52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Lucky :week 11

Posted on March 19, 2018 by bleggy

Lucky or very blessed

That’s me! I know there are other lucky or blessed people in the family but for now I will do.
Why am I lucky/blessed, well I am married to the love of my life we have been married for 46 happy years.
We have 3 fantastic children and 8 wonderful, grand children, a lovely son in law and daughter in law, and a lovely future daughter in law, so yes I am blessed and very lucky.

As far as I am concerned I live in the best country in the world, sometimes known as “the lucky country”.

I am very lucky that I was even born alive, my brother did not live past an hour, mum had contracted what was then called German measles, now called Rubella, it wasn’t anyone’s fault, there was no immunisation back then, so I hold no one at fault for the fact that I was born nearly deaf because I was born into a very loving caring family, on many occasions when I could have died I didn’t, I lived though everything until now, and of course I have no idea what tomorrow holds but what ever it is it will be OK because I am blessed.

I am not lucky in that I win prizes but I am lucky in many other ways.

In January 2017, just a few kms from home after travelling across the country, our car hit a tree we don’t know why nor how it happened but it did and my side at the front was the worst, but the engine fell down on the ground and didn’t come into the cabin as if it had it would have crushed me, but it didn’t! The air bag must have exploded hitting me, as I had very serious concussion, the seat belt broke my ribs in multiple places the vertebrae in my back and neck were also broken,

and I spent a long time in hospital, then coming home in a chin to hip brace. But I am blessed because that brace is gone and I am able to do some of the things I now want to, and those I can’t do? Well that’s ok as well, I can’t look after the garden any more so we have a gardener who comes to do it for me. We work it out.
Yes I am lucky and blessed. Because God’s not finished with me yet. And for now I will be one of the 52 Ancestors.

52 Ancestors in 52 weeks: Strong Women. Week 10

Posted on March 11, 2018 by bleggy

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks : Strong Women : week 10.

I am writing the this story about a living person, my cousin, so I will need to get her permission to publish it before it goes on the page.
I can’t contact her at the moment as she is in New Zealand, taking part in one of the most horrific races I have ever seen her take part in, if you don’t count racing across a desert in the US by day and night, this one although it is summer time it is freezing cold at night, and there is a lot of water coursing involved.

so watch this space. I have permission!

This is what she said about her last effort in New Zealand.

BEFORE THE START

GODZone. It did not disappoint. Spectacular and beautiful. Harsh and full on. A team of 4 women bought together by one common theme. We’ve all had cancer and continue to pursue our sport. Our goal was to raise awareness for other people out there who have done or are going through the battle. It’s not everyone’s story, however, if all going well, you can make it yours. There can be life after Chemo and Radiation.

This event was tough and relentless. I unfortunately only made it to the end of Day 5 before sickness plucked me from the course. Frankie Sanders, Lesa Muir and Shanel Murray much to my admiration, continued on their journey to the finish. I was so proud to watch them finish this beast.

Her name is Deanna Blegg, and she is one very strong lady. Deanna lives in Victoria, I first met her when she was in Perth taking part in the Western Australian Toughest Mudder contest, yes that is to do with mud!

Deanna is strong physically but that would do her no good if she wasn’t strong mentally as well.

The Toughest Mudder on line wrote this about her: I will place it here in full, as I have their wr

itten permission to share it as it is.

Why Australian Champion Deanna Blegg Won’t Be Returning to World’s Toughest Mudder This Year

Published on November 4, 2016 by Jade Belzberg

Deanna Blegg is no stranger to the World’s Toughest Mudder. At the second WTM in 2012, Deanna placed second female (third overall). The following year, at WTM 2013, she placed first, boasting 85 miles, or 17 laps of the 5-mile loop course. Then again in 2015 she was on the podium with another third place win to her name. Those who have met Deanna recognize her for her bright smile, determination, and kindness, and while many are aware of her accomplishments on course, few know her story off the course and out of the mud.

Despite her numerous wins and placements at adventure, endurance and obstacle races, Deanna didn’t immerse herself in fitness until the age of 36. 13 years before, at the age of 23, Deanna contracted HIV, then, shortly after, AIDS. In 1996, medication became available to in Australia, where she lives. “It was then I could start focusing on living again and not just waiting to die,” she says. Her first goal was to start a family; to gain back the fitness she lost came second.

