Australia Day Challenge 2014 : C'mon Aussie

This geneameme comes from Cassmob who has issued a 2014 Australia Day Challenge. 

The geneameme comes in two parts: one to test whether your family is ridgey-didge and the second to show us how Australia runs in your veins, without any flag-waving and tattoo-wearing. Shout it out, be proud and make everyone wish they lived in this wide brown land of ours.

My first ancestor to arrive in Australia was:  Patrick Flynn who arrived on the Southworth in 1821. A few more years until our family can celebrate its bicentenary. 

I have Australian Royalty (tell us who, how many and which Fleet they arrived with): Unfortunately no one arrived early enough to be on one of the numbered fleets. However, Patrick Flynn (see above), James Agnew (see below) and Thomas Mylan 1824 Prince Regent all arrived courtesy of the British government.

I’m an Aussie mongrel, my ancestors came to Oz from:  England, Ireland and Scotland

Did any of your ancestors arrive under their own financial steam? No convicts, assisted immigrants and ship's employee (surgeon)

How many ancestors came as singles? 5

How many came as couples? Not one.

How many came as family groups? 9 I have previously blogged about this here. 

Did one person lead the way and others follow? My convict James Agnew led the way. He arrived aboard the St Vincent in 1837. Thanks to Caroline Chisholm his wife and 4 children arrived aboard the Waverley (the ship on the $5 note) in 1847.

What’s the longest journey they took to get here?  I don't actually know. This must be the only statistic I haven't investigated in my family. Perhaps this is worth a blog post later on.

Did anyone make a two-step emigration via another place? Yes, my Ogden family left England to live in Brooklyn, New York for several years, returned to England and then came to Australia.

My Moore family from Antrim also lived in Grenock, Scotland for a few years before arriving in Brisbane.

Which state(s)/colony did your ancestors arrive? New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and Tasmania.

Did they settle and remain in one state/colony? No, the Tasmanians went to Victoria and some of the next generation to New South Wales. Another group from Queensland to New South Wales and then to Western Australia. Others from Victoria to New South Wales. 

Did they stay in one town or move around? Many moved. See a recent post about this.

Do you have any First Australians in your tree? Yes, but not a direct line.

Were any self-employed? Yes, a doctor, builders, miners, farmers, a publican and a dray proprietor. 

What occupations or industries did your earliest ancestors work in? See above and a shop assistant.

Does anyone in the family still follow that occupation? Built by Seabrook - Hobart buildings constructed by the Seabrook family from the 1830s by Malcolm Ward discusses 100 years and 4 generations of building in Hobart by the Seabrook family. 

Did any of your ancestors leave Australia and go “home”? One son who was born in Australia went and lived in England.

NOW IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU

What’s your State of Origin? I was born in Queensland. 

Do you still live there? I lived there until I was almost thirteen. Mind you, I was only 50 metres from the border fence. I've lived in New South Wales ever since but still call Queensland home.

Where was your favourite Aussie holiday place as a child? It would have to be the Gold Coast as we went there every August holidays.

Any special place you like to holiday now? I love going to Tasmania.

Share your favourite spot in Oz: The top of Ubirr Rock in Kakadu. The sunset is spectacular.

Any great Aussie adventure you’ve had? Last year I went with a bus load of 14 year olds on a two week safari to the Northern Territory. I'm not an animal lover but I had my photo taken with a baby croc on my head and I held a snake. If you know me you would realise that was quite an adventure!

What’s on your Australian holiday bucket list? Perhaps Uluru.

How do you celebrate Australia Day? Honestly, very quietly.