meeting

October 6 – General meeting

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We are delighted to welcome back Jeff McGill as guest speaker for our next CAFHS meeting on Tuesday 6th October, starting 7pm.

The talk will explore the extraordinary story of Alfred Cady, the “black sheep” of a wealthy English farming family who was sent to the far side of the world to make his own way. He settled in Camden in 1849 and married into a prominent local Scottish family, the Pedens. But in 1860, a family scandal changed everything — sending Alfred, his wife and their children packing for Goulburn to start afresh.

Tuesday 6th October, 7pm, at Camden Museum, 40 John Street, Camden. Visitors welcome! Free, gold coin for supper appreciated.

September 1 general meeting

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The guest speaker for our September meeting is Belinda Sacco. Belinda’s talk is on: “Uncovering Their Stories: How I Discovered My Ancestors’ Military Histories”

The meeting starts at 7pm in Camden Museum, 40 John Street, Camden. All welcome!

AGM – August 4

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Our Annual General Meeting will be held at 7pm, Tuesday 4th August, in Camden Museum.
The AGM provides members with an opportunity to reflect on the Society’s achievements over the past year, and participate in the election of office bearers and committee members for the coming year. Please note that only current financial members are eligible to vote at the AGM or nominate for a committee role. If you have not yet renewed your membership, we ask that you do so before the meeting. If you would like to nominate for the committee, please contact the secretary at cafhs2570@gmail.com

7 July 2026 general meeting

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Tuesday, 7th July at 7pm, Camden Museum, 40 John Street Camden

Our speaker will be Damian Gleeson, PhD.  Damian is an Australian qualified genealogist and historian, and a popular speaker and author. In this presentation, Damian will draw on key themes from his two recent books: Irish Bigamy: New Insights into Colonial New South Wales (2025) and John Joseph Therry: Irish landlord, merchant and priest in the Australian colonies (2026). Damian will have copies of his new book for sale.

Upcoming events

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CAFHS General meeting: At our meeting on 7th April the guest speaker will be member Peter O’Brien with “The Tangled Web We Weave” – a journey of discovery through DNA. 7 pm at Camden Library.

Saturday sessions are generally held on the 3rd Saturday of the month from 1pm to 4pm. Free for members, $10 for visitors, includes afternoon tea. We have some great sessions coming up:

  • April 18th: DNA
  • May 16th: Family Tree Maker software program
  • June 20th, July 18th & August 15th: Exploring Your Family Tree

Australian Heritage Festival is on 18th April – 18th May: The theme this year is Change: How has history changed us and how are we changing history? https://australianheritagefestival.org.au/

There will be free displays at Camden Library, in the Old Fire Station and Galleria, including “Time after time…Camden’s iconic buildings and their changing stories”

CAFHS 30th anniversary in 2026: We will be celebrating this year, with events being planned for mid-November. If you have a prior connection with the Society please get in touch – we are looking for memorabilia, photographs, stories, and memories. Or perhaps you would like to come along and celebrate with us and find out more about CAFHS?

2026 NSW & ACT AFHS Conference:  This annual family history event will be held at Port Panthers at Port Macquarie from 18th – 20th September. The theme is ‘The Paper Trail and Beyond: Family History in the Digital Age’, The event is a great opportunity to hear interesting guest speakers, meet other family historians and see what’s on offer at the family history fair. https://www.portmacconference2026.com


2026 Reopening

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Welcome to 2026! 🎉 We are looking forward to an exciting Year of Family History!

Our CAFHS research room reopens for 2026 on Thursday 29th January at 11am. Please note that Camden Museum is currently closed for maintenance work. Therefore our room will be open on Thursdays and Fridays only, from 11am to 2pm, and we will be closed on Saturdays. We anticipate we will reopen on Saturdays after Easter.

Our first meeting will be on Tuesday, February 3rd, at 7pm, in the Old Fire Station in Camden Library. All welcome! Our guest speaker is experienced genealogist Lilian Magill, with the topic: 60 websites in 60 minutes, (or thereabouts!)…

“Fasten your seatbelts for a fast whistlestop look at 60 websites. Some you might know and use and some could be new to you. Don’t worry about trying to remember them as I’ve done a handout for you.“

Any enquiries please contact us at cafhs2570@gmail.com

CAFHS AGM – August 5

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A reminder to our members that our Annual General Meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 5th, at 7pm, in Camden Museum.

Financial members are encouraged to consider nominating for positions which may interest them on the committee. For more information please contact the secretary at cafhs2570@gmail.com

A reminder that annual membership was due on 30 June 2025. Membership forms and further information can be found here:

Membership