glenys_savage on Family Tree Circles

A long time ago - it was about 40 years or so - I began this quest to learn more about my heritage - Cornish & Scot. My paternal grandmother was so proud of her Cornish heritage, her daughter (my Aunt) was equally proud of her Scottish ancestry! I have now learned so much more.

In the early 1990's the decision was made to bring together as many as possible of the Cornish side for a Family Reunion to celebrate 150 years since our Family arrived in South Australia. A committee was formed with each member having specific duties at the Re-union - catering, touring, bookings, finding a suitable Memorial stone and inscription and research, then bringing it all together to print the Family Tree.

The 150th Anniversary of arrival, 14 & 15 November 1998, was chosen as the weekend of the ROACH & NINNES Family Reunion and held at Clare, South Australia, not far from where Thomas ROACH and his family first settled at the little village of Penwortham. As the secretary/book keeper I was both humbled and amazed as the numbers of Registrants kept arriving that by weekends end we had more than 300 people come to meet and connect, to view the extensive Family Tree Charts that 'decorated' the walls of the Clare Town Hall, to peruse many photograph albums and other treasures from times past, to enjoy each others company over dinner on Saturday night, to reconvene at St Mark's Anglican Church (Penwortham) for a Commemoration Service and unveil 'the stone' and then on to the former home of Joseph NINNES at Penwortham for a wonderful BBQ supplied by the then owners.

The planning took time, but it was time well spent as the weekend went so well.

There were amazing stories: like cousins who lived in the same township who had not spoken to each other since childhood days (they were continuing their parents problem); or the grandson who did not know of just how his grandad had died. And when a wedding dress, worn in 1866 arrived, well I was stoked!

Imagine my surprise a few weeks ago while partner and I returned to the area that locals remember 'the weekend when there were no beds left in Clare'!

I am undoubtedly proud of being part of a wonderful time and wonder at the hardships my forbears faced (let's not forget that South Australia was just twelve years old when Thomas ROACH arrived here), of their tenacity, of their religious belief or of the fact that fifeteen of the ROACH children (two died young in Cornwall) came here to begin life anew in what must have seemed an inhospitable country.