Annual Family History Awards

QFHS Awards 2005

Conditions of Entry

The award is non-monetary but will include 12 months' free Ordinary membership of the Society

1. Entries must be submitted to the Family History Award Sub-Committee of the Queensland Family History Society Inc. by 30 November each year. Selection and presentation will be made the following year at the Annual General Meeting.

2. All entries submitted remain the property of the Society and will be housed in the Society library after judging. Each entry will have a special label indicating that it was entered for the award.

3. All entries must be in recognised book form (duplicated, offset printed, typeset etc) with paper or hard covers, and be issued in an edition of two or more copies.

4. An entry for this Award must have significant Queensland content and must be the story of a family, not an individual.

5. Entries need not have been written during the current year, but should have been published no earlier than five years ago.

6. The judging panel will give fair consideration to all eligible entries each year, irrespective of the production method used.

7. Authors may submit more than one entry in any year if they wish.

8. The Society has the right to publicise winning entries where the Award may be receiving public notice or acknowledgment.

9. The Society reserves the right to refuse any entry considered unsuitable. Enquiries.

The announcement of the winner of the 2006 QFHS Inc. Family History Award was made at the Annual General Meeting of the Society. Mr Robert Adamson, the convenor of the competition, congratulated all five entrants on their efforts and gave a brief overview of the history of the award before announcing the judges’ decisions. Mr Michael Bryce AM, AE, the Patron of the Society, kindly presented the awards.
Robert Adamson welcomed everyone to the presentation of the fourteenth QFHS Inc. Family History Award. He said that over the years authors had submitted some 115 books and these had been added to the QFHS Inc. library.
He thanked the three judges and welcomed the two ‘locals’ to the presentation – Ms Trish Hickey, and Dr Ruth Kerr. He added that the other judge, Dr
Noeline J. Kyle, now lives in Sydney.
He said that the judges had the task of selecting the winner from the five books submitted and that this year they had decided to give three awards.
On behalf of the Society, Robert warmly congratulated all the entering authors on completing the task of writing and publishing the results of their
family history research. He said that it is now easier and less expensive to get a book printed than in the past. Two of the books this year were printed at university printing offices, Toowoomba and QUT,and another two at country printeries in Pialba and Lismore.
Robert mentioned the QFHS Inc. Family History Writing Group which continues to flourish. It has up to a dozen would-be scribes meeting regularly and contributing their writing efforts on aspects of family history to the journal.
Firstly, although they did not feature in the award list, Robert congratulated two of the authors for their writing efforts — Geoffrey Meredith for Meredith – Laxton Families and Wendie Hirsch for Summerlin – Frew, Burton Bradley and Hird families.
There were two Highly Commended Awards given. The first was given to Mrs Beris Gaal of Bundaberg for Dynasty Cast in Dough – the Story
of the Whittred Family. The Whittred family has had four generations in the baking industry, spanning more than one hundred years. The family emigrated from Norfolk, England to Moreton Bay,establishing a bakery at Ipswich and later at Bundaberg.
The judges particularly commented how the occupational focus of the book provides direction and adds to the value of it as a contribution to Queensland history.
The second Highly Commended Award went to Mr David Mackay of Eagle Heights (Mt Tamborine) for his book, The Mackays – Pioneers of the Darling Downs – the First 100 Years. David’s Mackay ancestor came from Caithness, Scotland to Moreton Bay in 1856 and became asheep overseer on Warra Warra station near Dalby.The judges particularly commented that his book makes a significant contribution to the history of the Darling Downs, and that it is readable and
well presented.
Robert then announced the winner of the QFHS Inc. Family History Award for 2006. The prize winning book, titled Nineteenth Century Settlers in a Sunburned Land, was the joint effort of Mr Allenand Mrs Lorna Murray of Mt Ommaney, Brisbane.
This book was researched and written by Allen Murray who sadly died in 1995. It was completed for printing by his widow, Lorna. The author’s Murray, Laycock, Stevenson and Bates ancestorsemigrated from Scotland, Ireland and England to Queensland, and settled in Roma and suburban Belmont.
The judges particularly commended the book as being well presented and a very comprehensive family history with significant Queensland content.
Lorna received a year’s membership of the Society as well as a framed certificate.

                                                 

2005 QFHS INC. FAMILY HISTORY AWARD PRESENTATION

At left

Mrs Shirley Lahey (R) winner of the 2005 award for her book
“The Laheys: Pioneer Settlers and Sawmillers”

Judging Panel

The Award will be determined by an independent judging panel of three persons appointed by the Society.

Members of the judging panel will be chosen covering categories of: 

• a genealogist or person experienced in genealogical research
• a qualified librarian
• a writer or literary critic of note
• an historian or compiler of historical or archival material

No member of the judging panel may be a member of the family of the entrant.

The decision of the judging panel will be final, subject to endorsement by the Society before public announcement of the award.

At right

The “Runner-up award” was presented to Prof John Pearn for his book
“The Scottish Chain”

What Judges Look For

As a guideline to entrants, the following points are intended to make them aware of the judging considerations. However, they are not to be taken to be stipulations of entry.

What is the scope of the work?
Has the work been well-conceived and planned?
Is the work the result of detailed and thorough research?
Does the work adequately cover the pre-immigration component of the family history?
Is the work clearly presented and well executed with respect to:

• format / layout?
• good use of material?
• definition of material used?

Is the work interesting?
Does the work contain:

• title page (publisher, place of publication and date)?
• table of contents?
• illustrations?
• portraits?
• facsimiles?
• maps?
• genealogical tables which are easy to read?
• bibliography?
• list of the location of the source material?
• appendices?
• complete index?
• footnotes / endnotes, and references?
• some acknowledgement that requirements of the Copyright and Legal Deposit Acts have been met
• provision for amendments and additions?

Did the finished work achieve the original purpose for which it was intended?

At left

Mrs Loris Gray of Caloundra,  receives a Highly Commended (one of two) awards for her book
“Origins – Early Days of Our Grays”

Last update 29 January, 2007