<
https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-we-knew-we-were-bundjalung-but-i-was-shocked-to-discover-a-pardoned-convict-slave-trader-among-my-ancestors-208596>
"We’re a superstitious mob, but I don’t think it’s an exclusively Aboriginal
reaction to instantly think
Who’s died? when the phone unexpectedly rings
late at night.
That night in 2008, my trepidation rose quickly when I heard it was my Uncle
Gerry from Sydney who was on the line. But instead of sounding mournful, he
sounded strangely … incredulous.
I’ve just been on the phone with a Bostock woman, a “white” Bostock woman
from A.J.’s side of the family. You won’t believe what she told me about the
white side of the family!
Immediately I knew he was referring to Augustus John Bostock, my non-Indigenous
great-great-grandfather, whom Uncle Gerry had long ago nicknamed “AJ”. Uncle
Gerry explained the elderly caller’s name was Thelma Birrell, but her family
name, like ours, was Bostock.
He told me Thelma was an avid genealogist who had been researching the Bostock
family tree for over 30 years. She told him she knew of her family’s rumour
that her great-grandfather’s cousin, Augustus John Bostock, had taken up with
an Aboriginal woman in the 1800s, but she didn’t know if there were any
descendants from that union."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
