Could one of them be an ancestor of yours?
Western Australia has hundreds of places where communities once flourished but have now disappeared or almost returned to bush. Mining booms, harsh climate, vast distances and changing fortunes all played their part.
But what about the people who lived there?
Christine Harris, President of FamilyHistoryWA, will introduce The People of Western Australia’s Ghost Towns Project. This project, led by a dedicated volunteer team, aims to create a comprehensive index of the individuals who once resided in Western Australia’s ghost towns, to locate all their records and tell their stories.
The project team has now identified 939 ghost communities and 1,828 alternative names for those places, and the list is continuing to grow. They are uncovering records, historical, demographic and geographical information, and, most importantly, the stories of the people who called these places home. Some places were well-known mining towns. Others may have left little more than a name, a few street patterns or a crumbling building. Yet each had people who worked, raised families, built businesses and experienced the ups and downs of life in these remote communities. Fabulous fortunes, shocking tragedies, mystery and excitement surrounding the people who lived in Western Australia’s many ghost towns are being unveiled.
Come and discover what the project is uncovering and how these forgotten towns and their people are being brought back into the historical record.
Thursday 22 October, 1.30pm–3.00pm via Zoom. For GSV members only, and free.
Please register on the GSV website, What’s on? > Events and a Zoom link will be emailed to you.