Janet Walters overcame anxiety to travel to her roots in New South Wales and reinforce her sense of belonging to her country and to the world.
Lee-Ann and Kerry have been the best company. Very caring and wonderful people, from planning until the start of our trip. I had my mini (meltdowns) anxiety about everything being away from home but Lee-Ann and Kerry, along with my wonderful husband and carer, really helped me to enjoy our trip, from the first day to the last. We arrived quite easily via the hire car and after a yummy meal we took a short walk away overlooking the water. A really relaxed evening, thanks everyone.
My family and mob originated from Singleton, Scone, Aberdeen and Murrurundi. The first information I had obtained was about Lena, my great great grandmother, was that she lived in Murrurundi. I found out about my connection about 15-20 years ago. My mother mentioned it. She said to talk to my Uncle Jimmy. My Uncle Jimmy was quite aged, his recollection was good and although it was a lot of information, it was like being on a roundabout (very little of the same thing).
I contacted a lot of services where I lived in New South Wales, as that’s where my mob was thought to be from (the Moree area). Due to funding, a lot of organisations had very limited persons available in remote areas. It was even more frustrating and difficult when I moved to Queensland. I was looking for counselling and was referred to Link-Up (Qld). They not only assisted me with this, but in so many areas. They have changed my life and how I see me now.
I really was not sure where I fitted in, I had a husband and a couple of close family, but my connection to any history or culture was absolutely non-existent. Link-Up (Qld) researched my mob and came back with the most overwhelming, amazing, sad and incredible story. I discovered my great great grandmother Lena Beale was born in New South Wales. Link-Up (Qld) found her mother, her siblings, her father, her fathers parents – the family tree was just growing and growing, and we were amazed with the results.
We have an entire family, we are no longer disjointed. And that was how we went to Singleton, Aberdeen, Scone and Murrurundi. The feeling was overwhelming, especially when we went to the Murrurundi cemetery. It was really special there. It was really surreal. I was looking around hoping to find something because I could feel a sense of closeness, but at the same time a huge distance. We believed one of my four-times removed grandmothers was buried around this region (Blandford) and, it seems, she was buried in the Roman Catholic Church in Haydonton, which was the original name of the cemetery we found in Murrurundi. I did get quite sad while we were there, though I am really glad we did go. It was a huge sense of loss and sadness. The way the place was so unkempt – broken headstones, upturned plaques and weeds, making it hard to even see the names. Some were in such terrible state that they were not even legible.
The day trip from Newcastle to Murrurundi was such an up and down, emotional experience for me, all the different findings bringing up different feelings. I discovered Murrurundi, where I visited the cemetery, was where my great great grandmother Sarah Gatehouse was most probably buried. It seems that in 1904, when she passed, that the cemetery was known as Haydonton and Murrurundi had merged into one name in 1913, and we had, in fact, been in the right place.
The journey from Brisbane arriving in Newcastle, taking the trip from Singleton to Murrurundi, I was in awe of the vastness of the land and the feeling of belonging. The reunion was important for me as I didn’t have any previous family history or family connection, as I was given up by my parents along with my siblings at a very young age. I was not bought up with any culture or family history. To discover I have such a rich culture and family history gives me a sense of belonging and a history to share with my children and their children.
I will have a chance to meet other mob from the same area and hopefully have the chance to attend a reunion that is occurring in September this year at the Hunter Valley.
Now I have found my family, I have been sharing the stories and the experience with my siblings, children and nieces and nephews. I have been reaching further into the family history so I can learn as much as possible about the past and our families stories, and I am hoping that we as a family can go and spend some time getting to know our country.
Published 27 June 2024.