Author: Adam O'Neill

After joining THS in February 2021, Adam became an active researcher into Toodyay’s Catholic history which he has been sharing with us. He was asked to provide some details about himself and why he became fascinated with Toodyay’s past. ‘From a young age, I have shown interest in Western Australia history and have pursued it through my own genealogical research. This is how my interest in the history of Toodyay emerged, as I researched the lives of my ancestors who settled in the area in the mid 1800s. Among them were Jeremiah Woolhouse and his family, an Enrolled Pensioner Guard stationed at Newcastle (Toodyay) in the late 1850s and early 1860s. After he died in 1861, his wife married one of the local shoemakers, John Wilson. Their cottage and shop were located on Suburban Lot S5 where the old Oddfellows Hall and Christmas Shop now stand. During high school, I volunteered in my College Archives where I learnt a number of invaluable skills in record preservation, and my passion for records management was encouraged. I am currently studying a Bachelor of Arts majoring in History at the University of Western Australia and am hoping to pursue research and archiving/records management in the future. I am also volunteering at the State Records Office, Perth.’