MINI CONFERENCE – BOOK NOW!
05th July 2026
By Engagement Committee
MINI CONFERENCE: ASSISTED PASSAGE MIGRATION TO AUSTRALIA
When: Saturday 8 August 1pm – 5pm (In person at the Family History ACT Education Room, Cook Community Hub, Templeton Street, Cook, or online via Zoom]. ALL WELCOME.
Early Bird Price until 19 July 2026 - $50 per person
Regular Price - $60 per person
Family History ACT is pleased to present Assisted Passage Migration to Australia, a half-day mini conference exploring the journeys, records and experiences of migrants who came to Australia.
The conference will be held on Saturday 8 August, from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm, and will be available both in person at the Family History ACT Library in Cook and online via Zoom.
This engaging program brings together three expert speakers who will examine migration from different perspectives:
Dr Richard Reid OAM will explore assisted migration from Britain and Ireland to the Australian colonies between 1830 and 1890 through ten fascinating documents and objects. His presentation will reveal the people, processes and personal stories behind one of the largest migration movements in Australian history.
Amanda King-Hardie, Manager, Reference and Community Outreach at the National Archives of Australia, will highlight the rich immigration records held by the National Archives. She will discuss the records available, the stories they contain and practical ways family historians can use them in their research.
Mike Traynor, Maritime Educator, will take attendees aboard the emigrant ships themselves, examining the realities of the voyage to Australia. Through the eyes of a merchant seafarer, he will bring to life the challenges, routines and experiences faced by those who made the long journey across the oceans.
Whether your ancestors arrived as assisted migrants, you are researching migration records, or you simply want to learn more about the people who helped shape Australia, this seminar offers valuable insights and practical research opportunities.
Places for in-person attendance are limited, so early booking is recommended.
Our Speakers:
Dr Richard Reid, OAM
Richard is an Irish ‘assisted immigrant’ of the early 1970s. Appropriately his Doctorate from the Australian National University focused on Irish assisted emigration to NSW between 1848 and 1870 … some 44,000 men and women from every county in Ireland. Research acquainted him with the abundant colonial, world-class material about ‘assisted’ emigration in general from Great Britain and Ireland in archival repositories in Australia, in state libraries and in the Australian National Library. Dr Reid’s thesis, ‘Aspects of Irish Assisted Emigration to NSW, 1848-1870’, was published as Farewell My Children: Irish Assisted Emigration to Australia, 1848-1870. He has also published and presented widely on Australians at war, the Irish in Australia and local history.
Amanda King-Hardie
Amanda is Manager, Reference and Community Outreach Services at the National Archives of Australia (NAA) and has worked at the NAA for almost two decades. Passionate about connecting people with historical records, she has extensive experience in archival reference services, public outreach, and helping researchers navigate the National Archival collection.
Mike Traynor
Mike navigated the oceans and seas of the world on merchant ships before becoming a maritime educator with NSW TAFE, the NSW Maritime Authority and Sydney Ferries. Mike stresses that he is neither an historian nor a genealogist. However, the family history research that he has done combined with his experiences at sea has given him a fascination with the sea-going journeys that his forebears endured on their way to their new lives in Australia. He is the current president of U3A Wollongong and speaks regularly throughout the Illawarra to anyone who will listen to stories about ships, the seas and those who sail on them.