After having two children, one at the age of 28 and the second at 33, Deanna started to workout out again. Soon she was studying to become a personal trainer, which gave her flexible hours to train once her kids began school. To start, Deanna tried adventure racing; she then entered the Tough Bloke Challenge, a 5K obstacle course race. Deanna was hooked and quickly learned of the World’s Toughest Mudder. Luckily, Tough Mudder Melbourne was debuting as Australia’s first Tough Mudder event. Deanne signed up and made it her goal to be within the top 5% so she could qualify for WTM. She was successful.

As Deanna’s experience grew, so did her training. Adventure racing was traded entirely for obstacle racing, mainly due to the volume required. “In my build up to the adventure racing season, I was putting in 20-30 hours of action into my week,” Deanna says. “Obstacle racing was a lot less demanding on the body. It kind of felt like I’d slackened off somewhat.” Additionally, the community support in OCR was a joyful surprise. “Elitism,” she says, “ is very hard to find in the sport,” just part of the reason why she keeps returning to WTM.

In June, while running an adventure race in China, Deanna noticed a lump on her ribs. At the time, Deanna was immersed in the race, and forced herself to brush it off until the finish. The first day she returned home, she had it checked out by her doctor. “He didn’t like the look of it so he referred me to get a mammogram and ultrasound,” she says. While the results came back as “most likely benign,” Deanna decided to pursue it further. This time, Deanna was diagnosed with grade 3 triple-negative invasive aggressive breast cancer. WTM, of course, was immediately off the table. “Life got a bit out of control at that time,” she says. Deanna wanted the lump immediately removed, but felt the doctors seemed to be in no hurry. “That, for me, was very frustrating.”

At first, she did as much research as she could on her condition. “I then stopped,” she says, “as prognosis didn’t look good. I didn’t need to read that, and instead thought that if Lance Armstrong can have a 2% chance of survival and make it through, so can I.”

Rather than fret over what she couldn’t control, Deanna took a different approach. “I look at most things in life as “adapt and overcome,” she says. “I have accepted the cancer and accepted the process I need to go through to have it treated. I am not at war with it. I am really at peace. I do what I can in my days–often I feel really well and can train; other days I spend time in bed resting.”

Deanna’s goals for the year have changed, but her tenacity and strength have not. “My goals are to recover from chemotherapy and hysterectomy (performed earlier in the year) as well as do all the healing I need to become vital again.” When asked how she feels about WTM, even though she will be unable to attend this year’s event, she says, “there is no event like it on the planet. The American support for each and every individual out there on course was very new to me. All through the night at every obstacle, every person passed or being passed would offers words (and sometimes grunts) of encouragement.” While Deanna often struggles to explain the magic of WTM to Australian friends and family, she’s learned to succinctly describe the experience: “I just say you have to do it–then you will understand.”

Written by Jade Belzberg

Reprinted with permission of WTM and Jade Belzberg Nov 2016

I am not sure when it was but well before Victoria changed to wheelie bins when the “Garbos” ran down the street, pick up the bin emptied it into the back of a moving truck,and threw it (the bin, not usually the rubbish) back on the kerb, or verge depending where you live, this was a job that Deanna chose to do, because it was good training for a tri-athlete, Deanna made what I think was the front page of the Melbourne Sun. The Girl Garbo. it all went onward and upward from there. As soon as my newspaper clipping turns up it will go on here.

“Strong women” did I mention that Deanna is now 48.

52 Ancestors in 52 weeks: Heirloom 2

Posted on February 26, 2018 by bleggy

Heirloom 2: A hand made string bag. Continue reading →

52 Ancestors in 52 weeks: week 8 : Heirloom

Posted on February 25, 2018 by bleggy

My Family Bible

My Heirloom is a very heavy John Brown self- interpreting Family Bible covered in brown Leather and gilt with gold leaf, the edges of the pages are also gilt gold it is bound around the edge in embossed brass with, when it was new it had brass locks that clipped to the top brass edge to keep it closed when not in use, it now has leather locks as the brass ones were lost

It has very thick paper, paper that today we would not think of using for the pages of any book, it would be almost equivalent to 160 gsm in today’s paper it feels thick but soft, the main flyleaf page is stiff like cardboard, the pages with pictures on them are a much better quality, the print is heavy dark black and the colours of the pages with colour are rather pale by todays standard, with approximately 1200 pages it weighs 6.6 kg, which put simply means it was never intended as a Bible to pop in a pocket, it was never intended to leave the home.

