June German SIG Meeting - Monday 16th June 2025

Join us at 1.30 pm on Monday 16th June 2025 for the next meeting of our German Special Interest Group

Our German SIG is a fantastic way to explore your heritage and connect with like-minded locals researching their Germanic background in friendly discussions. We share information on researching your Germanic ancestors, including resources, techniques, history and customs.

Coming up at our June meeting will be a number of topics of interest to anyone with Germanic ancestors or researching their German family history, including an update on online German family history activity; a review of the recent International German Genealogy Partnership Conference in Columbus Ohio; and discussion on the way ahead for the SIG, followed by an open discussion on items of interest to persons researching their family tree.

Whether you’re a seasoned researcher or just starting your family tree, you’re warmly invited to attend. Come and join us for the discussion, then stay for afternoon tea and a convivial chat - guests welcome!

Date: Monday 16th June 2025

Time: 1.30pm

Location: Old Gordon Public School building, 799 Pacific Hwy (cnr Pacific Hwy & Park Ave)

Parking: Subject to time limits in Council’s Wade Lane carpark (entry via Park Ave or St Johns Ave)

Train: Our rooms are a short walk from Gordon Station.

For a map, please see our Contact page, https://khs.org.au/contact-us/#hours

For more details, see our website, https://khs.org.au/german-sig

Please keep an eye on our website's Events page in case of any last-minute changes. https://khs.org.au/events/

June 2025 General Meeting - Saturday 21 June

                     

Guest Speaker:
Patricia Skehan

Join us in Gordon Library Meeting Room 1
at 2 pm on Saturday 21 June 2025 for

The Exiles of Canada Bay

On Saturday 21 June 2025 after our General Meeting, Patricia Skehan presents The Exiles of Canada Bay.

Along with Exile Bay and France Bay, the Canada Bay place name commemorates the French Canadian exiles imprisoned here following uprisings in Lower Canada (Quebec) in 1840.

Trish tells the compelling true story of a group of these Canadian patriotes, exiled for life in Australia. Later exonerated by their nation, this is compelling history within the context of British colonial governance.

Arriving in Sydney in 1840, these men existed for years at Longbottom Stockade, the halfway station between Farm Cove and Parramatta settlements. The reasons why they were sent to ‘The Land of a Thousand Sorrows’ and the ‘Deep Sense of Wrong’ that prevailed throughout their tragic sojourn in Australia became the titles of two books written by others about this subject.

The story is told from one man's point of view, Francois Maurice LePailleur. An innocent man caught up in the drama, he had a very significant role to play, once confined in Australia. He kept a secret journal for years while at Longbottom Stockade in Concord, and Trish's presentation includes sketches and extracts from that journal - a remarkable story that has since been turned into a 3-hour documentary, for which Trish was a technical adviser.

Trish will have copies of her Exiles of Canada Bay booklet on sale at just $10, as well as copies of her book The Secrets of Anzac Ridge: In Flanders Fields for $30 (cash, Visa or MasterCard).

About Patricia Skehan

Trish is a founding executive member of Concord Heritage Society, now known as The City of Canada Bay Heritage Society. She speaks to Rotary, Probus, VIEW Clubs, historical societies, garden clubs and schools. She has presented heritage talks on 2CBA-FM radio, and has been published nationally. Trish is also a tour guide on Yaralla and Rivendell estates in Concord West, and has written on both.

As always, please keep an eye on our website in case of any last-minute changes.

The venue is Gordon Library Meeting Room No. 1, in the Old Gordon Public School, which adjoins the Gordon Library, 799 Pacific Highway, Gordon (corner Pacific Highway and Park Avenue).

It’s just a 5-minute walk from Gordon Station.

For a map and parking information, see our Contact page.