Cathy Dunn (New South Wales) – leading Norfolk Island and convict historianDunn 120
Cathy’s love of history research and writing started back in her Fashion and Marketing teaching days. After leaving full time TAFE teaching, Cathy continue with her studies at UNE and she completed Graduate Diploma in Local, Family and Applied History. She has published over 15 South Coast NSW regional history and early colonial NSW and Norfolk Island history publications. With the change in publishing formats and technology, Cathy has recently joined the Harbour Publishing House who has published many of her out of print books as ebooks, thus taking the opportunity to share her historical research with a whole new audience. Cathy has been involved with family history research and indexing of records of early colonial NSW and Norfolk Island for over 25 years.

Cathy is a member of the Professional Historians Association of NSW & ACT (PHANSWACT), and has completed many research projects in addition to heritage and family history reports for individuals, companies and government bodies including the Old Sydney Burial Ground 1792 – 1820 Project for the City of Sydney Council. And yes Cathy has other hats too. She is also a web designer and tourism destination publicist which is an ever changing industry online with her business South Coast Promotions. She has been an innovator and support to the South Coast business and tourism sector for the past 15 years. Cathy has worked in all media, from newspaper articles, radio, TV to social media.

Today she also works greatly in heritage tourism, combining all her heritage skills and knowledge with tourism promotion. Cathy is an experienced presenter/speaker and has for many years been involved with using Facebook as a communication tool for historians.

Her historical research and love of Norfolk Island started many years ago with her husband Arthur’s family members of Andrew Hamilton Hume, William Broughton, Richard Burrows, Elizabeth Cole and others. Over the years she has done vast research and writings on the people who arrived in NSW aboard the Royal Admiral 1792, many of whom were on Norfolk Island.

Her first visit to Norfolk Island was in July 2010 for the Islands of History, the 25th Anniversary Conference of the PHANSWACT. After many years of research, in March 2012 she published Norfolk Island Deaths: 1st Settlement 1788 – 1814, which was launched on Norfolk Island during ‘Foundation Day’ Week. In March this year Cathy launch her latest publication Rev. Fulton Baptisms, Burials and Marriages 1801 – 1806 during the 2014 History Lovers Tour of Norfolk Island.

Cathy Dunn and her husband live at Ulladulla on the South Coast of NSW.

Websites

Unlock the Past Cruises – 6th

Topics

  • Between the Lines – Using Newspapers in Family History
  • Bound for Botany Bay
  • Colonial NSW Secretary Papers as resource for Convicts Records 1788 – 1825
  • Devonshire Street Cemetery Sydney from 1819
  • Early Church Records NSW 1788 – 1855
  • History of land ownership 1st Settlement 1788 – 1814 on Norfolk
  • Images of NSW and Norfolk Island 1788 – 1825
  • Norfolk Island 1st Settlement Archives
  • Norfolk Island History and Family History Research 1st Settlement
  • Oh Dear or Oh Joy – I think I have a convict in the Family !!!
  • Old Sydney Burial Ground
  • Six of one, half a dozen of the other
  • We Say Goodbye …. The last three years