Lilian's Tree

 Sunday dawned with a cool breeze and a hint of rain, so we had a late start. Church at St Philip's, Church Hill, where Isabella Vaughan was baptised. More on that in the next post. The church of St Philip's is the third church of that name in that area. The first was a wooden convict built in 1793 and they burnt it down in 1798. The next one was built in 1798 and was used until 1856, when the present one was built, across the road. There is a park where this church stood. The site of the second church. The foundation stone from the original church, now in the new one.                                                                                Looking up the aisle. The entrance on the side. Paul and I were made very welcome and the service was very...

For those coming to Congress 2018, why not spend a few extra days and explore Sydney. Here are some links to follow. The first one is Free Things To Do In Sydney. We all like free things and apart for some transport costs, these are free. https://www.sydney.com/things-to-do/family-holidays/free-things-to-do-in-sydney I can recommend the Sydney Opera House, look for tours of the building. This is an iconic building and is worth a look.  https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/ The Rocks is another great area to wander around, with quaint names like the Suez Canal, Nurses Walk, Argyle Cut, Suzanna Place to name a few. With plenty of pubs to choose from, lunch or dinner is easy to find. Markets are held on the weekend and the is a variety of interesting stalls.  http://www.therocks.com/ The Royal Botanical Gardens, established in 1816, is another favourite place of mine. Early in the morning for the stillness, lunchtime for a bite to eat or just a stroll alon...

I spent the night in the city and was up early for a lovely walk through the Royal Botanical Gardens. This was the view from my room. Something that you don't usually see, Phillip Street, looking back towards Elizabeth Street, with NO traffic! It was sooooooo quiet. Looking from the entrance, on Shakespeare Place, towards Farm Cove. Except for the noisy ibis, it was still and quite.   Heather Garnsey, Executive Officer of SAG, was today's MC. Ralph Hawkins,  Archives Officer of SAG, presented, in his usual engaging style, an excellent talk on. Immigration through the SAG Collection.  This was Ralph's opening slide. Who remembers this TV show?   Christine Yeats was next with her wonderful talk, called,   Having an exile on my tree, I found the information, Christine gave, very informative and I'm going to do some more research in to Simon. I was surprised that I was the only person, in the room, with an exile.   ...