Redland Genealogical Society - Redlands Genealogical Society

Supporting Genealogy
in the Redlands

Genealogy in the Redlands proudly supported by Redland City Council

Our Objectives

The objectives of the Redland Genealogical Society (RGS) are to advance the interests of the study of Genealogy in general and specifically to assist and advance the study and recording of family history, and:

To provide a local meeting place and local genealogical research facilities for the benefit of its members and members of the general public ultimately to increase the knowledge of local and family history.
To foster and promote the study, practice and preservation of genealogy, heraldry, topography, history, biography, heredity and family and local history.
To obtain, purchase or accept by donation any magazines, newsletters, books, CD’s, microfilm, microfiche or other form of records pertaining to Genealogy and to display in or make available for research at the local genealogical research facilities.

Our History

On the 11th May 1981 the Cleveland Genealogical Club was formed, and on the 9th November of that year the members voted to become a branch of the Genealogical Society of Queensland (GSQ).

The compiling of the Redland Pioneer Index using Council Minutes, Rate and Letter Books in the lead up to the Bicentennial celebrations in partnership with the Redland Shire Council was a turning point in the fortunes of the Society. After operating from member’s homes for several years the Society was provided space in the Cleveland library because of our involvement in the Bicentennial Project. Our move into the library was approved by Council on 24th December 1986.

When the new Cleveland Library building was constructed in 1996 the Society was allocated a room in the south western corner of the building. Shortly after the library opening a council Local Historian was employed and also located in our room reducing our available space. In January 2013 we moved into our own room in the library. Our membership has increased tenfold since moving into the library building and as well as our own members we assist Redland City Council (RCC) Library customers with genealogical research. At present we have several fiche readers and our display equipment stored off site.

We have worked closely with the Cleveland Library staff since 1984, even to the point of having our holdings catalogued and listed on Red-E-Cat and made available for borrowing through the library. These holdings consist of books of historical importance, books on genealogy, family histories, overseas family history society magazines, cemetery & shipping records, all Australian BDM indexes and other records on microfiche and on CD.

On the 1st November 1999 the Society was registered with the Registrar of the Australian Business Register with the ABN Number of 77 099 527 209. At a Special General Meeting in November 2005 a motion was approved that the Redland Genealogical Society apply to the QLD State Office of Fair Trading to be accepted as an incorporated body. We were incorporated on 13th May 2011 with the Incorporation Number IA39027.

Membership

Joining the Redland Genealogical Society Inc. (RGS) gives you full access to our Resources held in our Research Room situated in the Cleveland Library and any other facility or society with reciprocal rights, as may be authorised from time to time, by the management committee of the Society.

All Society members receive the Quarterly Journal: Redland Researcher.

Membership Fees & Payment

Single Membership $35.00 per annum – Family Membership $50.00 per annum

Payment by New Members and Renewing Members can be made to Membership Officer at General Meetings,

a GRA on duty in the Genealogy Room, or by Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT)

If paying by EFT, please ensure that the following details are inserted in the Payment Reference:

NEW MEMBERS: The word “New” & Surname ~ RENEWING MEMBERS: Membership No. & Surname

New Members paying by EFT need to complete the Membership Application Form.

Members renewing by EFT need to complete the Renewal/Any Changes Form.

These Forms can be handed to Membership Officer or a GRA. Otherwise scan it and email it to Membership Officer.

Banking details for EFT are provided on the Forms.

Redland Researcher is free to Members. It is emailed unless otherwise arranged.

New Membership Form

Our Meetings

General Meetings of the Society are held on the second Wednesday of each month, February to December, at the Donald Simpson Centre, Cleveland, Queensland, from 12.15pm until approximately 3.00pm. A $2.00 entry fee applies at General meetings.

A Guest Speaker may be engaged to address the meeting, on completion of general business, on a subject of interest to the members of the Society, or a subject relating to genealogy. The Guest speakers for 2024 include:

14 February – Pat McCallum – Wiki Tree – Information on Wiki Tree
13 March – RGS Members – Discussion – “Family Traits”
10 April – Val Bloomer – Dance & its Role in the Colonial & Convict Era
8 May -Terence Hendricks – Wings over Redlands
12 June – Jamie Roberts – Commonwealth War Graves Commission Foundation Presentation via Zoom – CWGC; CWGC Archives
10 July – AGM
14 August – RGS Members – Brick Walls Discussion
11 September – Helen Smith – Wring That Document Dry
9 October – Ailsa Corlett – Scottish Research
13 November – Col Sutcliffe – Hellfire Pass on the Burma -Thai Railway
11 December – Christmas Celebrations

Some of the subjects our Guest Speakers have covered in the past include:

The law and copyright
Internet security
Records of persons arrested by police & victims of violent crime in Queensland pre 1900
Fossicking in the State Archives
The little used resources at the State Library
Scandinavian records, especially Danish
Police records, wages books
Remembering the Centaur
How DNA tests can be used to solve genealogical puzzles
Roots Magic & Family Search
The Maritime Museum and its records
Moreton Chapter of the Fellowship of First Fleeters
Parish Records -Beyond Hatch, Match and Despatch

Library, Groups and Documents

Our Library

Location

The Library of the Redland Genealogical Society (RGS) is in the Genealogy Room (Genie Room) located within the Redland City Council’s Cleveland Library at the intersection of Middle and Bloomfield Streets in Cleveland. Cleveland Library Reception can direct you to the Room.

Our collections

The RGS Collections contain a range of resources in various formats for world-wide genealogical research. There are also more-general books about people and places, which provide information about historical settings and life in the past to round out the facts and figures about your ancestors and bring their stories to life. A number of the books held by the RGS Library are also listed in the Redland City Council Libraries’ catalogue, but these may be borrowed only by RGS members.

