Hi Greydad, I'm not sure how often you check this website, but I have just found your post. I am the great grandson of William Stringer Forster born 24 August 1866. My great great grandmother Maria Stringer was originally married to his father, also William Forster and they had another daughter Edith but when he died, she remarried George Venables and they went on to have more children, the half brothers and sisters of my great grandad William and his sister Edith. Although they were listed as Venables in the 1881 census, he retained his original name William (Bill) Forster as an adult. His younger half brother Albert (Bert) Venables born 1880 was a market gardener in London and Berts daughter Albertina (Zoe) and my Nana (Bill's daughter Rose) who were 1st cousins used to play as he went door to door with his cart selling vegetables. They were always getting in trouble for stepping on the whitewashed front step of houses. Bert decided to immigrate to Australia and obtained some land on the North side of Rockhampton. He convinced his older half brother Bill to follow him and help with the land. Bill brought his youngest children Arthur, Bert, Rose (my Nan), Ethel and Grace to Rockhampton on the SS Torilla in 1911 where they settled in Depot Hill. The older children were adults by this time and stayed in England. His eldest daughter's name was also Edith, who I guess he named after his younger sister. She was a lady's maid, but eventually also immigrated to be with her family in Rockhampton.
My Nan passed away at 89 back in 1990. She was still very close to her cousin Zoe who devoted her life to the Salvation Army. I still remember Zoe very well and my Mum caught up with her regularly. So Albert (Bert) Venables 1880 was my great, great uncle, younger half brother of my great grandad Bill.