One thing I do know about it, I know exactly, the cost of the Bible is still recorded on the corner of a front page in pencil; it was 5 Guineas that is five pound five shillings. For 1885 when it was purchased and presented this seems like quite a lot of money as the wage for a merchant like Thomas was not very much.

The Browns self-interpreting family Bible was compiled and written before 1775, my copy was printed at James Semple 7 Stirling Road Glasgow. It is now called Dryman, Glasgow and 7 Stirling Road has now had many uses and since the 1800s and it has been added to as shown by the description on Google Maps.

When this google maps picture was taken 7 Semple Road was for sale it had recently been a restaurant.

There are 2 old signs hanging from the building that have the word Brown on them, this may be a reference to the Bibles that were printed there.

Browns Bible was also printed by many other companies.

These are some I found

Glough & Muir Castle St EC London b

John G Murdoch 41 Castle St Holborn London EC c

Inglis & Jack Edinburg, Birmingham, Newcastle, Leeds & Manchester d

So far no one has been able to date accurately the printing date. This is the same with all copies of the Browns Self Interpreting Bible regardless of where it was printed, none of the printing pages found on line list a date of printing, it is almost as if he instructed the printers not to include a printing date because he thought that it may lead to one copy being more valuable than any other, and he considered every copy of his work to be of equal value. But this of course is only conjecture on my part.

In 1885 a loving husband in Melbourne Australia purchased a beautiful gift for his wife’s 31st birthday it was a Bible with companion edition Pilgrims Progress was purchased by Thomas George Gladstone-Mahany for his wife Catherine and presented to her on her 31st birthday, a 31st birthday does not seem very special but perhaps now he could afford it. Thomas made this gift very special because hand written inside the flyleaf is a loving inscription, To his wife Catherine and presented to her on her 31st birthday, a 31st birthday does not seem very special but perhaps now he could afford it. Some of the value would be in the fact that it has many elaborate pages, including the dedication page. The pages with pictures are described as “colour illustrations in oil”, they each have a tissue page to protect the pages from ink transfer.

At the beginning it included extensive pages for recording of a family tree, which Catherine and Thomas used to their full advantage, Jane their eldest daughter continued to fill in the family information, later another hand took over it was Catherine, Janes only surviving child, I am the second oldest child of Catherine and custodian of the family Bible and the information it contains I would have continued to add information but the pages were full.

Something came with the Bible that was added to it after it was given to Catherine Gladstone-Mahany, inside some of the pages were pressed fresh flowers, there are some from the wedding bouquet of Catherine, Jane, & Catherine, there were also some field flowers I picked for my mother when I was young, and one frangipani worn by my mother on our wedding

day. (each had a small slip of paper in the page with it so that anyone who opened the pages would know what the significance was.)

Also in the pages was a bookmark used by my great uncle Adam, and some mysterious blue crochet thread that when my mother saw it she told me it was the same as a dress collar her mother Jane made for her as a child.

The James Brown self-interpreting Bible was a treasure chest indeed, it is now kept in its own heavy black box, which was made to keep it in about 20 years ago.

In 1885 this Bible lived with Catherine and her husband Thomas and their 1st four children Jane, Thomas, Henry and Edwin at 165 Curzon Street Hotham Victoria now called North Melbourne.

It was then passed on to the eldest child Jane who took it to 27 Haines St Hotham later called North Melbourne and they lived in the house shown in the photo

After Jane it passed on to her daughter Catherine who also lived at 27 Haines St North Melbourne after Jane died.

After my marriage the family Bible was passed on to me, the second oldest and the Pilgrims Progress was passed on to my younger sister, and we in turn will give them to our children or grandchildren to care for.

Because also 20 years ago my mother got upset with me and took the Bible back into her possession my husband purchased for me a replacement family Bible, with pages for the family tree information, unlike the very old one this beautiful gift came in a box, it has very fine paper the coloured pictures included do not have a tissue page in front of each picture, because of the different printing methods used there is no chance of ink transfer. This Bible published by Zondervan in 1988 has a fake burgundy, leather look cover and weighs a fraction of the weight of the Browns Bible, just under 2 kilos.

