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The McBrayer McBrair Family Genealogy Research Website - Hosted and owned by Carl B. McBrayer - The Historian for the family in America. Researh on other surnames of McBraire, McBryar, Brier, Briar, plus scores of other variations. Contact Carl McBrayer at carl5@cox.net. |
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Thanks to everyone for your continued support of our great family heritage and to each who has provided information and pictures on your individual family lines and branches. It is you who have made this website so successful. Thanks to all for visiting The McBrayer Family Online wesbite. Please come back. Let me know your thoughts and suggestions. Contact me at carl5@cox.net or carlmcbrayer@yahoo.com. Check out facebook also - under The McBrayer Family Group. |
News from 'Down Under'An Ausie's View by Julie Schelb (Julie has agreed to provide us news from down under - beginning with a story from Julie about who she is, and how she came to be in Australia. Julie and her family now live in Chapman, a suburb of Canberra, Australia. She reports she has been living there since 1979. She is a descendant of Julius Ceasar and Annie Watson McBrayer of Georgia.) "You might let everyone know to expect my first article in early October. I'm looking forward to telling them why I call Australia home." * * * * * Carl's note: I'm sure everyone has seen the news on the terrible flooding that is ongoing in Queensland, Australia. I was concerned about the safety of Julie and her family and recently emailed her to ask. Here is her reply: Hi Carl, We are okay; although friends about 20k or 1/2 hour drive away were evacuated for a few days. That was before the really bad floods that you’ve been seeing on tv. They are further north. The weather this year has been very unseasonable – cooler and a lot more rain and thunderstorms (and floods). We’ve just had a 13 yr drought – I guess that’s broken! Just before Christmas I escorted my 92 year old mother in law up north to Queensland to visit her daughter and family. We had some delays because of weather on the way up. But on 27 December when my sister in law was to fly back with Mum, they were at the airport all day and the flight was eventually cancelled because of the storms. They finally got a flight out 3 days later when the weather cleared. Thanks for thinking of us. We’ve been following the news as well – sounds like you guys are suffering from the cold and snow. Cheers Julie January 23, 2011 -- G,day from Oz, Kangaroos and Koalas come to mind when most people think of Australia. I haven Kangaroos are a common sight here anywhere but in the busiest of cities. One used to sun itself regularly in a friends back yard. I regularly walk in a nearby mountain and often see a dozen or so from a short distance. Once, while walking along a path, I came upon a wallaby. I stopped so he could cross but he waited until I went first before he hopped along his merry way. I was so close I could have reached out and touched him. One of the cutest things I’ve seen was a mum and her young one standing upright alongside the road waiting for a break in traffic before they crossed. Australia has some unique wildlife, but it’s the birds that I think are the most beautiful. Magpies, currawongs, yellow crested white cockatoos, galas, rainbow lorikeets, green and red king parrots, blue and red parrots and kookaburras are just a few of the birds that visit our yard regularly. Before dawn we start hearing sleepy chortles and before long it sounds like a crowded aviary complete with screeching cockatoos laughing kookaburras. The evening routine is just as noisy. We have a direct view of a magpie nest from our dining room window and during nesting season we watch them with binoculars. This year, a baby managed to get from the nest to the fence near our bbq area and sat there for a week. The parents continued to feed it and kept a close eye on it (as did we) until it found its wings. This period is commonly known as the ‘swooping season’. You walk or bike anywhere near a magpies nest and they swoop your head from behind, usually making just enough contact to break skin and frighten you to death – by the time you hear the flap of the wings, it’s too late. I’ve even seen them swooping a car! They are a nuisance but just a fact of life here and people deal with it. Apart from the swooping, they are lovely birds. They will walk around with you in the yard and the young ones play with each other like little kittens. They love hamburger meat and if they are used to you will eat it out of your hand. They don’t swoop the hand that feeds them so you’re usually safe in your own yard. The other birds, mostly the parrots, line up on the power lines that connect to the house before coming down to enjoy the nectar