Council Members
2024–2025
You can find out more about people who have been part of the management group of Family History ACT (FHACT) in any of the years since 1975-76 here
President - Michele Rainger
Michele’s interest in family history was piqued when she attended her first family reunion while still at school. Since then life and family have often gotten in the way so she has only been researching sporadically until recently. Now retired Michele has time to pursue her interest in researching and writing her family history. She joined FHACT in 2017 and figures that the best way to learn about family history is to get involved and learn by having a go. Michele is currently the convenor of the Convict Special Interest Group.
Vice-president - Sue Pillans
Sue, recently retired, has been a quiet member since the early 90’s and is looking forward to finally making a contribution to the running of FHACT. Interests include Irish and early Australian History, WW1 and the Family Historian program. Playing bridge and gardening take up the rest of her vanishing spare time.
Secretary - Margaret Nichols
More about Margaret will come soon.
Treasurer - Cheryl Bollard
Cheryl has been a member of HAGSOC since 2018 and was Secretary from 2019-2021. At the 2021 AGM, Cheryl was appointed as Treasurer. She has a keen interest in most areas of family history and regularly attends a number of SIGS and SUGS. She is co-convenor of the AI for Genealogy SIG and the Coffee and Chat Membership Group.
Councillors
Florence Aitchison
Floss became interested in family history after spending hours looking through old black-and-white photos of her grandmother's family with her mum. She decided she needed to record how the family fitted together. And so it began. She has been a member of FHACT since 2008. Pre-retirement had little time to commit to research or using the facilities that FHACT provides, but she has made up for it since. She attends many of the SIGs and SUGs, is a co-convenor of the English & Welsh SIG and FTM SUG as well as a library volunteer.
Janette Lindesay
Details coming soon.
Mel McNamara
Mel decided in January 2021 to restart a small family tree project from high school (1996). Having no idea how to really do family history she started researching ideas, stumbling across a book at the NLA – ‘Family History for Beginners & Beyond’ by HASGOC, it looked interesting and packet full of information, she had to purchase it. Inside the book it suggested joining your local Family Historical Society. Attending an Open Day in April 2021, she knew straight away she wanted to be part of FHACT, signing up on the spot. Since joining our society Mel has been honoured to become our compiler of the PNL and assists on the membership team, she looks forward to assisting the society and members.
Grahame Thom
I joined the Heraldry and Genealogy Society of Canberra in February 1972 and was elected to Council in 1974. Up to 1991 I served on Council as President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Librarian and took on other roles such as co-author with Pam Ray of five HAGSOC monumental transcription books. In 1991 I was transferred for work to Hobart, then Melbourne, I now live in rural Victoria. I remained a member of HAGSOC and was made a Fellow in 1992. in the 1990s I provided information and photos for the HAGSOC Boer War Project. I kept in touch with Pam Ray and June Penny and provided information for the 50th Anniversary book in 2014. With the implementation of the Zoom room in 2020 I joined several SIGs and then provided further information for the recent 60th Anniversary book Honour Your Ancestors. Then after the 2024 AGM I noted there were two vacancies on Council and decided to volunteer to be a Council member.
Howard Viccars
Howard started gathering family history material from his parents while they were alive but didn’t do much with it for many years. When he retired he started using Family Tree Maker and Ancestry then joined Family History ACT (then the Heraldry & Genalogy Society of Caberra) and the Family Tree Maker SUG in 2015. Since then Howard has joined several other SIGs. In 2016 he became Computer Manager for FHACT and that has been his main focus since then. In 2019 Howard became a Council member with a specific interest in the Digital Management Group and their plans for a new membership and website.
Marie Wensing
Travel to the UK in 2013 initially stimulated Marie’s interest in Family History. She didn’t know where this research would take her, in reality and virtually, never guessing India!
Marie enjoys the technical, research and administrative learning opportunities FHACT offers – a life-long learner. She is the Convenor of the India SIG, member of the English and Welsh SIG and champions library duty as the best way to get to know the Society and other members.
Marie shares her time between several volunteer roles, gardening and finding her elusive origins.
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David Wintrip
Joining Family History ACT in 2017 was a way for David to further explore his family origins, and their connection to the north of England. Learning from a community of practice that boasts a rich combination of skills, knowledge and experience in all things heraldic and genealogical, has proven to be invaluable to his research. He attends a number of special interest groups and is a library volunteer.