Family search inspiring

DANIELLE CETINSKI

THE Australian Bicentenary was a memorable event for those who saw it, but for Kiama Downs resident Barry O’Brien it was life-changing.

Spurred by the celebration’s message to explore where Australia and its people came from, Mr O’Brien decided to trace his family history.

His quest has led him to thousands of potential relatives and he has called on everyone who thinks they might be descended from original settlers John and Mary O’Brien to make contact with him and come along to the O’Brien Family Reunion at Jamberoo.

“At this stage I’m hoping for 100 to attend,” Mr O’Brien said.

“There might be some backyard cricket, but it’ll be a very relaxing day with the opportunity to meet some relatives I might not have met before.”

But it has taken him a long time to reach this point.

His search began in the days before the internet, so his search was confined to library records of births, deaths and marriages.

He discovered he was descended from James O’Brien and his wife, Mary, who arrived on the ship Great Victoria in 1864 with their eight children. Their son, Peter, was Mr O’Brien’s great-grandfather.

Eventually, he hit a dead end.

“But then I heard James O’Brien on the ABC and he mentioned he had family in Lismore,” Mr O’Brien said, who also has family there.

“We realised we were related and he’s been great.”

His cousin, Alf, has also published books on the family.

James O’Brien’s site, http://jamesobrien.id.au, has an extensive record of the family with people posting regularly trying to connect the loose ties in their own research.

Barry O’Brien said descendents of James and Mary include members of the Went, Whitby, Hyde, Goward, Holzhauser, Smith, Peisley, Black, Pheeney, Branigan, Pinnuck, Brown, Webb, Collins, Coman, Rixon, Zeigler, Kidd, Buckett and Bennett families, but other families who suspect they might be related are invited to make contact.

For more information, email or call 0432 414 643.