CAFHOV Family History Day 2019

Member presentations given at the CAFHOV Family History Day, 18th August 2019, are recorded below:

Bringing Home Robert Hendy

Sally Keam

Like a mist appearing then quickly fading, so a mysterious child named Robert Hendy appeared in my Chinese family history before disappearing without a trace. This is the story of how I was able to write Robert back into the historical record and complete his story.


Book Launch – Journeys into Chinese Australian Family History

Sophie Couchman

CAFHOV is proud to launch our latest book, Journys into Chinese Australian Family History. This book captures some of the collective knowledge and skills of our members – both family historians and historians with a particular interest in life histories of families. Be tempted by some of the stories and tips within it. There’s plenty to surprise – tracking family back to southern China, links to Cuba, a bushranger’s missing stash, researching in Hong Kong and more…


The Tale of Two Chinese  Women in Tsin Chin Shan

Yvonne Horsfield and Noela Bull

Yvonne Horsfield and Noela Bull will tell the amazing story they share between their two Chinese great grandmothers who arrived 126 years ago from China in 1893. They faced the unknown challenges of a foreign country, strange language and culture, plus the prospect of a new life with no hope of ever returning to the country of their birth.


Every Family Has A Mystery – And who doesn’t like a mystery?

Mark Hillyer

Perhaps every family has a secret, but is it a really a secret if no-one knows about it? Mark Hillyer’s exploration of his Chinese ancestor, who came to Australia in the 1850s, highlighted a mystery that led to an unexpected and fascinating story.


Mary Chen: An Unconventional Life

Born in Wahgunyah in 1888, Mary led a very interesting life spent between Australia and China. Disregarding all convention, Mary converted to Christianity before deciding to return to China as a Missionary and later becoming a household name within the Pentecostal church.