The Wyong Family History Group is an organisation that helps people research their family history to trace their lineage.
The group is run by volunteers that offer their time and experience in researching on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from the group’s research centre at the Wyong Community Cultural Centre.
The Group was founded in 1983 as a base in the northern suburbs for some of the members of Central Coast Family History Society, which is based in Gosford.
“The group was founded by our common interest of finding out where we come from,” said lifelong member, Lynda Smith.
“My first meeting was the second meeting held and I’m currently the longest serving member,” she said.
“We have lost a lot of members because they didn’t want to renew their membership as they couldn’t attend any meetings, and when we resumed in February this year, our numbers were down,” Smith said.
“Things are a bit tight, because we are a non-for-profit organisation, we do not get any grants or assistance from the government, so our income comes from membership fees, Rotary Club raffle ticket sales and Bunnings sausage sizzles, and because of COVID we haven’t been able to do those either,” said Smith.
The group uses services such as Ancestry.com and Findmypast.com, Deceased Online, Biographical Database and Roots Ireland to find family records that can be traced up to the members in the group.
They also have experts that come and speak in the group’s meetings to help with tools and resources to aid their research.
There’s classes for beginners, too.
Anyone interested in discovering their family history can join the group.
Smith reassures that you do not need a connection to the Wyong area to sign up.
“It’s such a popular hobby and we’d like it to be known that we’re still around,” she said.
Harry Mulholland