About Quirky Characters

Julie Poulter

Family Historian & Storyteller

My name is Julie Poulter and I am a family historian and storyteller. I have spent the past thirty years researching my family tree and piecing together the lives of the fascinating characters who are my forebears. From this experience, I believe everyone has a unique and wonderful story to tell about their lives.

Background

I come from a country background; born and bred in Dubbo in central west NSW. Since my late teens I have lived in Sydney, London, Bathurst and now Albury. I have met and worked with some amazing characters over the years and in jobs that have given me the opportunity to meet people who had fascinating stories to tell. However, the inspiration for creating this business has really been from the influence of my late grandmothers, Irene and Connie. Both had wonderful memories of their younger lives and of their family histories and I would sit for hours with them recording their stories on tape and on scraps of paper. Their stories never failed to fascinate me!

Writing & Publishing

In 2009 I wrote and published my first book, ‘Butchers and Bakers, Plumbers and Painters’, the story of my Poulter ancestors. At a whopping 400 pages, it was quite the task! This led me onto university, where in 2015 I graduated with a Bachelor of Historical Inquiry and Practice from the University of New England, specialising in Australian history. I have been working on various stories since that time, including a large research project on the gaoled NSW Earl Grey Irish famine orphans. My research on my own Irish famine orphan ancestor, Jane Kelly, has also been featured in Tanya Evans’ 2015 book on colonial poverty, ‘Fractured Families’.

Recent & Future Writing

In 2014, I encouraged my migrant husband to preserve his story for the joint Monash University and National Library of Australia’s Australian Generations Oral History Project which saw 300 life stories recorded from various people across Australia. In 2018 I transcribed, edited and published ‘Yarnbull’, my late Uncle Phillip’s Aussie bush tale about a loveable Aussie larrikin called ‘Sawn off’. I am currently researching and writing a book about my genealogical journey and my ancestors called ‘The People Who Made Me'.

Let's write your story!

I look forward to working with you to preserve your story. Whilst my main area of expertise lies with Australian colonial history, I am also part of a large blended family with migrant and indigenous links and I welcome the opportunity to work with these communities as well.

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