The Sunshine Coast Genealogy Club is encouraging the public to dig up its own roots during an upcoming open house at the Sunshine Coast Museum and Archives on Nov. 19.
“We’re hoping that they will come with questions and we’re prepared to answer,” said Rob Bennie, president of the Sunshine Coast Genealogy Club. Bennie was one of five charter members of the group, which during COVID restrictions reconstituted a lapsed local genealogical organization. Membership has since grown fivefold.
“We’ll have one of our members there who has a fair amount of expertise on history and family research. She’s going to bring some of her information to share with people. And one of our members who has 40,000 people in his family tree will be there too.”
Genealogy Club members gather online once a month to hear educational speakers and share progress on specific lines of inquiry. Digital technology has become a fixture of modern family tree research.
“The biggest change that we’re seeing is the use of DNA analysis,” said Bennie. “Some of the members of the club are extremely good at that. In my case it has confirmed the people that I thought were ancestors are in fact ancestors. With the way they’re using DNA research now, they’re getting into quite complicated techniques as far as triangulating information and using that to figure out very distant relationships.”
The free Open House takes place at the museum from 1 to 4 p.m. on Nov. 19. More information is available online at sunshinecoastmuseum.ca.
Test your mettle
The Sunshine Coast Film Society presents Sound of Metal on Nov. 19 at 2 p.m. at the Raven’s Cry Theatre in Sechelt, and on Monday, Nov. 21 at 7:30 p.m. at Gibsons Heritage Playhouse.
The Oscar-winning film follows a rock drummer and recovering addict, played by British actor Riz Ahmed, as he connects with a small deaf community overseen by a veteran of the Vietnam war (Paul Raci, the real-life son of deaf parents).
Society memberships and tickets can be purchased in cash at the door at both theatres and also in advance online at scfs.ca.
