Gorey & Wassenberg family history
I have upgraded my web site containing genealogical information about the Gorey and Wassenberg families in Australia.
This page has been created for people to comment on the site or to discuss family history. I would be pleased to hear from you.
The web site was created using TNG software.
GoPC virtual operating system
I discovered an intriguing new technology gadget tonight thanks to the Google ads on my own site. It’s called GoPC and it’s a virtual operating system that provides a free service for accessing programs and data storage online.
It uses Suse Linux and provides a limited number of programs with the free service. These include Firefox, Gaim, Evolution, Open Office Writer and Digikam.
There are options to install the virtual computer on a PC or USB memory stick. I’m currently testing it with an installation on my laptop’s hard drive. I’m effectively running a Linux system in parallel with Windows XP and I’m able to switch easily between the two. Read more
HESTA superannuation
This blog is a rant against HESTA, the health and community services sector superannuation fund.
I have an account with them into which my former employer made its nine percent compulsory payments.
Upon starting at the Kalgoorlie Miner I transferred my main super account seamlessly from ING to the WA News company fund without any hassle. That’s how it should be. Just fill out a form, sign it, send it away and everything is done.
HESTA though wanted extra proof of my identity. My name, address, signature, account number, birthday, phone number, etc wasn’t good enough. They demanded a certified copy of my licence before they would transfer MY money to the the account of my choice.
A cynic would say they just want to hold MY money for as long as they can. That’s me. I’m a cynic. If they had doubts about my ID they could have called my mobile number or my workplace.
Privacy is one thing but service with respect should be paramount. They’ve got it wrong. Avoid HESTA if you want service.
USB cells
I came across an interesting new gadget while browsing. The USB cell is a portable battery device that can be recharged from the USB port of a PC or laptop.
It would be useful if you need to recharge a mouse or camera while travelling. The UK price is 13 pounds (A$33).
Windows Live
I’m taking a look at Windows Live at the moment. It’s a suite of services including email, online gallery, blog, news and messenger.
It has a neat clean interface and the Windows Live Mail is a great improvement on Hotmail.
Google and Yahoo offer similar packages and I’m interested to see where it all leads. The three giants are hoping we’ll be loyal to one of them so our web activity is integrated under their umbrella and advertising can be pitched accordingly.
I’ll continue to float between them. Being an early adopter I have simple addresses with each of them. For anyone who’s interested my “space” is at http://mgorey.spaces.live.com/.
Gorey family crest
While web searching Gorey family history I came across this:
The motto apparently translates as “By sea and by land”. The text said:
The Hebrides islands and the west coast of Scotland are the ancestral home of the Gorey family. Their name comes from the personal name Goraidh, an Old Norse forename. The Gaelic form of the name was Mac Goraidh, which means son of Goraidh. or son of Godfrey.
Spelling variations include: MacGorrie, MacGorry, MacGory, MacGorey and others.
First found in on the Isle of Skye where they were seated from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.
Some of the first settlers of this name or some of its variants were: Thomas MacGorrie settled in Texas in 1875; Hugh MacGorry settled in Philadelphia in 1852; David and James MacGory settled in Philadelphia in 1856.
My understanding is that the Goreys are Irish and that some made their way to Scotland, so I have no idea if this information applies to my family or not.
The fact the name may be of Norse origin “son of Godfrey” makes it possible the Irish and Scots variations are all related. Who knows?
Barnaby Joyce
I met Queensland Senator Barnaby Joyce this week during his visit to Kalgoorlie. There was a good article in the West Australian today comparing him with Sir Joh, albeit describing him correctly as somewhat more urbane.
The National Party has a massive struggle ahead to survive. Although the Liberals don’t like it, Barnaby’s approach is the only viable one.
The alternative is a proliferation of rural independents and maverick right-wing nutters.
In terms of Western Australia, I think Brendon Grylls is doing the right thing for his party and the State. I don’t know if he has the charisma to pull it off. We’ll have to wait and see.
Mt Buffalo Chalet to close?
I picked up this interesting piece of news from my former home territory, courtesy Australian Associated Press, regarding the future of Mount Buffalo Chalet:
Parks Victoria, the owner of the chalet, today said it had been notified by the lease holder, Burbank, of its intention to cease operations. But Burbank spokeswoman Sue McDermott said the company was hoping to renegotiate the terms of its lease and to merely close temporarily for renovations.
"We can’t rely on generating revenue just from the ski season," she said. "We have to rely on revenue all year round. The chalet was built in 1910 and there's a lot of work needing to be done. We're hoping we can work with Parks Victoria to do that."
The chalet is perched near the top of Mt Buffalo and is on the doorstep of one of Victoria's most popular ski resorts. According to Heritage Victoria, Mt Buffalo Chalet is of architectural, historical and social significance to Victoria.
A spokesman said any renovations or alterations would require a permit under the Heritage Act. … Poor snowfalls this winter saw ski operations end in mid-August, more than a month before the official end of the ski season.
"We acknowledge that it's been a difficult trading period, compounded by a poor snow season," regional manager for Parks Victoria, Chris Rose, said in a statement.
"We will shortly discuss the future of this tourist icon with the lessees and plan to involve local government representatives and the community in future examination of options."
Meebo instant messaging
I’ve taken a look at the Meebo instant messaging web site today. This is an internet service that enables chat through a browser without having to download a program like Gaim, Trillian or Miranda.
I’m not a big IM user but I can see the potential benefits. I came to Meebo because I downloaded Portable Gaim thinking I would run it from my USB stick at work.
The company firewall had other ideas and wouldn’t let me. There are probably proxy settings I could change, but rather than go through that hassle I did a quick web search and discovered Meebo.
It works with AIM, ICQ, Jabber, GTalk, Yahoo and MSN. I have two of those, and if you register with Meebo you can access multiple services simultaneously.
There’s a widget you can install on your own web site for chat. I experimented with it, and found it works, but can’t really see the need for me personally at this stage.
There’s an article on Wikpedia which explains the history of this interesting, useful service.
Family history web site
I finally got around to restoring my family history web site, which went down in the server attack. I took the opportunity to upgrade to the latest version of TNG Genealogy Site Building.
I’ve also modified the site template and I’ve started adding some articles, with more to come.
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