Seeking the Ancestors: A Father and Son Road Trip - Episode 2

Gerard and Roger continue their road trip in search of their ancestors. Their first call is Hartley Village, near Lithgow, over the Blue Mountains. Hartley is an 1840s colonial village frozen in time. They film the 1830s courthouse, Farm Inn, Shamrock Inn, and St Bernard's Church before proceeding to Bathurst to learn more about James Joseph Wilson. From Bathurst they continue over the hills to Kandos in the Rylstone district. They overnight at the Railway Hotel. The Railway Hotel was comfortable but there was something unusual about it. Roger has a bit of fun with its unusualness. They go in search of Dabee Farm where James Joseph and Michael Jones worked. They film the farms and surrounds, and Gerard does his presentations. But Gerard is not sure they have the right place. They proceed to Rylstone where they visit Cottage Museum, the headquarters of Rylstone Historical Society. Shirley Tunnicliff, president of Rylstone Historical Society, welcomes them and confirms they had videoed the wrong farm. She explains where Dabee Farm is. Despite the mistake, Gerard and Roger filmed the lush farmland where their ancestors first settled after arriving in Australia. It was a thrill to be on the sacred land of their ancestors. Episode 3 will continue the story about Dabee and Bogee Farms before they drive to Coonamble where Michael Jones and James Joseph ran their own holdings. Combara and Budgeon, a little south of Coonamble, will be Episode 4.