Our President, Margaret Doherty, recently met with a representative from the Queensland Government's BDM Revitalisation Project. The great news is that the Queensland Registrar-General is planning to have death indexes to 1980 online by April 2012.

Also a gradual increase in online content is planned until around 2015 when a high percentage of paper records should be available through the Queensland BDM website.

The Constitution and Bylaws of the Genealogical Society of Queensland were written in 1986 when the Society was incorporated.

About 12 months ago, a sub-committee, chaired by our Vice President, Margaret Coleman, was formed to review the Constitution with the aim of making it easier for members to interpret and more relevant to today’s Society. The sub-committee comprised three members of the management committee, as well as a representative of Southern Suburbs branch.

GSQ has changed the method of sending out its monthly newsletter, eNews. Instead of being e-mailed directly, members will be sent a web address where the latest newsletter can be downloaded.

GSQ President, Margaret Doherty, was elecetd President of History Queensland at its AGM on 28 May 2011. In this role, Margaret plans to advocate to bodies such as the State Library that our interests as family historians need to be considered when they provide services to the Queensland public.

A contingent of GSQ members joined around 250 keen genealogists and family historians at Portside Wharf on 19 March to board the P&O cruise ship Pacific Dawn for the inaugural Unlock the Past cruise, joining over 2000 other passengers. While a sizeable number for family historians came from Queensland, each state was represented, as well as New Zealand.