I am Australian. My parents were born in Australia. Their parents were born in Australia and all bar one of their grandparents were born in Australia. Prior to that the families are Scottish (45%), Irish (35%) and English (20%). But I think it is pretty safe to say that my brothers and I are Australian. My children are only 50% Australian. Their father is English and that opens up a whole new field of research which I pursue diligently.

I have been researching my family history for more than 40 years. Some of the research has been easy, but some has been a real investment in time and patience. Some of the ancestors were there just waiting for me to find them and to tell their stories. Others were and remain mysteries that are waiting to be solved.

A recent breakthrough, courtesy of DNA testing, has allowed me to believe that I have found the true lineage of Richard Watson. He was a mystery for so very long, but it now appears that his family came from Lancashire, via Norfolk Island and Van Dieman's Land.

But I still have a number of brickwalls that continue to elude me - and they all seem to revolve around Great Great Grandfathers - John Hamilton, James McLaughlan and, coincidentally, James McLaughlin.

Christine Harris
Perth, Western Australia