Among our family treasures are a number of letters which were sent to my great great grandfather, John Charles Ryan. John was born in Portlaw, Co Waterford, Ireland in about 1837. He died on Sydney on 15th November 1910. The letters were written from Portlaw Co. Waterford, Toowoomba, Laidley and the property Yanga in Balranald. Various names and places are mentioned in the letters. My aim is to work out the connections between the letter writers, those mentioned in the letters and John Ryan. The first of the letters was written in Toowoomba in 1883. Toowoomba you that your dear Sunday 17th June 1883 old mother after much suffering is at rest My dear