THE EVOLUTION OF AN INSPIRATION Submitted by Ann Shevill (nee Brabazon)

Email:  shevilla@bigpond.net.au  who lives in Brisbane, Australia.

The Brabazon History Project  (BHP) which has taken up so much of my time and effort over more than half of my life, was inspired when I was a teenager by my Grandmother, Ruby Brabazon, I now realize that there is an interesting tale to relate. These notes aim to share the story with Brabazon Family members, and others who have an interest in Family History. They relate to my favourite hobby, the History of my local Brabazon Family, and how it has evolved, having in mind circumstance, necessity and the advance of technology, particularly in regard to electronic communication.

During World War II Grannie Brabazon was chatting with me and a couple of my cousins about the man with our name who was then often in World News: Lord Brabazon of Tara, who was a Minister in the British War Cabinet of Winston Churchill. Grannie reminded us that we must always be proud of our birth name, to which was attached such interesting history, since Jacques le Brabancon, 'The Great Warrior', from  the village of Barbencon in Normandy, France, came in 1066 to England, leading the army of William the Conqueror.

After that war, my father's sister, Ruby Rudd, when her son Robert Rudd - my cousin - was in England with the Royal Australian Air Force, posted a letter addressed to     " Lord Brabazon, care of Winston Churchill, No 10 Downing Street, London, UK ".  There was prompt response from Lord B (such a modest lovable man who had many interests and was a pioneer of the aircraft industry in UK) and his wife Lady Hilda; they were very kind to Bob Rudd, and our cousin Peter Brett, another RAAF Officer, who had been shot down over Germany and had been released as a Prisoner of War and returned to England.


My Grandfather, Charles J A Brabazon, knew the Meaths who lived at  Killruddery ,  the stately home of the Brabazons, located in County Wicklow, south of Dublin, in Ireland.  Grannie told us as girls that, after the Battle of Hastings was won by William of Normandy, he built a castle south-east of London for Jacques le Brabancon;  the family later moved to northern estates. In the sixteenth century, two Brabazons moved to Ireland and established their families in the County Mayo/Ballinasloe areas in the north-west, as well as on the east coast at Killruddery.   The titles Baron Ardee and Earl of Meath were bestowed upon Sir William Brabazon.

Having been so inspired by my Grannie, I began to keep diaries and a serious collection of family memorabilia, a hobby which still is of special interest to me, and which has brought me into contact with Brabazons all around the world. Some I have enjoyed getting to know well, having shared travel, hospitality  and Family Reunions  in Ireland, Canada, USA, New Zealand and of course Australia.

By 1995, the exciting new computer system 'Windows' came to my notice, so when personal computers became more affordable, I acquired word processing skills. Soon after that, family members moved to USA, so usage of emailing became for me essential for regular  communication.

Soon after a Family Reunion in Ireland in 2003, the Brabazon Archive Website was set up in London. It is the advent of the Website, together with the popularity of emails, and researching genealogical material, which has revolutionized the Family History hobby.

The Website resource is visited by many people who 'google' the word Brabazon; they often then make contact directly with Brabazon Family members whose addresses they note. All these enquiries result in sharing of information to keep the Family Tree growing rapidly, and provide lots of folk with a feeling of belonging and achievement.

Now, at eighty six years of age, I am kept busy on three fronts:
(i)     global communication to help build the Ultimate Brabazon Family Tree,
(ii)    updating computer files about my local family, descendants of my Grandparents Charles and  Ruby Brabazon.
(iii)   a CJA and ARV Brabazon Family Archive, a four drawer filing cabinet,  which  contains sundry documents, correspondence, books, memorabilia etc.

The hobby about which I have written these notes, has been an important, time consuming part of my life,
but never have I thought of it as a burden  - what I have put into it has been repaid over and over again.      
       Thanks be to God.