Unlock the Past blogs

What wars did your ancestors or others from your family serve in?

Rosemary Kopittke — Tue, 14 May 2013 08:01:58 +0000

Here are the results of our 31st Unlock the Past poll - What wars did your ancestors or others in your family serve in? Votes were cast by 66 people. The results are summarised in the table below.

Press Release - 3rd Unlock the Past History & Genealogy Cruise 10-19 Feb 2013

Rosemary Kopittke — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 05:53:41 +0000

The 3rd Unlock the Past History & Genealogy cruise 10-19 February 2013

Adelaide, South Australia, 1 July 2012 - Unlock the Past announces the 3rd Unlock the Past History & Genealogy Cruise. This will be a relaxing 9 night cruise to the South Pacific, combined with a fascinating history and genealogy themed conference.

Future cruises 2014 - 2015 - 2016

Rosemary Kopittke — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 01:46:58 +0000

last updated 28 March 2013

Unlock the Past is planning further cruises and would like your feedback

We will consider only cruise ships with good conferencing facilities - and available to us all/most of time. Cruise lines with ships we know that meet these criteria are:

Win Exclusive Passes to the Queensland Expo and Audrey Collins Tour!

Stephen Phillips — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 02:12:29 +0000

The weeks are flying by, and that means our Queensland Expo and the Audrey Collins Tour is just over two weeks away. And we have got something very special for you.

We’re giving away passes!

Major Events Survey

Rosemary Kopittke — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 07:09:39 +0000

Major Events Survey

Thanks to the 455 people who responded to the Events Survey we conducted recently. In general, the responses were very positive and lots of good ideas were suggested which we hope to incorporate in the planning of future events. See also the blog Unlock the Past events - past events, a review and the future.

Unlock the Past events - past events, a review and the future

Alan Phillips — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 05:51:55 +0000

Unlock the Past has organised a number of special events since early 2010. Here we combine a review of these with the feedback from our recent Unlock the Past Major Events Survey to give you an overview of how they have gone and what we may consider in future. A copy of this blog can also be downloaded as a PDF file. This post is fairly long.

What online social media sites do you use? Poll

Rosemary Kopittke — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 01:24:49 +0000

Here are the results of our 30th Unlock the Past poll - What online social media sites do you use? Votes were cast by 141 people.

What English counties do you have research interests in? Poll

Rosemary Kopittke — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 07:23:27 +0000

Here are the results of our 29th Unlock the Past poll - What English counties do you have ancestors from - or research interests in? Votes were cast by 383 people. The results are summarised in the table below.

There are several non-English locations listed (e.g.

Unlock the Past NSW Expo (Coffs Harbour) Photos

Alan Phillips — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 07:27:19 +0000

Here are some photos from the Unlock the Past NSW Expo at Coffs Harbour

One of the popular presentations

Why you shouldn't miss an Unlock the Past Expo

Alan Phillips — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 03:17:41 +0000

If you did not come to the Unlock the Past NSW Expo at Coffs Harbour (and could have) you missed something special – according to most of those who came.

Calling all Genealogy, History & Heritage Vendors & Organisations

Stephen Phillips — Fri, 27 May 2011 07:19:43 +0000

Last year Unlock the Past held two History & Genealogy Expos around Australia. This year we’re holding four, this means we get to see many more of you around this big country. All who pre-book by the Monday before each Expo will get into the Expo FREE. This will increase the number attending and your exposure. A modest charge will apply to those who come on the day. Every attendee gets a Registration Kit.

[video] History & Genealogy Cruise - March 2011

Stephen Phillips — Fri, 20 May 2011 02:17:54 +0000

A history & genealogy cruise is a chance to combine both a top class history & genealogy conference with a relaxing cruise. In March 2011 we held our inaugural cruise with around 240 booked. The response to this has been very positive over all.

Our next cruise is shaping up to be better.

For just a taster check out this video.

What Welsh counties do you have research interests in? Poll

Rosemary Kopittke — Thu, 19 May 2011 02:36:53 +0000

Here are the results of our 28th Unlock the Past poll - What Welsh counties do you have ancestors from - or research interests in? Votes were cast by 228 people. The results are summarised in the table below.

A substantially higher percent of people voting (15.8%) had no Welsh research interests. This compares to just 2.5% for Scotland and 2.0% for Ireland.

What Scottish counties do you have research interests in? Poll

Rosemary Kopittke — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 22:27:36 +0000

Here are the results of our 27th Unlock the Past poll - What Scottish counties do you have ancestors from - or research interests in? Votes were cast by 443 people. The results are summarised in the table below.

Almost everyone responding to the poll had Scottish ancestry - just 2.5% did not (very similar to the Irish poll result). The most common countries were Ayrshire, Lanarkshire and Midlothian with over 20% of the voters indicating they have research interests in those counties.

What tools are essential for you?

