Genealogy Sunshine Coast is open Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 9.00am til 4.30pm.

GSC 1994-2021

1994 -With loans from members and fundraising, the total money for the building was raised and work commenced. The building was actually bought in under cost. Members made shelving and display panels, curtains, built rock walls and fences and moved the stock from Forest Glen to Petrie Park and a permanent home.

1994 – Members raised an additional $14,000 for fit out of premises and donated thousands of hours of labour to complete and landscape the building

1995

On Sunday 25th February 1995, the building was officially opened. Maroochy Shire Council refurbished the carpark, planted garden beds and shade trees and built a waterfall to drain off excess water.

In the previous two financial years, the group had raised $30,000 from other than government sources, paid all debts including loans, and still maintained our usual services to members. The June bank account stood at $1,744.18.

1996 – Membership fee increased to $30 per annum with 204 members

1996 – Cemetery indexing project commenced. A sub-committee was formed to record and indexing memorial inscriptions and burial records in the Maroochy Shire. Computer classes are held at the Centre.

1997 -Work on cemetery indexing continues. This involves visiting every cemetery, transcribing every inscription in detail, matching the records with the burial register, and then rechecking each cemetery when the data is entered to make sure no errors have occurred in the transcription.

1998 – Council assisted with $3100 to help pay for a storeroom on the end of the building

1998 - A team of volunteers enter data on Excel spreadsheets for entry into the final database. They work at home due to the lack of computers at the centre, though members work there when they can. One of our members kept count of the hours she spent entering data. It amounted to 110 hours and Elva was one of about 15 people who kept the project alive over 7 years.

1999 – 26 volunteer librarians on roster, workshops and seminars held – 3 computers

1999 – The first series of beginner classes in genealogy were held

1999- Eumundi , Woombye and Old Nambour Cemetery books have been completed with Nambour Garden to appear in the New Year.

2000 – Genealogy Sunshine Coast registered as a business name with the Office of Fair Trading

2000 – Computer club established with 12-20 members

2000 -The final of the cemetery books for the Small cemeteries, Buderim and Kulangoor are completed. An index to all cemeteries is available in one volume to accompany the detailed set of 10 volumes.

2001 – In July 2001, the Maroochy Shire Cemeteries Collection is officially launched by Peter Wellington, Member for Nicklin. Preparations began to collect data for a Pioneer Register of families who settled on the Sunshine Coast prior to 1920. The Members Interests booklet is revised for 2001 and includes a separate series detailing all those researching local families.

2002 – Membership was 176 current members with six life members

2002 – Commenced computer classes using facilities at North Arm School

2002 - Only the Crematorium records remain to be indexed. It proves to be a longer task than expected, but the management of the Buderim Crematorium is so pleased with the results they purchase the database for their own use. An fully searchable database for all burials is available at the Resource Centre for public access. The final volume detailing the Buderim Crematorium, the last of 10 books covering 12 cemeteries, is released in November 2002.

2003 – 180 current members

2003 – Received grant from GCBF for Konica photocopier to assist with in house printing of cemetery books and general copying and printing

Celebrated the 25th Anniversary on

2004 – Published Pioneer Families of the Sunshine Coast Pre 1920 index

2005

2006 Genealogy Sunshine Coast website established using Google

2007 Published Discovering the Relatives and other stories ( 142p, A$, indexed, illustrated)

2008 – Established the GSC Laptops for Learning Project with the purchase of 10 laptops, lockable and portable storage trolley, data projector and screen.. $23000 funding received from GCBF

2008 – Sought permission from council to extend the existing building

2008 – Purchased Epson V700 scanner and Synology NAS unit with SCRC grant for scanning of photographs and negatives and to create a digital database fully networked in house.

2008 – Published People of Maroochy (190 pages) of information drawn from our extensive local studies collection and personal contributions of some of those who have contributed to our local communities

2008 Celebrated 30 years at Genealogy Sunshine Coast

2009 – Draft plans drawn up and permits and permission sought for building proposal

2009 - GSC HISTORICAL PHOTOS NEWS and RECORDS DIGITAL ARCHIVE - a major digitisation project commences using teams of volunteers to digitise an extensive collection of paper records in house.

2009 – GSC website moves to Google Sites which provides free hosting for a website and email and other functions.

2009 – Purchase of Multifunction colour printer/copier/scanner to enable in house book publication for small print runs, and to digitise to e-filing records and documents. Received grant from GCBF of $11089.00

2009 – Received a major grant of $40,000 from SCRC Grants Program towards the cost of our GSC Learning for Life Community Hub project, dependant on obtaining co-funding of 75% of cost from other sources.

2010 –Request for grant funding to SCRC and Jupiters $200,000

2010 - Sunshine Coast Communities -- Creating digital records, the images and stories – commenced the first project with Palmwoods as a pilot project

2011 –Pemission received from Sunshine Coast Regional Council to photograph and record gravestones in … all cemeteries. These will be linked to our existing database records to provide a lasting record of burials in the shire. Planning and implementation is in progress.

2011 – Requested funding for an extension to the building together with equipment and resources to meet current requirements.

2011 Membership is currently 258 current members with a further 30 …approximately 300 members.

2011 Published TAKE A WALK AROUND PALMWOODS

2012 – Published PEOPLE OF THE SUNSHINE COAST – 200 copies

2012 - Published Grandma's Favourite Recipes

2013 - 277 current members

On Mothers Day in May 2013, we removed the verandah awning from the front of the building, ready for extensions which will double the size of the existing building.

2013 Celebrated our 35th Birthday and launched a collection of memories

2014

2015 Purchase of updated Toshiba Multifunction printer/ccopier/scanner –

Purchase with loan from members $7500

2015 Official opening of GSC Learning for Life Community Hub by the Mayor Mark Jamieson on 27 March 2015.

2015 Official launch of the first book in a series on military personnel memorialised in the old Maroochy Shire cemeteries –

AND THEIR NAMES SHALL LIVE FOREVER:

2015 Applied for funding to update the GSC Laptops for Learning project -

2016

2016 Installed solar panels on the GSC Resource Centre with funding provided from a major grant from the Sunshine Coast Regional Council

2016 Published And Their Names Shall Live Forever: Remembering military personnel in the old Maroochy Cemeteries - Book 2 The Small Cemeteries, Didillibah, Eumundi, Gheerulla, Mapleton, Old Nambour, Yandina

2016 Published Distinction by Merit: a history of Nambour Rural School

2017

2017 Installed air conditioning to the Learning for Life Community Hub area of the building, courtesy of a grant from GCBF.

Together with the solar system courtesy of Sunshine Coast Council we have reduced our electricity costs by half, and provided comfortable air conditioned premises for our team of volunteers and visiting researchers.

2017 Ulster Irish Foundation Seminar

2018 Celebrated our 40th anniversary as Genealogy Sunshine Coast

2018 Published 40 Years of Genealogy Sunshine Coast

In 2018 we became part of the Nambour Street Art Trail

Artwork in progress

Fascinating to watch it develop - despite the rain

thanks David Hardy for your wonderful mural

2019

2020

2021

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