The call has gone out to families with connections to Orange to help find the names of all Orange's ex-services personnel from World War I. Orange City Council has formed a Community Working Party in the lead up to plans to mark the 100 year anniversary of the 1914 start of WWI. If you have information to share please contact Orange City Council's Community Liaison Adviser Alison Russell or Orange City Library. The response so far has been wonderful after articles appeared in the Central Western Daily. Read more about it by copying this link into your web browser: http://www.centralwesterndaily.com.au/news/local/news/general/battle-to-name-our-soldiers-begins/2420152.aspx#

With every best wish for the festive season we hope you have a lovely Christmas and stay in touch with family and friends. See you in 2012 - the National Year of Reading!

Greetings everyone, our December newsletter is now available and you can read it online. Catch up with all the latest news via the Orange Family History Group newspage: http://www.ofhg.com.au/pdfs/December%202011.pdf

And what a bumper edition it is. We have lots of interesting research snippets to tell you about as well as an update on our newspaper indexing project, tips on collecting information, holiday opening times, the National Year of Reading 2012 and much more.......Enjoy!

Just wanted to remind you that through our links with Central West Libraries we have partnered with Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and FamilySearch International Research. We are pleased to have Affiliate Status with the FamilySearch International Research and Library system. The Library is now designated as a 'FamilySearch Centre'. This affiliation provides clients with the opportunity to access the resources of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and FamilySearch International Research

Microfilms and Microfiche may now be ordered online by patrons of Latter-Day Saints Family History Centres or affiliated FamilySearch Centres. The patron can logon to www.film.familysearch.org. Upon registering on the site, the patron will choose the FamilySearch Centre where they would prefer to view the films (Central West Libraries). The films ordered will be sent to that centre.

Films and fiche rentals are paid by Visa or Mastercard. Microfilms are rented for $7.75 each. Microfiche are charged $7.75 per set.

When the ordered films arrive at the centre, the patron will receive email notification. Patrons are entitled to view films they are reading for up to 60 days from the date the films arrive at the centre/library, should they so wish. Patrons may renew the film rental for another 60 days, online, for an additional $7.75. Microfiche are kept at the centre, with the understanding that the ownership for the fiche remains with FamilySearch. Happy researching.

Members of Orange Family History Group participated in the Words from the Dust writing workshops series held across the Central West as part of a Central West Writers' Centre project supported by a Positive Ageing Grant. The workshops helped people to recall stories from their childhoods and generate ideas for writing family histories. Pictured is Marie (centre) explaining her memory map to Jennifer (left) and Carole. Stories from all the workshops can now be read on the words from the dust website: www.wordsfromthedust.com.au

Greetings everyone, our August newsletter is now available and you can read it online. Catch up with all the latest news via the Orange Family History Group newspage: http://www.ofhg.com.au/pdfs/August-Newsletter-2011.pdf

Find out about FamiySearch Internationl Research, Australian Generations Oral History Project, see if you can help with locating Orange photos for a new book by Lis Edwards, there are also details about the Underwood family reunion, Centenary of WWI news and find out who your street is named after and more....

We would like to share this thank you:

"I'd like to thank the Orange Family History Group for the wonderful information I received in response to my request for details of local town criers. Carol Sharp was the research officer. This is just what I was hoping for - not simply names and dates, but stories as well. I am very grateful to Carol for her thorough research and help, Many thanks, Anne."

Anne was looking for informaton about town criers and found references to them in Orange. We were happy to help and wish Anne well with her project.

The Local Studies Room was buzzing with people keen to learn more about researching family history when Orange Family History Group and Orange City Library hosted its Family History Australian Records Workshop during Library and Information Week. It was a fantastic atmosphere as people had brought in their problem research questions and we set out to help them. There were many research breakthroughs during the workshop. Orange Family History Group members were on hand to assist people with their enquiries and took everyone through simple steps to help trace their ancestors. It was exciting to watch people discover information they had not been able to find out before. The evening event also renewed enthusiasm for family history research for several people. Group members were also able to offer alternative ways to search the internet when other avenues had been exhausted. It was a great night and we thank everyone for coming along.

Join Orange Family History Group at Orange City Library when we present a workshop to help you find the information you need for your family history project. The event is part of Library and Information Week 2011 and its theme "We find Stuff!"

Family History Australian Records Workshop

Thursday 26 May

7pm – 9pm

Orange City Library, Byng Street, Orange

Bookings on 6393 8132

Members will be on hand to assist you with your research enquiries. We assist with research requests all the time and can help with accessing things like Births, Deaths and Marriages Records on line and on CD Rom. There are also cemetery records, internet resources and State Records we can help family historians with. This is a follow up workshop to the highly successful Tracing your Family History – Beginners Guide held last year. Please book on 6393 8132 and bring along your research questions.

Our April Newsletter is now available and you can read it online. There is an update about our latest locally published book In Sickness and In Health: How Medicine helped shape Orange's history, learn about our creative seniors, an interesting 150th anniversary relating to the Abercrombie Ranges, a Steward line "brick wall" crumbles, dates for your diary, websites we like, news on Irwin and Maley families and research enquiries that you may be able to assist us with. Catch up with all the latest on our Orange Family History Group news page: http://www.ofhg.com.au/news.htm