Victoria back to Scotland
Mon 21 Jul at 1pm: How to access and use Scotlandspeople family history website.

For information on the festival and more events, please go to: https://www.melbournetartanfestival.com.au/

We are excited to inform you that one of the projects in which the GSV Research Team played a small, but integral, role has come to fruition. The premier of the documentary film By Far Kaymakchalan will be held this month as part of the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival.
Based on the work of historian Bojan Pajić, By Far Kaymakchalan tells a never before told story of Australia’s participation in World War One. Over 1500 Australian and New Zealand volunteers - nurses, doctors, ambulance drivers, soldiers, sailors and aircrew - served alongside Serbian forces. Many of the volunteers were women who were pioneers in their fields and in women’s rights. Not included in the official Australian war histories, this story was mostly unknown, unrecognised and forgotten.
The film follows six Australians, Doctor Mary De Garis, nursing sister Ethel Gillingham, writer Stella Miles Franklin, Sydney socialite Olive King, as well as soldiers Niall Mullarkey and Edward Ramage who served alongside Serbian forces on the Salonika Front. Bringing the knowledge of historians, military and medical experts together with the descendants of Australian volunteers, the film brings to life the volunteers and their war service.
The GSV Research Team, particularly the late Yvonne Izatt, worked for over a year identifying and tracking the descendants of the volunteers who served. Because of this work, you can now follow Bojan and some of these descendants on their trip to Serbia where the memories of these Australians and their service are still alive.
The premiere of By Far Kaymakchalan is on Sunday July 20th at 5:10pm at the Cinema Nova, Carlton.
Tickets for the premiere are available via the Cinema Nova website. More information about the documentary can be found on the Festival’s website or by clicking here.
The trailer for the documentary can be found on the GSV’s Facebook and Instagram pages.