from the native and fruit trees in the garden. If you’ve ever been to a pet shop and admired a large parrot in a cage – that’s what we have here but a 100 times better – they are more beautiful when they are free. Over the years we’ve had to contact the association for injured wildlife to come and rescue a magpie that was hanging from its nest (it had its leg caught in a piece of wire). Another time a couple of galas were playing around and crashed into each other – one broke its wing (the others were clearly distressed and looked for him for days.) We didn’t set out to be ‘bird watchers’ – we just can’t help it! Next month I’ll tell you about our trip to Tasssie (Tasmania), Cheers, Julie And as usual, the translations - American Australian Vacation holiday Kangaroo Roo Magpie maggie Cockatoo cockie Sidewalk footpath Ice chest (cooler) esky Being nosey having a sticky beak
Christmas in Oz – on average 97° and commonly referred to as the “Silly Season”Restaurants, parks, beaches and lakesides are packed with end of year parties. The norm is - BBQs, cold beers, Cricket games, and blokes in shorts and thongs (flip flops) wearing Santa hats while nursing tinnies and minding the snags! Santa ’s sleigh may be depicted with kangaroos instead of reindeer and, if the venue suits, Santa arrives by boat or jet-ski - and may be wearing red shorts instead of a suit!Carols by Candlelight is a popular family affair where people spread a picnic, light candles and sing along to carols performed by local musicians. This is vacation season – some visit relatives, some go to the beach! For those homebodies, it usually means spring cleaning, gardening, home maintenance and reading a few good novels. My son says Christmas and thinks ‘beach, bathers, babes and beer!’In spite of the hot weather, some still cook a traditional hot Christmas Dinner. Others opt for seafood or a BBQ, have a fruit pavlova instead of fruit cake and serve champagne and orange juice instead of eggnog. As my in-laws are German, we have always had our main celebration on Christmas Eve with a huge meal and gift giving. Just before dark (about 9pm) someone takes the little kids out to play – and when they return – the Christmas tree lights are on and the Christ Child (not Santa) has brought gifts. Several Christmas carols are sung before the children unwrap presents one at a time so that everyone can see what it is and who it’s from (if not from the Christ Child). Presents are handed out to children and adults in this fashion until they are gone. While the children play, adults settle down for a few drinks or more cake and coffee. It’s a late night for the kids with families often attending a midnight mass. There’s something almost magical at church on Christmas Eve with the organ music, the lights, and the singing.Next morning, while the children would prefer to stay home and play with their toys, Christmas Day always begins with church, followed by a family lunch. December 26, is an Australian holiday as well - Boxing Day. Traditionally, after Christmas people would box things up for the needy and put them on the curb for collection. We don ’t do this anymore - we just enjoy the extra holiday.As a multicultural country, Australians celebrate Christmas in many different ways, but we all share a universal desire to do so with people whom we love and care for. Embarrassingly, I have to admit to humming Christmas tunes in July - when the weather is cold! Hoping you have a wonderful Christmas! Julie, Fred, Corey and Kelsey Talk to you next time (about Maggies, Cockies and Roos). And as usual..... American Australian beach coast can of beer tinnie guy bloke packed chocker block tank top singlet grill bbq or barbie sausages snags (hot dogs) blanket rug kids vegemites, rugrats, ankle biters
November 8, 2010 - G,day from Oz, A radio show recently discussed whether or not the American tradition of ‘trick or treating’ was gaining popularity in Australia. Retailers are definitely promoting it, ie costumes and candy. Anything for a sale! It usually only happens where people, mainly Americans, pre-arrange it for the kids. Knocking on strange doors asking for candy is not done. Unaware of this when my kids were little, I decorated my house and yard, and to my Aussie husband’s horror, I bought bags and bags of candy – expecting hordes of kids to knock at my door. For several years our house was ‘the place’ for kids to go (no one else was doing it!). The kids went trick or treating for the first time while on a visit to Georgia. The following year, back in Oz, they were naturally eager for a repeat. Sadly, it was a real disappointment. Leaving Fred at home to hand out candy, the kids and I went door knocking. One lady shooed her kids from the door and harshly informed that she was not participating. Another told me, more kindly, that I had only been encouraging a bad American custom that had no place in Australia. Only a few people had candy; I recall the kids getting fruit, health food bars and a few coins. Most embarrassing was when we knocked on the door of an elderly couple. With my children expectantly holding open their little trick or treat bags, the man looked at his wife and asked ‘What do they want? Food?’