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Native Seeds

PROFESSIONAL GENEALOGY SERVICES
Specialising in Australian Aboriginal Family Research
Experienced in Australian, English and Irish, Canadian, American and African American genealogy

Genealogy

© Copyright Margy Duke
I can help with

 MY  family's  STORY....

I am an Aboriginal woman from the Dhungutti Nation of the mid north coast of NSW. My mother was an Aboriginal woman who along with her 8 brothers were removed from the care of their mother on Burnt Bridge Mission and were placed into the 'care' of the Aborigines Protection/Welfare Board during the 1940s, 50s & 60s. Depending on their ages and gender, they were placed into institutional care in either Bomaderry Aboriginal Babies Home, Cootamundra Girls Training Home or  Kinchela Boys Training Home. They were later assigned to non Aboriginal families as 'domestic servants'= or as farm hands'.  Thankfully...all of them eventually 'Came Home'...Sadly though, all spent the rest of their lives enduring the painful and destructive affects of the traumas associated with their Removals. A generation later, my mother had the majority of her own six children removed from her care. In my case, I was made a State Ward and placed in a foster home. The trauma of another loss was so great...she died of a broken heart at 42. It is because of the story of my own life experiences as an Aboriginal woman who has been involved,  one way or another with the Out of Home Care system aka Child Protection that lead me to become a genealogist. I want more of our people 'Going Home'. 

 

I specialise in Australian Aboriginal Genealogy, Family Research and Finding Kin and have over 30 years experience in tracing Aboriginal heritages, family lines, trees and kin connections.

 

 

While I specialise in Aboriginal genealogy, like most Aboriginal people I also have non-Aboriginal ancestors and so Non-Aboriginal Family Research and  Family Histories are also my passions.  Australia's Convict stories, Early Pioneering stories and World War I stories are just as much a part of our country's modern history as our Aboriginal stories are.
 
We are the sum total of all our ancestors. We can attempt to deny a connection we have to a particular culture, heritage or nation but ultimately we are who we are. Exploring our bloodlines can help us to understand who we are as a person, why certain events may have happened within our family, where particular family traditions may have originated and why we feel connected to certain people, places music or art.
 
 

Family isn't always blood but, you inherit a piece of everyone  you are blood related to.

Our bloodlines cannot be ignored no matter who, what or where they originated from.

I CAN HELP WITH

Full or Partial Research Projects  /  Record Searches  /  Local Look Ups  

Ancestor Profiles  /  Personal Tuition  /  Stolen Generation  /  Adoption & State Ward Files  Newspaper Searches / Document & Handwriting Analysis / Oral Histories

Convicts / Pioneers / WWI Personnel

and More...

Most people are interested in discovering their family history however it can be a very daunting and overwhelming task. Many people have no idea where to begin and often years go by without a start being made. Family Research is such a broad topic that it can be sliced and diced into small and manageable and affordable chunks. I am happy to tailor a plan to your needs even if it is on a needs basis.

SERVICES
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© Copyright Margy Duke
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© Copyright Margy Duke
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© Copyright Margy Duke
© Copyright Margy Duke
About
ABOUT ME
Just warming up and getting a wee bit ex

Finding a Deeper Meaning

Family Research has always been a large part of my life. I was born at Crown Street Women's Hospital in Paddington, on the lands of the Eora Nation. After my removal from my Aboriginal family in 1968 I was  placed into the care of the state and was officially made a State Ward at the tender age of 7 weeks. I was fortunate enough to be placed into the care of a good & loving non-Aboriginal family and I grew in the small Blue Mountains village of Leura, located on the lands of the Gundungurra and Darug Nations. We later moved to the country town of Bathurst, situated on Wiradjuri lands. As a young adult I landed in Canberra for a two week holiday in June 1988...Ive never left. Canberra, the lands of the Nngunnawal and Ngambri Nations, my adopted home, the place where love found me has been my birthing tree four beautiful times.

I knew I was different from my foster parents and siblings, the most obvious differences were the physical ones. I was a dark haired, dark eyed child with clear olive skin, my siblings were fair skinned, blue eyed and light haired folks of British decent. To this day, fifty one years on, people still comment on how different in looks we are. My sister Lou and I always look at each with a giggle in our eyes...the next line hasn't changed in all that time. 'My father was the milkman hers was the chimney sweep' shed say...the puzzled look from the observer has always been worth the 'in joke'.

The drive to know why I was so different in so many more ways than just the physical ones has always been at the heart of my Searching for the Deeper Meaning of Me.  In one degree or another, family research has always been a large part of my life, the drive to know who I was, where I came from, who my 'other mother' was and what the hidden story of my blood family...my Aboriginal family had been drove me forward in an obsessed way for 40 years. Over time, my research lead me to all my 8 brothers and sisters, to my numerous aunties and uncles and to a multitude of beautiful cousins. I participated in the Bringing them Home interviews in the mid 1990's which ultimately helped me to 'Go Home' to my People, to my Traditional Home...to the Beautiful Paradise, to the Fresh Water Salt Water home of the Dhungutti in 2006.  The weight that had sat on my shoulders for thirty eight years lifted that very day. I finally knew who I was.

I knew that through the experiences of my own journey I could help other people who were just as lost...Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal we all need to find our place of belonging.

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PLEASE....Keep In Mind

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The Hunt is Real

Please keep in mind that what you are buying isn’t a straightforward product. Sometimes for a variety of reasons (record loss, privacy laws, and other restrictions), the answers are legitimately not available despite a genealogist's best efforts.

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The Hunt is Real

I cannot guarantee I will locate  specific information, but you have my pledge that I will use paid time efficiently and effectively while searching for information in the best way possible. 

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The Hunt is Real

I use The Genealogical Proof Standard so you can be sure the research is well documented and authenticated.  As a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists I am bound to operate within their Code of Ethics and Professional Practices.

© Copyright Margy Duke
© Copyright Margy Duke
© Copyright Margy Duke
Contact
CONTACT MARGY
@ NATIVE SEEDS GENEALOGY
Book an Appointment for a Consultation
Tel: +61 0410824010
Email: NativeSeedsGenealogy@gmail.com
Canberra,
ACT, 2600, Australia
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