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News - We have had to completely re-install this site due to it being accessed inappropriately in December 2021, by unknown agents. We also chose not to copy over previous registered users, because around 75% of them were 'spammers'. We apologise that you will need to re-register before adding an event.
National Family History Month - August 2022
NFHM is an initiative of the Australasian Federation of Family History Organisations (AFFHO). Updated for 2022.
This popular initiative has received broad support from some of Australia’s leading government and non government organisations since its introduction in 2006. Originally only the first week in August, NFHM increased to include the whole month of August in 2013 to allow greater participation across Australia and New Zealand. NFHM is on again in 2022, although probably we will still be affected by Covid-19. Libraries and all history/genealogy groups are encouraged to hold events as their circumstances allow during August, and we expect some will choose be held on-line. The opening and closing ceremonies will be scheduled in the coming months.
Events can now be registered here for August 2022, and organisations are encouraged to think about what they might like to host, either on-line or in person. For 2022, we have a new NFHM co-ordinator in Alex Daw. She will be posting regularly on Facebook and in a new blog on this site, so watch for these soon. We will have an opening and a closing ceremony with a speaker and prizes, so plan for these - more info here as it is locked in. Our wonderful 2022 sponsors are an essential part of our ability to sponsor NFHM, so check the sponsor page for the latest information. We usually have prize draws during August as well, so watch for these as prizes are confirmed.
This website allows for organisations to post their events here, (see the menu item 'Add New Events'), and we promote August as National Family History Month throughout Australia and New Zealand. Our Facebook page is the place to go for the latest news and information. See https://www.facebook.com/FamilyHistoryMonthAU
Opening and Closing Ceremonies August 2022
With the Australasia Genealogy Congress being held on Norfolk Island in the first week of August, the opening ceremony will be held there. We hope to broadcast the event by Zoom, but not sure yet whether the internet will cope. We hope to record the event and add the video to this website soon after. The closing ceremony will be via Zoom.
Closing Ceremony
Wednesday 31 August 2022 at 5.00pm AEST via Zoom
**** Please register and request the Zoom login details via this website's contact form, or Email
Speakers : Catherine Warr (YouTube Yorkshire's Hidden History) and Daniel Horowitz (MyHeritage)
How to Bring your Ancestors to Life!
Catherine will share how to make history interesting, engaging and accessible for everyone.
Daniel will talk about MyHeritage's latest tool DeepStory and how it can enhance your storytelling.
Catherine Warr has become one of the most prominent young local historians, reaching thousands of people all over the world through her YouTube channel Yorkshire's Hidden History. With a passion for making history interesting, engaging, and accessible for all, she has been featured in a national YouTube campaign recognising regional creators. Her first book - A Yorkshire Year: 366 Days of Folklore, Customs, and Traditions - is due to be released in Summer 2022.
Daniel Horowitz is a Genealogy Expert at MyHeritage, providing key contributions liaising with genealogy Societies, bloggers and media, as well as lecturing, and attending conferences around the world. Dedicated to Genealogy since 1986, he was the teacher and the study guide editor of the family history project “Searching for My Roots” in Venezuela for 15 years. Daniel is involved in several crowdsource digitization and transcription projects and holds a board level position at the Israel Genealogy Research Association (IGRA).
Opening Ceremony
At 2:15pm. Norfolk Island at AFFHO Congress ,in the Trade Show area.
Speaker: Professor Larissa Behrendt
Topic: Fictionalising the Family history
History is full of silences and there are often gaps in the family history. This is particularly so for First Nations families given the impact of the removal policy. So how can those blank spaces be filled, what can be 'imagined' and what can be reclaimed? How can the process of creative writing help find the forgotten stories and missing links? Author of After Story, Home and Legacy talks about using the family history as inspiration.
See video - click here.
Larissa Behrendt is the Distinguished Professor at the University of Technology Sydney and at the Director of Research and Academic Programs Jumbunna Institute of Indigenous Education and Research. She is the host of Speaking Out on ABC Radio She has published numerous textbooks on Indigenous legal issues. She is a member of the Academy of Arts and Sciences and a founding member of the Australian Academy of Law. Her most recent novel is Afer Story. Larissa won the 2002 David Uniapon Award and a 2005 Commonwealth Writer’s Prize for her novel Home. Her second novel, Legacy, won a Victorian Premiers Literary Award. Larissa is an award-winning filmmaker, having written and directed several feature documentary films including Araatka! Rise Up, Maralinga Tjarutka, After the Apology and Innocence Betrayed. She has written and directed for television. She won the AACTA for Best Direction in Television Factual in 2020 for Maralinga Tjarutja and the 2018 Australian Directors Guild Award for Best Direction in a Feature Documentary for After the Apology. For more on Larissa’s film work: www.lavarchproductons.com. Larissa was awarded the 2009 NAIDOC Person of the Year award and 2011 NSW Australian of the Year.
Larissa's talk is now available from the video menu above.
AFFHO is the umbrella organisation for family history and genealogy societies in Australia and New Zealand. It was established in 1978 to coordinate and assist the work of Australian and New Zealand groups with interests in family history, genealogy, heraldry and related subjects.
AFFHO is managed by an elected Council comprising of a voting member from each state and territory in Australia, and from New Zealand. Councillors are elected annually by the member societies within their region. The Council also comprises non-voting delegates from those states that have a state association. Currently these are New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, Queensland and Victoria.