Aimee Engler — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 05:08:07 +0000

I currently follow a blog called ArchivesNext and whilst it's American it can have some very interesting posts. One such post was 'What tools are essential for you?' Followers were asked what web tools/sites/apps they use everyday, and which ones are essential to their working/social lives. The blog gained some good (and numerous!) responses, mostly from archivists, but no doubt there were others putting in their two-cents worth as well.

Unlock the Past Cruise March 2011 - An overview

Aimee Engler — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 05:06:35 +0000

After a 6 hour wait at Brisbane airport, 2.5 hour plane ride to Adelaide, then 40 minute car ride, I finally made it home Saturday night at about 8pm. The shower kept moving the next day but otherwise I was fine with being back on dry land. (Please note: cruise ships have bathrooms that are nice but very compact, and if you're going to feel the ship's sway then it'll be in there. Whatever you do, hang on and don't close your eyes when having a shower.

Unlock the Past Cruise March 2011 - Day Six

Aimee Engler — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 11:09:04 +0000

I apologise to all my fans that I did not manage to write this blog on either Friday or Saturday. Friday I could not arrange to have a computer, and Saturday I did not have access to one until I finally arrived at home at 8pm, at which point I wasn't particularly interested in writing a blog.

Unlock the Past Cruise March 2011 - Day Five

Aimee Engler — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 11:15:36 +0000

We were back into the swing of things now that the off-shore touring was over. The Unlock the Past program ran all day, beginning at 8am and not really stopping until about 9pm. Different things cater for different people’s taste - there were the general forty-five minute talks for the entire 240 delegates, shorter sessions for 60 people, as well as table discussion groups for either lunch or tea (I have noticed that different generations or localities speak of dinner as either lunch or tea, so I’ll avoid the word entirely to save confusion).

Unlock the Past Cruise March 2011 - Day Four

Aimee Engler — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 11:12:41 +0000

Today was without an Unlock the Past program so people were free to spend their time in Vila without being tempted to attend talks or group discussions. I walked down the gangplank at 8.10am, ready for my tour at 8.30am. The sun was intense once more, and I knew it would be a hot day. The forecast was merely just above 30 degrees but the humidity was far greater than I’m used to.

Unlock the Past Cruise March 2011 - Day Three

Aimee Engler — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 10:35:42 +0000

Before rushing head-long into today’s events I must write about last night’s excitement. I stayed up until the ridiculous hour of 11pm to watch the ship pull out from Noumea. A little tugboat arrived at the rear of the ship at approximately 10.30pm, and subsequently put on a bit of a show, turning around in circles, meandering to and fro. I’m not sure whether the driver was bored or if there was method in their madness, but it occupied both their and my time waiting until the ship was ready. Finally the time obviously arrive at 10.45pm as the tug moved closer to the harbour.

Unlock the Past Cruise March 2011 - Day Two

Aimee Engler — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 10:45:44 +0000

Today was our first sunny day and the heat was surprisingly intense. The deck was full of cancer-loving sunbathers and others jumping in and out of the pools. The sea was much calmer, something my stomach appreciated greatly.

Unlock the Past Cruise March 2011 - Day One (part 2)

Aimee Engler — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 23:08:47 +0000

Food can come from a number of places on the ship (for ‘free‘), including the buffet, restaurant, and some tables that mysteriously appear and disappear near the pool. I chose to have a meatball roll from these mysterious tables. The afternoon was spent by some watching a movie, sitting and drinking cocktails (alcohol is abundant…), going to discussion groups, or perhaps having a nanna nap. I was in that latter category. 4pm meant talks began once more and this time we went to an equally cold room, the Dome.

Unlock the Past Cruise March 2011 - Day One (Part One)

Aimee Engler — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 00:28:45 +0000

I am here sitting in the internet cafe on the Pacific Dawn, typing away as speedily as possible to not use up too much internet time (.75c per minute, for future reference).

As I have a copious amount of time on board, when I'm not lying down feeling sick or in talks (still feeling sick), I thought I could let those who may be interested know what's happening and what to expect from future cruises.

This morning's talks consisted of Shauna Hick's and Jeremy Palmer. I have never heard Jeremy speak so was interested in sitting in. First I will discuss Shauna's though.

Family Tree Builder version 5

Rosemary Kopittke — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 00:14:40 +0000

Family Tree Builder version 5

by Rosemary Kopittke

For software that is completely free to download, MyHeritage's Family Tree Builder version 5 has impressive features. Though some features require the premium version most are available without purchasing it.

Data entry: I found the software easy to use for data entry.

What Irish counties do you have research interests in? Poll

Rosemary Kopittke — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 00:48:38 +0000

Here are the results of our 26th Unlock the Past poll - What Irish counties do you have ancestors from - or research interests in? Votes were cast by 374 people. The results are summarised in the table below.