General News
4 November, 2025
Local family historians celebrate three decades
Barbara Humphrey and Lynn Bond were recognised for three decades with Maryborough Family History Group Inc.
Two local women were recognised for three decades as family historians last month.
What is a passing curiosity for some is a lifestyle for Maryborough Family History Group Inc members Barbara Humphrey and Lynn Bond.
Since joining in 1995, the pair have dedicated themselves to preserving local records and helping anyone explore their own family history.
It’s those contributions that the community group recognised in a surprise celebration on October 22.
The group’s secretary, Helen Ritchie, thanked Ms Bond for her “valuable contribution over 30 years” and Ms Humphrey for being a “truly thoughtful, caring and conscientious member”.
Both Ms Bond and Ms Humphrey began their family history journey for the same reason — their mothers died.
It was a loss that left each of them with a lot of questions.
Ms Humphrey wondered who her family was beyond their names, while Ms Bond realised time was against her.
They both now have reams of information on their families. Ms Humphrey alone has twenty binders and two filing cabinets filled with research.
“It gets you sucked in,” she said.
“There’s always a little more to find out.”
Ms Bond’s journey began with a realisation that her older relatives weren’t always going to be around.
“I thought if I don’t get to talk to [my aunts and uncles] now, they’re going to be gone,” she said.
She’s now organising her research into two books covering each side of her family.
“It’s ... nearly been the biggest thing in my life actually, because I really enjoy it,” Ms Bond said.
“That’s my legacy.”
A part of that legacy is her late husband Dennis Bond, who died last year, who joined the group at the same time as he.
Together, they would travel the region tracking down family history.
“We met a lot of really interesting people who were our relations,” she said.
“They were the most beautiful people ... who became friends for life.”
When Ms Humphrey and Ms Bond joined the group, it was called the Maryborough and District Genealogical Group. The name was changed in 1997, but that small change was just the beginning.
From where the group called home to technological changes, declining membership to an expanding archive, Ms Humphrey said there’s always been at least one constant.
Their willingness to help others.
“That’s what we’re here for, to help anybody,” she said.
That’s why she encourages the community to get in touch with their burning family history questions.
Ms Bond said that even seemingly impossible asks can sometimes pay off.
“Sometimes things are hard to find … but you’ve just got to keep at it,” she said.
And what’s that pay off like?
“It’s better than winning Tattslotto,” she said.
“All family history people would tell you the same thing.”
Ms Humphrey is the group’s main researcher and can spend tens of hours on just one request.
It’s fulfilling work, she said, with one story standing out.
Someone from Huntly got in touch with the group looking for information on her great-grandparents.
Ms Humphrey found where in town they once lived.
“She was just over the moon that she could point to that house and say her great grandparents lived there and that gives me a bit of satisfaction,” she said.
The Maryborough Family History Group Inc welcomes anyone who would like help looking into their own family history or is interested in becoming a member.
They can be contacted on their website or by emailing family historystation@hotmail.com