Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Did your Victorian gold miner go to NZ?

In May 2011 Otago will be celebrating the 150th anniversary of the discovery of gold at Gabriels Gully. To celebrate the occasion the Dunedin (NZ) Family History Group is publishing a book on the lives of gold miners and their families as told by their descendants. The book is titled "Pick and Shovel, Cradle and Pan - 150 years of gold discovery in Otago, Southland and on the West Coast".

The book covers the period 1861 to the present day and will involve any gold miner prospecting in Otago, Southland and on the West Coast of the South Island. We are not just interested in the gold miners themselves but also the wives and children who either travelled and endured hardships with their husbands or who stayed behind and coped while their husbands were away prospecting.

Many of the early gold miners to Otago came directly from the Victorian gold fields so there may be many Australian readers who have ancestors associated with the Otago gold fields.

All essays must be received no later than 31 December 2010. For further details on how you can submit an essay to this publication contact dfhg@xtra.co.nz or write to The Dunedin Family History Group, 28 Milburn Street, Corstorphine, Dunedin 9012, New Zealand.

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