August is Family History Month and to celebrate the Port Macquarie and Districts Family History Society hosted a beginners’ seminar.

Society member Diane Gillespie said they were very pleased with the turnout on the day, with about 25 attendees. 

As part of the session, Diane said, attendees would be educated on what resources are available to help them connect with their past.

“Specifically we will be looking at what online resources are out there as technology advancements have meant finding out information is lot easier than it was in the past,” she said. 

Port Macquarie resident Janice Osborn attended the seminar because she wanted to find out about her father. 

“All I’ve got is a name and his death certificate,” she said. 

“He died when I was seven-years-old.” 

Janice said knowing more about her father would help give her more of a sense of identity. 

Pamela Summers said she had hit some brick walls while researching her family history. 

She said she hoped the seminar would give her some ideas on how to progress. 

Pamela was born in India and wants to know how her family got to the country. 

Members from the society made baked goods and brought them along to the seminar for morning tea. 

For a gold coin donation attendees could enjoy some morning tea while helping farmers impacted by drought in NSW. 

For more information about family history research call the secretary on 0475 132 804 or email secretary@pmdfhs.org.au.