#Congress_2018: The Lighter Side

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The 15th Australasian Congress on Genealogy and Heraldry begins!

And what better way to start than with pre-Congress cocktails!

The pre-Congress dinner was at Pancakes on the Rocks in Darling Harbour. But we unexpectedly received a few phone calls from lost and bewildered souls who mistakenly went to Pancakes on the Rocks at The Rocks! It turns out that Pancakes on the Rocks is actually a chain of restaurants – which was rather confusing for those of us from out of town.

We were not the only conference using ICC that week. We certainly saw some strange and interesting sights around the Tattoo convention. Between the Tattooists and the Orthodontists, there were plenty of ongoing jokes over Congress. But that gives me an idea – what about adding some temporary genie tattoos to the goodies bag next Congress?

The Congress Dinner table centrepiece was a puzzle that was supposed to produce a model of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Unfortunately, our table was full of genealogists – not engineers. So we ended up with Glastonbury Tor.

Many of the genies must have partied hard after Congress Dinner, because at the opening session next day, Martyn decided we needed a sing-a-long to wake us up. So there we were – all singing along to “Good Morning” from the movie “Singin’ in the Rain”. That song stuck in my head for the rest of the day! I bet it’s now stuck in your head, too!

Blogger beads are a great way to identify fellow bloggers – instant rapport! And the ribbons? No reason – just some fun! See how many you can collect from fellow genies who have generously brought some along.

As an added bonus, I finally got my very own “I heart Trove” pin!

New friends come in all shapes and sizes – even furry and cuddly! Here are some genie mascots catching up at the Pre-Congress Dinner. I think I see Suzie Bear and Charlie B, but I’m not sure of everybody else’s names.

Lilian and I often walked from our hotel to Congress in the morning. I must have driven Lilian crazy because I kept stopping to take photos of all the beautiful old buildings along the way.

I took the opportunity to do a bit of sightseeing and visited my favourite window-shopping establishment – the Queen Victoria Building. Such beautiful stained glass windows!