Rosemary Kopittke B.Sc. B.A. DipFamHist. PLCGS
I have been tracing my family history since 1985 – in Australia, England, Scotland and Ireland and dabbled in lots of German records too. Fortunately when I got started my parents were still alive as was my paternal grandmother. I learned many great stories about the family in Scotland and England and have since uncovered tales of death by a crane, suicide, and insolvency along with the more mundane details of life. It has also been exciting to help many others discover the story of their family.
A statistician by training, I have worked in that field as an hydrologist, teacher, and biometrician. My professional tertiary qualifications include:
- B.Sc. (Mathematics) – University of Queensland
- B.A. (Computer Science) – University of Queensland
Formal qualifications in the family history field include:
- Diploma of Family History – University of Tasmania
- Certificates in Genealogical Studies (National Institute for Genealogical Studies, Toronto) for Australian Records, English Records, German Records, Professional Development and additional study in Scottish and Irish courses
I currently work as a consultant for Gould Genealogy & History and am regularly invited to speak at family history events (have spoken in every Australian state, in New Zealand and on the Unlock the Past Cruises conferences).
I have published numerous indexes to cemeteries and government records though am probably best known for my work with husband Eric on the Emigrants from Hamburg to Australasia 1850–1879 publication. I am editor of Unlock the Past publications and author and contributor to several.
I served as the Queensland member on the Australasian Federation of Family History Organisations Council (AFFHO) from 2009 to 2013 and the Queensland FHS Management Committee for 21 years. I have the honour to be a Fellow of the Queensland Family History Society and in 2006 I received the AFFHO Award for Meritorious Services to Family History.