How can I assist with your family history research?

Shauna Hicks History Enterprises specialises in local and family history research. Services include presenting seminars and workshops, mentoring  and researching for clients. My publications cover a range of research topics. Established in August 2009, my business assists people in researching their own family and community histories.

In July 2011 I started an online blog Diary of an Australian Genealogist to record my own research (both here in Australia and overseas), and to report on genealogy events .

For all my latest news on genealogy and family history around the world, please sign up to my free monthly enewsletter Genealogy Update with Shauna Hicks.

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Testimonials

My session on Organising DNA matches without the headache in March 2022 attracted some lovely feedback from attendees and this excited response

I attended your workshop on DNA at the Caboolture Library on Wednesday and today I applied some of your strategies and broke/smashed a brickwall. ……Just wanted to say thanks as if it had not been for your hints, I would still be just looking in all the wrong places. Alison 

Family History ACT Writing your family history to publishing Sep 2021

  • Shauna Hicks is an excellent presenter and I learnt a lot as I’ve been game to start blogging;
  • Shauna’s session was the best in terms of the mix of information being imparted, slides, pace, discussion, etc

During National Family History Month in August 2021 I conducted a seminar on Tips and Tricks. Here is what one excited attendee wrote.

  • This is a great refresher as I was madly writing things down.  I then spent ages on different sites to see what I could find. I can’t believe I didn’t use the Basic Search on NAA more regularly. I usually confined myself to the wars and passenger lists when searching a particular person. However, this tip certainly paid off for me as I found that my father had served in the CMF years before he served in WW2! Very exciting find for me. Jan G

In July 2020 I was the guest speaker at the DNA Special Interest Group of the Genealogical Society of Queensland’s monthly meeting. I was delighted to see the feedback published in the GSQ e-NEWS, August 2020.

  • Shauna Hicks was our special guest presenter this meeting and did a talk titled ‘Looking for Grandad & Who Was That Woman?’. We had some great feedback from members including ‘Thanks so much Shauna, such an interesting journey’; ‘Terrific presentation Shauna, thank you’; ‘Excellent detective work using a wide range of sources’; ‘Thank you for the presentation, Shauna. You’ve done a great amount of detective work’ and lots more comments!

I tutored two classes at the U3A, Bribie Island – Advanced Family History and Writing Family History. It is always pleasing to see the finished family history stories of the students and to receive their feedback.

(note personal details have been deleted)

  • I sent my creative writing story …… to my cousin. ……  I wanted you to know that I have actually done the corrections to my work and that it has had such an impact on one family member.  …… I wasn’t expecting that my story would get such an emotional response.  So Shauna, thank you for the opportunity.  And for my cousin …… she’s learnt a bit more about her family, who she never knew. And if you hadn’t held your creative writing class, I’d never have thought to tell some of the stories. So it’s been invaluable. Kerry B

Awards & Honours

shauna-2016-genealogy-rockstar-vs-2-1Diary of an Australian Genealogist has been selected for permanent preservation by the National Library of Australia in their Pandora web archive.

Between September 2014 and September 2016 I was honoured to be included in John Reid’s Genealogy Rockstars list for Australia and New Zealand. I was awarded Gold Medallist in 2014, Bronze Medallist in 2015 and Silver Medallist in 2016. Michelle Patient (a New Zealand genealogist) did this lovely badge to mark the occasion.

Inside_History_2013In 2013 I was honoured to have my blog Diary of an Australian Genealogist listed in Inside History Magazine‘s top 50 genealogy blogs. Inside History ceased publication and Traces Magazine has taken its place.