The Castlecourt ExhibitionAuthor(s): Mary HughesSource: North Irish Roots, Vol. 5, No. 1 (1994), p. 7Published by: North of Ireland Family History Society (NIFHS)Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/27696936 .

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THE CASTLECOURT EXHIBITION

Mary Hughes, Member number B 515

It is 8.45 am on the morning of Monday, 14th October. CastleCourt Shopping Centre is almost deserted apart from a few shop assistants making their way unenthusiastically to work. Outside the

Holiday Shop I wrestle unsuccessfully for a few minutes with a trestle table. Having eventually won

the battle I turn my attention to the display boards. They should prove less difficult, but I have overlooked the fact that they are a good foot taller than I am. After what seems an age, two

enthusiastic and competent volunteers arrive and rescue me from my dilemma. We present smiling faces to the passing shoppers, despite being asked for the Index shop and toilets at five minute intervals. The stand is beginning to attract quite a lot of attention and a number of people stop for a

chat. On Monday afternoon we have to compete for attention with Julian Simmons. We hope to

interest him in tracing his ancestors but he is surrounded by so many screaming fans he does not even see the stand ...

By day two I have learned to put up the trestle table. We have also discovered that the World War II

wedding photograph holds an irresistible attraction for every woman who passes, so we decide to

use it as a permanent exhibit.

By the end of the week we have talked to hundreds of people and hopefully recruited a few new

members for the Branches.

Thanks to everyone who helped!

THE BIRMINGHAM CONFERENCE ON

COMPUTERS FOR FAMILY HISTORY Arthur McKeown, Member number B 519

This one day conference was attended by over 100 people from all over Britain, including three

from the Society. The various demonstrations and presentations gave an insight into how

computer programs, such as Personal Ancestral File (PAF), Pedigree and Brother's Keeper, can be

used to keep family history records, produce reports and link to other technology so that maps and

photographs can be included. All these programs allow the user to import records from IGI, for

sorting and manipulation. We got the impression that the effort required to master such programs

is soon repaid by the savings in time spent on managing one's records.

We hope to arrange several sessions for Branch Members in the near future, to provide an

introduction to computers for family history, with hands on experience of what the recent advances

in information technology can do for the family historian.

Today in Balsham I buried William Jolly, aged 107, bom 1886, in which year at

Balsham was buried Mary Brown, aged 93, born 1793 - two lives' spans that take

us back into the 18th century.

Rev WNC Girard, The Rectory, Balsham Cambridgeshire:

Letter to The Times, 10 November 1993

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