I was not brought up with a “sense of history” at all, either by my own family or by my educators in the NSW public school system. Strangely, I grew up thinking that all the exciting things and events happened somewhere else and that where I was living, and Australia as a whole, was a boring place to be. In turn, my family and their history must also be boring and probably of no account either. Of course, I have now found that this is certainly not the case. From the arrival in 1818 of Margaret Masterson, an Irish convict, and her 2 young daughters, who were transported to NSW, through to all subsequent arrivals and family formations in the early 2000s, there is much of interest here. Details about my direct ancestors are covered in my autobiography, No, I have no regrets now!, and also in less detail in a precise example of this work, in my short story ” Twelve Came, Eleven Stayed. This book expands on the larger history of those times. The revelations and unexpected twists and turns of my family history would now rate a good mini series or at least deserve a written account of those notable and some infamous ancestors of mine. I hope I can do it justice. To be published in 2028.