OPENING HOURS OF THE RGS GENIE ROOM

For visitors

The Genie Room is open for visitors as follows, except for public holidays and during the Christmas break. During these opening hours RGS Genealogical Research Assistants (GRAs) are on hand to help members of the Public.

Tuesday 9.30am to 12.30pm

Thursday 9.30am to 12.30pm

Saturday 12.30pm to 3.30pm

For RGS members only

RGS members can use the RGS Library and facilities at any time the Cleveland Library is open. This includes free access to the online research organisations to which RGS subscribes. To obtain the Genie Room key, members must present their “RGS Redland City Council’s Libraries Service” card to the Cleveland Library Reception staff. It is not the same card that you obtain for private borrowing from the Council’s Libraries. It is the card given to all members upon joining. You must activate this card at Cleveland Library, each year, by presenting it with your latest RGS Membership Card.

Members, please remember to record your name in the attendance book!

These Forms can be handed to Membership Officer or a GRA. Otherwise scan it and email it to Membership Officer.

Banking details for EFT are provided on the Forms.

Redland Researcher is free to Members. It is emailed unless otherwise arranged.

Our Library

Download our subject listing of books, CDs and microfiche

Complete Catalogue

Book Shelf

Interest Groups - our sub groups in our society...

1. The Magazine Interest Group (MIG):

Consists of those members of the Society who subscribe privately to various Family History Societies around the world. Journals issued by these societies are circulated among the members until they have all read them. Once the circulation is complete, the journals are returned to their owners. Some members then donate their journals to the Library for the use of all Society members.
The MIG is an autonomous body operating independently of the library.
The position of Convenor(s) of the MIG is agreed by the members of the group.

2. The Writing Interest Group:

Consists of those members of the Society, and visitors, with an interest in the various aspects of writing that relate to family history.
The position of Convenor(s) of the Writing Interest Group is agreed by the members of the group.
The Convenor is to maintain a register of the members of the Writing Interest Group.
The Convenor is to organise discussion/lecture sessions as required by the group’s members.
Meetings take place at 1:30pm (1330) on the 4th Wednesday of March, May, July, September and November in the meeting room of the Cleveland Library, Middle Street, Cleveland, Qld.

3. The Family History Research Group:

Consists of members of the Society, selected by the Management Committee, with the expertise necessary to carry out and present research on behalf of the Society, and any specialist researcher deemed necessary by the group’s members.
The position of Convenor of the Family History Research Group is agreed by the members of the group.
The Convenor is to liaise with the group’s members to allocate research duties and to produce a report for the customer.
The Research Report produced contains a summary of the information submitted, a listing of what materials had been searched, what information had been located, commentary on what has been found and what it means, suggestions for further research and any supporting certificates and/or documents.
This Section is under review of the Management Committee

4. The DNA Interest Group:

Consists of those Members of the Society, and visitors, with an interest in interpreting DNA information with respect to Genealogy.
The Position of Convenor of the DNA Group is sanctioned by the Management Committee and appointed by the President.
The Convenor is to maintain a register of the Members of the DNA Group.
The Convenor is to organise discussion / lecture sessions as required by the Group.
Meetings take place at 2:00pm on the third Wednesday of each month, except January, at the meeting room of the Cleveland Library, Middle Street, Cleveland, Qld.

5. The ZOOM Meeting Group:

An online venue that assists Members of the Society, and interested parties, with their research as well as any Genealogical and general computing problems.
The Position of Convenor is sanctioned by the Committee of the Redland Genealogical Society.
The Convenor organises presentations, facilitates discussions and encourages feedback so as to further the combined knowledge of the group.
An annual schedule is drawn up that outlines the various sessions e.g. either formal presentation, collaborative session or Family Tree Maker software training exercise. Meetings are run online on respective Wednesdays commencing at 7.00pm and finishing at 8.30pm.
If you are interested in joining us, we would very much welcome you. Please contact our Zoom Coordinator on zoomgenie6@gmail.com and you will be sent the zoom instructions so you can join our sessions.
Alternatively if you think that you could benefit from a small ‘one on one’ training session, advise the Coordinator via email who will contact you directly to organise a session with you using your own laptop in the Cleveland Library.
Open the 2024 Zoom Schedule Here

6. The RGS Members Chat: (Facebook Group) :

Consists of those members of the Society, who have questions to ask or Resources to share between meetings,
These can be posted to the Chat group at anytime.
The Position of Convenor of the Group is sanctioned by the Committee of the Redland Genealogical Society and appointed by the President.
The Convenor organises presentations, facilitates discussions and encourages feedback so as to further the combined knowledge of the group.

Member's Interests - particular interests of our members...

All Financial Members are invited to submit their interests upon joining the Society, and to update such interests as they change.

Details recorded include Member Name and number;Surname Interest, location and date range.

All newly submitted Members’ Interests are published in the Society Newsletter “Redland Researcher” as space permits.

If you would like to contact an RGS Member re a Surname then all RGS Members may be contacted via email at redlandgs@gmail.com.

Download our complete list of members interests database

Members Interests Database List

Benefits of Membership

Download

Benefits of Joining

Over $2,200 is paid each year in subscriptions to research websites, as well as for Overseas and Australian commercial and genealogical society journals.

A $35 annual membership fee gives you free access to these websites from the computers in our Genealogy Room, as well as to a wide range of research publications, indexes (many not available on the internet), CDs and microfiche. Means are provided to print the results of your research.

Ancestry’s website, provided by Redland City Council, can be accessed in our Genealogy Room at no cost.

As a Financial Member, you can access the Genealogy Room any time that the Redland City Council’s Cleveland Library is open. You are not limited to the times when our Genealogy Research Assistants (GRAs) are rostered to help you during Tuesday and Thursday mornings and Saturday afternoons.