Next Meeting

The next General Meeting of the Society will be held at the Archives and Research Centre Mittagong on Thursday 23rd May 2024 at 2.00pm

NOTE - THERE WILL BE NO MEETING IN APRIL AS IT IS ANZAC DAY

TOPIC: A Triangle of Care in Colonial NSW - The records of the Benevolent Asylum, Randwick Asylum for Destitute Children and the Liverpool Asylum for Destitute Men.

The Sydney Benevolent Asylum opened in 1818 and helped the aged, destitute and deserted.

Throughout the 19th century countless people who had fallen on hard times, including ex convicts,
deserted wives and abandoned children turned to it for help as did many young women about to
give birth. Its surviving records are a genealogical treasure trove, and can also give valuable research leads into institutions such as the Randwick Asylum for Destitute Children and the Liverpool Asylum for Destitute Men.
This talk will look at the history of the Benevolent Asylum, its relationship to Liverpool and
Randwick Asylums, and demonstrate how useful its records can be for family historians.

GUEST SPEAKER:  Heather Garnsey

Heather Garnsey worked as the Executive Officer of the Society of Australian Genealogists for 35
years and has spoken at seminars and conferences throughout Australia. She co-indexed 78,000
entries from the Registers of Admission & Discharge for the Sydney Benevolent Asylum from 1857-
1900, giving researchers easy access for the first time to these records. She was recognised with the AFFHO Award for Meritorious Service to Family History in 2015 and is an Honorary Member and
Fellow of the SAG. After retiring in February 2020 she is enjoying having time to research her own
family history.