Page 11 - Palm City Spotlight - August '22

Palm City Spotlight, Page 11

Travel from page 10 The highlight of any visit is the time spent in the New Don Kiselewski writes from his personal experiences,
Parliament House. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of having traveled in 122 countries and cruised the oceans,
years later after opening the original Parliament House, the this structure is the way that it has been molded into the seas and rivers of the world. Palm Beach Gardens Travel
population had only grown to 17,000; Melbourne still housed landscape. The top of a hill was removed and the structure Leaders, his family owned and operated agency, is located
the bulk of the Australian government’s functions. placed there. Earth was then backfilled against the walls and at Mirasol Town Square, 11360 North Jog Road, Building
Canberra was looked at as being somewhat in “the sticks” mounded up in the front and rear of the multistory building, A, Suite 102-6, Palm Beach Gardens. The agency has been
because of the provision of services. It just didn’t seem to giving it the appearance of the original hill hiding the mass of serving the travel needs of the South Florida area for over
be gaining momentum as a city until Prime Minister Robert the building and enclosing the space of the building on top of a quarter of a century. Contact him at (561) 694-9696 or
Gordon Menzies, who in his second stint from 1949 to 1966 the hill, truly blending into the topography and landscaping. Aussie@PBGTravel.com.
established the National Capital Development Commission. The sides of the building open up into the offices of their two
It was then that the effort got sufficient funding to progress, houses of government; however these have been treated in
and as a result, the city grew rapidly from a population such a way so as not to interrupt the lay of the land.
of 30,000 in 1954 to well over 400,000 today (Australian It is said that first impressions always remain the basis
Bureau of Statistics). for further judgments. After visiting many of the capitals
As the capital, Canberra is the site of the Australian of the world, it is truly uplifting to experience a city that
National University, National Library of Australia, High in essence is all new, by worldly standards. A view from
Court of Australia, Australian National Gallery, Australian the top of Mount Ainslie forms that unforgettable mental
War memorial, both the Old and New Parliament House, and picture that remains with you for a lifetime. The placement
numerous colleges and technical schools of higher education. of the beautifully designed contemporary structures in the
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Parliamentary Triangle, which are accented with carefully
Organization (CSIRO) and the Australian Defense Force orchestrated landscape and water features, brings totality to
Academy are also located here. the cityscape of Canberra.

The High Court of Australia is one of many impressive
structures spread around Lake Burley Griffin.

National Museum of Australia

Photos by Don Kiselewski

Club News

Map Your Irish Ancestors
With The Martin County

Genealogical Society

Genealogy research can be tedious and time consuming. So,
wouldn’t it be great if you could simply push a button and find
your ancestor? At the Martin County Genealogical Society’s
September meeting, in a special presentation streaming live
from Ireland, professional genealogist, author and blogger
John Grenham will explain how to use his website to do just
that. Grenham has created a comprehensive database of Irish
records – including parish registers, surname directories and
census data – and the digital tools to use this information to map
an ancestor’s origin based on their surname.
Free and open to the public, the meeting will be at the Blake
Library in Stuart from 1 to 3 p.m., Friday, Sept. 16. The meeting
is in person, but the presentation will be virtual. To participate
via Zoom, go to mcgsfl.org and register before Sept. 15.
Grenham has more than 40 years of experience as a genealogy
researcher, blogger, software developer and author. In the 1990s,
after working on the Irish Genealogical Project, he created his
own genealogy software, Grenham’s Irish Recordfinder. From
1998 to 2016 he ran the Irish Times “Irish Ancestors” website,
and during that period he wrote the “Irish Roots” column and
blog for the paper. Both “Irish Ancestors” and “Irish Roots” are
available on his website, johngrenham.com, which includes a
wealth of genealogy information. His publications include the
standard guide to Irish genealogy, Tracing Your Irish Ancestry,
as well as Clans and Families of Ireland, Generations, and
Grenham’s Irish Surnames. Grenham also has taught genealogy
courses online and at Dublin’s city college.
In addition to its monthly meetings and special courses,
the Genealogical Society offers a variety of services at the
Genealogy Room in the Blake Library in Stuart including an
extensive research library, access to several genealogy websites
See answer in this paper. and assistance from MCGS volunteers. For more information
about membership, activities and services go to mcgsfl.org.