A couple of days ago our friends Jenny and Bob MacKay, who have also been travelling NSW, Victoria & SA with their caravan, had their 'Best Day'!  Jenny is also doing a blog of their travels and is the friend who inspires me to use the technology we have at our fingertips these days, and to research ones family history.  Jenny is also my teacher and HELP when I have a software or computer problem. Well this afternoon I have had the best time!  As I said in the last blog, I intended to visit the Historical and Family History Group here in Horsham, where my Grandparents on Mum's side, were born.  I knew very little about my Grandma Connie, except that her maiden name was Hodder, she and my Grandad Letts were both born in Horsham, moved to Perth at some time and were married in Mount Lawley in 1909.  They divorced before Mum reached her teens and because Mum died at 59 and I wasn't interested in family history in 1988, I've found it difficult to find much info on the family.  After this afternoon I am quite excited!  When I arrived I did think I was out of luck as the main day for Family History is Tuesday.   Because the Family History Society and the Historical Society share the same building, I had assumed that they were available for research both Tuesday and Wednesday.  Anyway the Historical Society members (and they are probably members of both) were only too happy to help me and I have paid my $15 for the 'Wimmera Association of Genealogy' to do further research for me.  A lady named Kathleen went through the rates records from 1896 through to 1906 and there were only two Hodders, a male and a female.  Not a common name at all in Horsham.  We were able to determine that these two Hodders were my Great Grandparents.  They lived in rental properties, firstly together and then in separate properties, so they obviously separated.  I did not know if my Grandmother had any siblings and today I have found that she was the eldest and she had five siblings.  A sister died the same year 'Gran Connie' was born and a brother died at the age of three.  I had a cuppa with the volunteers waiting for Peter to pick me up and Kathleen went looking on another computer, on which they have all their digitised photos.   She found 4 under the name of my Great Grandfather George Letts.  How excited I was!  I just had to have a copy of those.  The cost for one photo burnt to a disk is $15 and I got the four for $40.00.  They don't do it for love and that's fine.  I think we need to take these charges on board back in WA. Peter arrived while Kathleen was showing me the photos.  So Jim, the man I initially met, introduced himself and before I knew it he was taking Peter on a tour of the building.  When I was ready to leave I found them in the room, I had been in earlier, and Jim had been showing Peter all the old rate books.  The Shire had nowhere to store them, so they donated them to the Historical Society, where they knew they would be safe.  I'll say no more!  Jim was happy for me to take a snap of some of them stacked on the shelves.  The rate books have all now been digitised. When we left I was keen to visit the cemetery and I'd asked Jim for directions.  Didn't know where I would start looking for Grandma's siblings graves, but I just wanted to go to the cemetery!  There was every chance the graves would be unmarked.   When we got there and saw the size of the cemetery, I nearly said to Peter "Just turn around"!  But we decided to have a little look in the older section.  There were so many graves that the stonework was broken and the graves collapsing.  Peter went off to the right and I headed off in another direction.  I hadn't gone far when I came across a headstone for 'Letts'.  I just stood there mesmerised, blinking to make sure I was reading the right names.  There was quite a large headstone laying on the ground and it was a double grave with ironwork around it.  'Amy Emily', my grandfathers little sister died at the age of 5 months on 23rd January 1881.  Mary (Amy's mother) lost her father in September of that year and he has been buried alongside.  They share a headstone.  I think there is a fair chance that Mary's father Robert lived with my Great Grandparents, because his wife had died 20 years earlier.  What I have been able to find out today will really help me research further.  I look forward to what the 'Wimmera Association of Genealogy' are able to provide me.  What will I rate this day on our 'Holidaymetre'?  I think it will have to have a 9/10. 

The population of Horsham is approximately 19,500, it is predominantly a farming region and  the region is the site of lakes and a Wimmera River system.  The town was settled on the river.  Farmers had an inch of rain 2 weeks ago and only a little last Friday.  Jim told Peter they had been in drought for the last 10 years.  We thought the stubble in the paddocks looked pretty good though!  Maybe drought is less than a budgeted two tonne!  8 photos