Finding your family: the fundamentals of research

Are you new to family history and wondering how to get started?

Or perhaps you’ve researched before and would like a refresher?

Maybe you’ve tried searching online but found the information overwhelming or scattered?

If any of these sound like you, our 6-week course, Finding Your Family, is the perfect next step.

Led by experienced tutors, this course will give you practical guidance on:

• Where to look for reliable records (such as birth, marriage, death, census, and immigration documents).
• How to plan your research and stay organised.
• Tips for using libraries, archives, and online resources.
• Understanding newer tools like DNA testing and artificial intelligence (AI)
• How to bring all your findings together into a clear family tree.

By the end of the course, you will:

• Have the skills and confidence to trace your ancestors step by step.
• Know how to find and use different record collections.
• Be aware of the support and services offered by our society.
• Have a strong foundation to continue building your family history.

We’ve designed the course to run over six weeks so you can practise your new skills, reflect on your progress, and ask questions as you go.

To ensure everyone receives individual attention, places are limited to 10 participants.

Presenters: QFHS Tutors (Sue Reid, Geoff Morgan, Charlotte Sale, Alex Daw, and Chris Schuetz.

What our past participants say...

Thank you for a wonderful course and I look forward to joining in on many more in the future.

I'm grateful to the QFHS staff for their dedication to family history research, especially the time they invest after hours. I live rurally at Gympie and yet I had the opportunity to avail myself of this course. Their collective wealth of knowledge is critical to those of us navigating a route for each relative.

This course helped me focus on my research and organising records.

Registrations: Maximum 10 registrations (minimum 4 registrations)

Inclusions:

• The book, Where do I start?: a brief guide to researching your family
  in Australia and New Zealand by Shauna Hicks 2nd Edition (rrp $25).
• For non-members (for the term of the course):
  Complimentary use of the QFHS Family HistoryResearch Centre
  Access to members' area of the website.

Registrations close: Monday, 2 February 2026

Dates:
Monday 9 February 2026
Monday 16 February 2026
Monday 23 February 2026
Monday 2 March 2026
Monday 9 March 2026
Monday 16 March 2026

Notes:

• If you are buying on behalf of another person (e.g. a gift), please provide the address details of the recipient.
• If you do not wish to use PayPal, you have the option of paying with a card. Select the PayPal option. On the PayPal login screen, select 'Pay with a Card' at the bottom.
• Contact education@qfhs.org.au

Cancellation and non-attendance policy

To qualify for a full refund, notice of cancellation must be received by QFHS, in writing, prior to the beginning of the course. (email: educationofficer@qfhs.org.au) After the course has begun, refunds will only be made in the case of serious illness or family emergency. The amounts refunded in such situations will be at the discretion of the QFHS Education Sub-Committee.

When a participant cannot attend a particular session, the participant will receive all session materials and resources, but no pro-rata refund will be applied.