. We went home after that, and while taking down the decorations, I told the children about some of the customs practiced by people in other countries –one being Halloween, derived from an ancient Scottish tradition celebrated at harvest time where people lit bonfires and dressed up to scare away evil spirits. And on All Saints Eve, October 31, people honoured the dead by exchanging food for prayers (modern trick or treating?!). That was the last year that I ‘did Halloween’. We had dress up parties instead and still laugh about the old man who thought we were beggars! A hot Aussie Christmas is another story! I promised last time to provide you with a few Australian words or phrases each time I wrote, so: American Australian Candy Lollies Yard Garden (front garden, back garden vegetable garden) Paddock Yard Costume Fancy dress Swimsuit Costume (Cossie for short, or bathers, togs, or swimmers) Americans Yanks (doesn’t matter where you come from) Cheers, talk to you next time, Julie * * * * * October 7, 2010 --- G’day from Oz, It seems a lifetime ago that I enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve and ended up joining full time and serving for six years. I initially worked in the finance section at Headquarters Washington DC, then participated in a pilot program for women serving as Embassy Security Guards. I met my Australian husband, Fred, while posted to Belgrade Yugoslavia. After a posting at the Embassy in Canberra Australia I finished my military career and married Fred. We have a 25 year old son, Corey and a 22 year old daughter, Kelsey. I really love living in Australia and look forward to telling you why I call Australia home. A few reasons that come to mind straight away are: the weather, the laid back lifestyle, very few congested big cities, the wildlife, and emphasis on family values. A big one, of course, is the employment conditions. Australians get four (4) weeks of vacation a year. And this can be topped up by accumulating overtime and taken in conjunction with leave without pay. Fred and I love to travel and this has enabled us to get back to the US about every 5 years or so. We both retired a couple of years ago at aged 55 (my family was amazed that we could do that – but that’s Australia for you!) When I first came to Australia, I thought it was pretty much like America, ‘they speak English, right?’ Well …. a version of English! My sister lives in Calhoun GA and our daughters are the same age. When they were in 5th grade, the American teacher suggested the kids exchange letters as an English exercise. I stared by writing a letter of introduction explaining some of the Aussie slang. I’ll try to share a few words with you each time I write. You’ll see why you might run into trouble if you don’t ‘speak the language’! American Australian biscuit scone cookie biscuit flashlight torch trunk (of car) boot hood (of car) bonnet dinner (or supper) tea flip flop thong eraser rubber Talk to you next time, Cheers Julie * * * * * email - (reprinted with permission) September 21, 2020 --- Fred and I have been on a few short trips since I last contacted you. We had a week in Port Macquarie which is about an 8 hour drive north of Canberra. And here in Australia, the further ‘north’ you go the warmer it gets. So it was a nice winter escape. We also went down to the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria which is about 8 hours west along the coast. In both WWI and WWII, the first Australian shots were fired from here at Fort Nepean. Great location, not many tourists there at this time of year, quiet chilly. Our next trip will be to Tasmania in February. The plan is to pack our camping gear in the boot (trunk), take the car over on the ferry and drive around Tasmania for 2 weeks. Our social life lately has been centering around some rock and roll dancing. We just finished a class which we have been supplementing by going to a social rock and roll dance each Sunday. Some friends talked us into going and at first I wasn’t sure that I was going to enjoy it or not. But now that our” moves” are finally coming together, we are really enjoying it. Having checked out rock and roll on the internet, I’ve discovered that there are many versions of the dance. What we are doing is quiet classy I think – none of that throwing under the legs or over the head stuff! Some of the people that attend the Sunday social dance have also been helping us to learn the cha cha and the waltz. |