Richard Jenkins’ World War I Homecoming
October – December 1918 (and the burning question of whether or not he shot his horse) ~ by Helen Dennis, 13 September 2026 ~ The nearest approximation I have to first-hand accounts of my grandfather’s experience during World War I are stories my aunt Penelope told me. However, she was in her 90s by the…
Unravelling the Mystery of Mary Ann Ryan
~by Helen Dennis, July 2026~ My new favourite ancestor is my Irish 2x-great grandmother, Mary Ann Ryan. Not because she did anything spectacular, but rather because it took me so long to figure out who she was. Until recently, the only information I had about Mary Ann had come from two sources: her marriage certificate,…
Round the World in a Cutter
Walter Frederick Rayner’s attempt to circumnavigate the globe ~ by Helen Dennis, March 2025 ~ In 1932, three years into both the Great Depression and his first marriage, my grandmother’s brother Walter built a little boat and attempted to sail around the world. According to Sydney’s Labor Daily newspaper, Walter was the first Australian to…
Unravelling the Boarding School Myth
Penelope, Tony and Victor Jenkins’ early schooling in Sydney ~ by Helen Dennis ~ December 2024 ~ One of the most memorable stories my aunt Penelope recounted about her childhood was that when she was very little, her mother had enrolled her as ‘the only boarder’ at a private girls’ school in Sydney. The legend…
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