Graham Lockyer looked for information about his father’s mother for years before he finally started to meet the missing members of his family.
My name is Graham Lockyer, I was born in 1940 in Brisbane, always lived in the Camp Hill-Carina area.
I attended Camp Hill school, and then Cavendish Road High School.
My elder sister Jean passed away in her 50s and my young sister Bette lives up on Mount Tamborine.
I met my wife Trish when she was 15-years-old, we’ ve been together for 65 years.
We have three children – Scott, Warren and Sue.
I started work as a carpenter, same as my father, and had various jobs – I owned a Amoco Servo on Boundary Road, Camp Hill for five and a half years, and was then a production supervisor at BHP Lysart for 16 years at Acacia Ridge.
For years we looked for information about my father’s mother Ada, but could not find anything.
They lived in Longreach, in Queensland, but we had never met.
Around my 80th birthday, my son Warren and his wife Debra researched Ancestry DNA, finding my Aboriginal heritage and my grandmother Ada Gray, who was born in Wellington, New South Wales.
Through our DNA and with the support of Link-Up (Qld), we found our first cousin Carol Lewis and cousins Roy Gray and Alfred from Yarrabah, and also the Warrie family from Cairns.
These were wonderful and emotional meetings.
We met Roy and Alfred at Link-Up (Qld) in Brisbane, and they invited us to their grandmother Agnes Gray’s graveside at Toowong Cemetery for her memorial.
I think our families became closer on this day.
Through Debra’s research we also found my grandma’s unmarked grave in Innisfail cemetery.
Roy made a wooden cross and with my family, Roy and Colleen, and Carol, we held a memorial service to mark her place of rest.
I would like to thank Ruth Loli and her research team at Link-Up (Qld) for the information about my father, his mother and my ancestors, which led to my journey back to Country in Dubbo and Wellington, both in New South Wales.
My wife’s health nearly stopped the trip, but she improved and with Link-Up (Qld)’s help, we decided to go ahead.
Our feelings were mixed – nervous, excited, but Kerry and Tahj had everything under control.
We held a welcoming ceremony with three of my relatives and an emotional viewing of the graves of John Stanley and the Bell Family.
Uncle Joe, Aunty Barbara and Jay took us to the ancestor’s common land where all the various families lived.
We stood in the derelict old church, touched the soil and the water of the Macquarie River, which was their special place.
Great memories.
Patricia and I, with our carers Warren and Debra, would like to thank the Link-Up (Qld) team for making this journey possible and our sincerest thanks to Kerry and Tahj for their care and support.
Published 4 July 2024.
