Date: Fri, 18 May 2001 15:35:05 +1000
To: CLWYD-L(a)rootsweb.com
From: Graham Price <genetree(a)pacific.net.au>
Subject: Re: [CLWYD] NO ONE HOME
Cc: ENG-SHROPSHIRE-PLUS-L(a)rootsweb.com, POWYS-L(a)rootsweb.com
At 07:24 PM 16/05/01, you wrote:
>Graham Price, I hope you are working on a book. It would be such a good
>read. If not, do start.
>
>Betty Ann
Dear Betty Ann
I do have a serial form going of my paternal grandparents' lives titled
"Nearer am I to Home," in my little newsletter/magazine "Genetree" for
my
rels. (Copies in Wrexham Library & Arts Centre, though, courtesy of Joy
Thomas, and in the State Library of Victoria). Started out wanting to deal
with their immediate lives late 1800s struggling through drought, lack of
occupation, and the banking collapse here in Australia (1893), but it has
gone on and on with a life of its own. Am up to 1915 now (chapter 8) when
my dad went off to Egypt & Gallipoli. Can't understand where I'm getting
all this creativity from. Ahh, the Welsh bardic blood, no doubt! Thanks
for the support. Who knows, it may turn into a book yet? Am very grateful
to have a niece who does some fab line drawings for the chapters.
All this leads me to enquire - why don't some of you lovely folk on the
list/s do the same? I'm sure that many of you have the skills to put pen
to paper and write little snippets about your research to send to your
rels. I expect everyone has MSWORD; shouldn't be a problem to use that. I
admit that I lashed out in 1993 and bought a desk-top publishing programme
PFS Publisher, then graduated to Corel Ventura 4.2, both of which are a
bit old hat these days in the "industry". My first effort was three pages,
but has grown to 20 almost every issue, with old (and new) photos scanned
in. I try to keep it as modern as I can for the younger generations and
fit in an article or two of general interest to all, even those not
related. Initial thought was to put it out four times a year, but I
settled for three times, and that is sufficient to give me time to
research and write it up. Folks send in little donations and stamps, so it
is not all funded by myself - even so, some 60-65 copies are photocopied
off every four months. I receive written contributions from other
"cousins," now and then, so can include their research and activities
also. Am at present publishing a fifth cousin's life experiences titled "A
Salopian Odyssey." I imagine that this effort of his will stretch for at
least six editions. He has injected a fair amount of humour into it, so it
is good reading. I find it very thrilling to have had the opportunity to
put these things into print, and the thing is, when I slip off this earth
it will still be around. When I commenced this project I thought it would
last maybe eighteen months to about two years and then I would run out of
material. Here it is almost eight years down the track and still rolling
along.
Try it. What have you got to lose? But start very simple - nothing too
grand or too ambitious at first. Otherwise you may take on too much or
have nothing for the following issue! You never know what this may lead
to. I'll be glad to help with suggestions and can also contribute with
some general fillers that are not copywrite.
Back to rainy days. You haven't got it all on your own, Vic!
Graham