The two Bibles sit together on the bottom shelf in my crystal cabinet. Now both to me are equally important and of equal value. I have learnt that the old Family Bible actually has very little monetary value approx.. $36, to anyone except members of my family to which it is priceless.

Referencing

a Google Maps https://www.google.com.au/maps/@56.0660189,- 4.4517858,3a,75y,314.39h,77.25t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sment22p10e4AAAQvOZB7OA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 7 Semple Road commercial property for sale photo taken Nov 2015

b http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BROWNS-SELF-INTERPRETING-FAMILY-BIBLE-ILLUSTRATED-1860s-PUB-GLOUGH-MUIR-/371695054370 Browns Bible for sale on ebay

c http://www.divine-name.info/bibles/johnbrown3.htm Browns Bible on a discussion site

d http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Antique-Victorian-Illustrated-Holy-Bible-Browns-Self-Interpreting-Family- /262467348728 Browns Bible for sale ebay

e North Melbourne. The fine wide streets of North Melbourne – Haines & Curzon Streets.http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/167605897?q=curzon+and+haines+streets+north+melbourne&c=picture &versionId=182674951

http://trove.nla.gov.au/version/182674951

 photograph : gelatin silver ; 7.5 x 9.5 cm (irregular) mounted on card 15.2 x 10.1 cm.

[ca. 1935]

 The photographs in the F. Oswald Barnett Collection were taken by Barnett and other unidentified photographers in the 1930s.

 Cite as: F. Oswald Barnett Collection, State Library of Victoria.

 Refer LTSL 65, H2001.291/149 for a 35 mm slide of this image.

 No copyright restrictions apply

This story is part of my Place Image Object project with Diploma of Family History at UTAS .

52 ANCESTORS in 52 WEEKS : week 3 : LONGEVITY

Posted on January 16, 2018 by bleggy

52 ANCESTORS in 52 WEEKS : week 3 LONGEVITY Noel Stanley Blegg was born to Sylvia and Charles Blegg of Moonah Tasmania on the 19th of October 1919. The second child and the 2nd boy, later to be one of … Continue reading →

52 Ancestors in 52 weeks: Week 1: At the Beginning

Posted on January 3, 2018 by bleggy

How I began my Search

AT THE BEGINNING.

Between year 5 and 6 in primary school our year 5 teacher gave us a project for the holidays: we had to copy out the chart on the blackboard to a piece of yellow foolscap paper and fill in the squares; it was a family tree.

In the class we wrote our name on square 1 and were then told we needed to fill in the rest with the help of our family, we also had to have the name the ladies were born with not their married name.

I showed it to mum and dad and they told me to take it with me to Tasmania, we were going on holiday that year to Tasmania, where grandma lived, and she would help me with her side of the family.

Grandma with my mother

I had what my mum knew about her family, which was not very much, she didn’t know her grandparent’s names on her father’s side, but told me her mother’s family.

When we arrived in Hobart I wasted no time showing grandma what I had and why I needed some names, her answer I will never forget, in the sternest voice I ever heard her use she said, “We don’t talk about that”, Grandma would not tell me I asked her, begged her, but she would not tell me not even their Christian names, much less surnames.

What I didn’t know was that dad knew why Grandma would not tell me anything, his father had told him but made him promise to keep the secret, but even dad didn’t know the biggest secret, nor the real reason grandma would not tell me. That was found many years later.

I have a strong feeling that had Grandma told me their names I would have taken my list to school and eventually lost that piece of yellow paper and perhaps never thought of it again. That is not what happened! I still have that paper.

She should have known that being told nothing would make me want to find out what she would not tell me, from what she said, I knew she knew, what I wanted to know she would just not talk about.

The last time I saw Grandma saying good by to her son.

I took my family tree to school at the start of year 6, and mine had less information than anyone’s, even the girl from Latvia had more names than I did.

Many years later I found what grandma would not tell me, but she had died by then, and grandpa died when I was 7.

That is where my search began, when I was 10 years old.

Biggest lesson from this.

Never tell a child “we don’t talk about that” tell them something, anything other wise they will be determined to find out what you are hiding.

Hello world! 52 ANCESTORS 2018

Posted on January 3, 2018 by bleggy

Welcome to my brand new blog at Edublogs!