I think it's so important to have an understanding of your place in the world - a sense of who you are and where you come from. That is why, over the years, I have invested a lot of time into family history research and why, today, I toddled off with my kids to a family reunion of a branch of our family tree.
Michael James Hinde came to Australia from Buckinghamshire as a free settler in 1864. Eventually, he selected land in the Gilston-Nerang area of Queensland, married Alice Batten and had 8 children. Throughout his life, Michael James worked his land to make a living and, amongst other things, was one of the first people in Queensland to keep bees commercially. As one of the orginal settlers of the area, his life was not flash, with him first living in a bark and sapling hut before eventually building the family home.
Today, five generations (out of seven) of his and Alice's descendents reunited to celebrate their family origins. Over one hundred people celebrated one hundred and thirty-three years of Hinde family descendents in Australia.
Michael James and Alice are my great-great grandparents. It's amazing to think that two people who lived a simple life such a long time ago could leave such a lasting legacy. I can't help but wonder though, what they would have thought if they had been able to see so many people gathered together all because of them!
