Welcome to the web site of the Blue Mountains Family History Society (BMFHS). Here you will find details of activities and events planned by the Society, details of our volunteer researchers in the Family History Area of the Springwood Branch of the Blue Mountains City Council (BMCC) Library, plus links to other sections of this site (Resources, Members, Blue Mountains, Facebook, Application Forms etc)
Please also check out our Posts section where you will find posts/blogs on activities and events undertaken by BMFHS. You will also be able to comment on these posts. Also in Posts are downloadable copies of our monthly Newsletter.
NEXT MEETING – 9 May 2025
Our fourth meeting for 2025 will be held on Friday 9 May 2025 commencing at 10:00am.
The meeting will be held in the small community hall at the rear of the Springwood Presbyterian Church on Macquarie Road, Springwood.
Meeting Agenda:
10:00am Welcome to renewing members and (hopefully) some new members to their first meeting.
10:05am Minutes of the April 2025 meeting, approval and business arising.
Secretary’s Report and approval
Treasurer’s Report, approval and approval for new payments
General Business
10:45am Morning Tea/Coffee and Biscuit ($2.00)
11:00am Guest Speaker session – Michele Corin – The Secret Suburb – her new book with the story of Lapstone.
12:00noon Meeting close – Next meeting Friday 13 June 2025
Michele Corin – A Blue Mountains town is getting some overdue recognition with the release of a new book, The Secret Suburb. Book author Michele Corin grew up with the story of Lapstone, a small suburb with a big difference, and didn’t want its history to get lost. “It’s a really interesting place, Lapstone, because it was developed by a fellow who was quite incredible,” Corin said. That fellow was Arthur Hand, a Penrith-born man who delayed his retirement and purchased 116 acres of vacant land in the lower Blue Mountains in 1954. “With the Lapstone development, he was looking for ways to create a model suburb,” Corin explained. (Blue Mountains Record 6 Nov 2024, Ally Hall)
SAVE THE DATE – May Mothers’ Day Stall
The next family history May Mothers’ Day stall. will be held in the grounds of the Springwood Presbyterian Church on Saturday 3 May 2025.
Our Mother’s Day Stall will be held on 3rd May, 2025. Please put the date in your calendar. As always we need helpers to set up, man the stall and clear up after. Of course, we also need donations so that we have saleable items. Some suggestions are pot plants, hand made items, baked goods (with a list of ingredients attached would be great).
MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL for 2025
Renewal for membership for the period 1 January 2025 – 31 December 2025 is now DUE.
The Membership RENEWAL Form and for NEW Memberships can be downloaded from HERE.
The form can be printed and completed and emailed as attachment to xploretree@yahoo.com.au or opened in a PDF application (eg Adobe Reader) and completed on your computer and emailed to the above email address.
Payment can be made in cash at a meeting of BMFHS, or to a Library Volunteer in Springwood Library on a Thursday 10:00am – 1:00pm OR
paid by EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer) to the BSB and Account Number on the Form.
In all cases, it is essential that the renewal form is sent to BMFHS.
EXPLORERS’ TREE
| EXPLORERS’ TREE | The March 2025 issue of our excellent journal, Explorers’ Tree was available and posted to those members who have paid for postage or was distributed at our March 2025 meeting. Members not at the meeting will be able to collect their copy from the Family History Centre in the Springwood Library. Now would be an ideal time to put pen to paper (fingers to the keyboard) and write an article for Explorers’ Tree making our Editor very happy. The following issue of Explorers’ Tree will be published in June 2025. I am sure that in the past twelve months you have discovered interesting things about your ancestors. Please consider writing an article (short or long) and send it to the editor for inclusion in an upcoming issue of Explorers’ Tree. Our Journal is held in both the State Library and the National Library as well as in other genealogy collections including in the USA. Articles for Explorers’ Tree can be emailed to bmfhsweb@gmail.com, posted to PO Box 97, Springwood NSW 2777 or delivered in person at any general meeting. |
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
HIP, HIP HOORAY!
The activities of volunteers in the Family History Research Centre in Springwood Library have RESUMED as the renovations and upgrade of Springwood Library have been completed and were official reopened on Saturday 6th May 2023 with a wonderful Open Day activities. Many thanks to President Ann who led two information sessions about our volunteer activities in the Library.
The volunteer research assistance in Katoomba Library has also re-started with the first session for 2025 to be Tuesday 11th February 2025. Research assistance in Katoomba Library will he held on the Second and Fourth Tuesday of each month from 10:00am to 12:00noon. Bookings with the circulation desk in the Library are essential.
In Springwood our Volunteers can assist you with your family history research and they can be found on the lower floor of the renovated library just off the car park. The first session of volunteer research assistance in the Springwood Library will be Thursday 6th February 2025. Research assistance in Springwood Library will he held every Thursday of each month from 10:00am to 1:00pm. Bookings with the circulation desk in the Library are essential.
Research assistance in Springwood Library by our skilled volunteers is available every Thursday 10:00am – 1:00pm. Please make a booking with the Circulation Desk in the Library.
Research assistance continues via email and will still be available. Please refer to our Contact details.
SOCIETY EXCHANGE JOURNALS:
As the majority of other Family History Exchange Journals are now delivered in digital/PDF format, these are held in a directory in the BMFHS Society’s computers in the Family History section of the Springwood Library. These are available when a Society Volunteer is on duty as these computers are restricted by password to BMFHS members only.
All digital/PDF exchange journals will be received by the BMFHS Web Site Manager, in order to include these on the BMFHS Library computers.
FACEBOOK – Blue Mountains Family History Society has its own Facebook page. Please check us out, “like” us, leave comments, post historical photos or just read what others have to say about us.
http://www.facebook.com/BlueMountainsFamilyHistorySociety
Please check our FaceBook page regularly as often there are notices of short-term interest, such as free searches on Ancestry or Find my Past or special discounts on Certificate Transcriptions, that are available for only a weekend or limited time. Also you will find *details of activities and events both of BMFHS and many other genealogical, family history or local history societies and groups.