Society of Australian Genealogists

28/12/2025

✨ New Year, New Discoveries ✨

As we approach a new calendar year, many of us are thinking about resolutions and what better time to set intentions for your family history journey?

Whether it’s organising your research notes and certificates; tackling that long-standing brick wall; learning a new research skill; or writing up the stories you have uncovered; even small steps can lead to meaningful discoveries.

What are your family history research goals for 2026?💛📜

24/12/2025

🎄✨ Merry Christmas from the Society of Australian Genealogists ✨🎄

Wishing all our members and friends a very merry Christmas and a joyful festive season. Thank you for being part of our wonderful community and for sharing your passion for family history throughout the year.

May 2026 bring good fortune, fresh discoveries, and rewarding breakthroughs in your family history research. We look forward to exploring the past together in the year ahead. 🌟📜

23/12/2025

Another open call from the UK’s Long Lost Family program:

Do you want to reconnect with a family member or even to find a close relative for the first time? We’re now casting for the next series of Long Lost Family, and we may be able to help.

If you’re ready to share your story, we’d love to hear from you. You can apply via this link: https://www.walltowall.co.uk/casting/1421/long-lost-family.

23/12/2025

Thank you to our Society members and friends for your generous support of our End of Year Appeal. Your donations help sustain our library, archives, education programs, and the many services we provide to family historians across Australia and beyond.

As the festive season approaches, if you would still like to give, donations can continue to be made over Christmas via our website. Every gift, at any time, makes a meaningful difference: http://www.sag.org.au/gift

23/12/2025

Brilliantly said by Generations Genealogy

Are you keen to refine your research methods, learn how to find the best sources, resolve conflicts in evidence, and work more systematically?

The Genealogy Research Methods course gives you a clear, supportive framework for researching your family history with confidence. Over six months, you’ll learn how to plan your research, analyse evidence, and document your conclusions properly using a case study from your own family history.

Fully online. Recordings included. Workshops and homework tailored to your experience. Presented for the Society of Australian Genealogists.
📅 Two cohorts: Jan–Jun or Jul–Dec 2026
👉 Bookings: https://www.sag.org.au/event-6351855

(Infographic created using Notebook LM)

23/12/2025

Looking to sharpen your family history research skills in the new year?

Genealogy Research Methods online course starts 7 January 2026 - see this link for full details and registration: https://www.sag.org.au/event-6351855

🔍 What you’ll learn
Guided by an experienced genealogist, you’ll develop essential research skills, including:
• Planning – setting goals and keeping research focused
• Analysis – interpreting records, identifying gaps, resolving conflicts
• Documentation – recording sources and conclusions clearly
• Evidence evaluation – applying sound methodology to documentary records and DNA
(Note: this course focuses on methodology and using DNA evidence in research planning and analysis — not the basics of DNA analysis.)

🗂 Course format
• 10 sessions over six months
• A mix of lectures, workshops, and practical exercises
• Workshops tailored to your experience level
• Fully online with recordings — attend live or catch up later
• Focus on one individual or family from your own research

👥 Who is this course for?
• Beginners with 2–3 years’ research experience (or completion of SAG’s Beginners’ Practical Introduction course)
• Intermediate researchers seeking structure, new techniques, and confidence
• Advanced researchers wanting to revisit foundations and sharpen their practice

✨ Why choose this course?
• Clear, structured methodology
• Practical application to your own family history
• Flexible online delivery
• Personalised feedback in live workshops
• Learn from Danielle Lautrec, experienced genealogy educator, author, and former Education Officer at SAG

📘 Recommended reading
The Good Genealogist by Danielle Lautrec — available from the Society and selected libraries.

Ready to strengthen your research skills and gain confidence in your conclusions? Join us and take the next step in your genealogy journey.

21/12/2025

Opportunities with the good folks at Ryerson:

A big week for our indexers in the leadup to Christmas!

We'd love to get you on our team for 2026.
Send us a message or email secretary@ryersonindex.org

20/12/2025

The longest day of the year can only mean more time for family history!

A reminder to download our free templates & forms to work on your research, particularly when connecting with extended family this Christmas: https://sag.org.au/family-history-forms


Image from 9news

18/12/2025

Our friends at AIATSIS are looking for talent for their AIATSIS International Women’s Day 2026 Poster Competition - can you help?

The AIATSIS International Women’s Day 2026 Poster Competition is now open!

Submit your artwork by 18 January 2026 for a chance to win $5000 and have your design featured in the AIATSIS Shop.

Theme: Give to Gain – celebrating the strength and care that keep our communities strong.

🔗 Enter now: aiatsis.gov.au/whats-new/news/iwd-2026-poster-comp



Artist: 2024 winner Leah Cummins (Mayi-Kulan and Kalkadoon)

15/12/2025

Reposted from our Facebook Discussion Group and it is times like these that we think about the importance of community - One of our wonderful SAG members, Heather S, sent the below message through to our office with a request that we post to our page in the hope someone knows descendants of this family. Please feel free to share this info to other family history contacts you have:

I saw these paintings at an antiques shop called George Street Antiques in Marulan yesterday. The dealer said that three of the women were sisters, and the family name was Wray. There was a sticker at the back of one of them that said it had been restored in Dublin. There was also a painting of a gentleman which had a label on the back that said he was Charles Waller 1680-1749.
There were also some other paintings in the collection but I did not take photos unfortunately. I thought that someone with ancestors in the Wray/Waller family may be interested in the paintings.

09/12/2025

Thinking of taking up our Certificate in Genealogical Research in 2026? Join us tonight at 7.00pm AEDT for a free webinar giving you all of the info - register to be with us live or to receive the recording: https://www.sag.org.au/event-6399497