thePeerage.com

[brett_wortman]

Hello Darryl,

My name is Brett Wortman and I am a descendant of Fletcher Christian the famous mutineer. I am soon taking a trip to Norfolk Island for the first time and was doing a bit of background research when I discoverd your great website (I did a google search for Helena Catherine Nobbs, my great grandmother, and my last known relative to actually live on Norfolk Island).
It is definately the right person, because I traced her line back up to Fletcher Christian, and then the other way down to me, however the details get very confused, starting from my Nana, Helena's daughter. These are the corrections:

firstly to confirm to you exactly who I'm talking about, Helena Catherine Nobbs was born on Norfolk Island in 1900, to Francis Nobbs and Ruth Christian. She was one of 11 children. Helena married Herbert Mills and had 3 children, Ruth, Kevin (b.1926) and Verna (b.1930). Ruth is my nanna. She was born Ruth Joy Minchin in Sydney at the Sanitarium at Wahroonga on the 05/09/1924. In 1940 Ruth (who was only ever known as Joy) married Edwin Lloyd Minchin (he was known as Lloyd). They had 3 children, Leslie Edwin Minchin (b.1941 at Cairins Hospital), Maureen Helena Minchin (b.1942 at Cairns Hospital and deceased at 5 months), and Valerie Joy Minchin (b. 26/08/1945 at Atherton). Val is my mother.

Your website lists Ruth Joy Minchin as Ruth Joy Worland, which is a name she took after she remarried in 1966 to Leslie James Worland. She divorced Leslie in 1980, and then more recently in her twilight years in 2003, remarried again to Max Van Dyck, and now bears his surname.
Consequently, all the names below my nanna's are incorrect.

Ruth's son, Leslie Edwin Minchin (listed as Worland) had two sons, Ben and Zane. For some reason Zane is listed as Jane? My cousin is definately a he and not a she. Also, Leslie has only ever been known as Buddy all his life.

My mother, Valerie Joy Minchin, married Frederik Maurits Willem Wortman (known as Max) (b. 08/11/1943 in Holland) in Lae, PNG in about 1968-69 (get back to you there). They had 2 sons, Brett Michael Wortman (b. 31/01/1974 in Melbourne) and Mark Steven Wortman (b. 03/10/1975 in Lae). My dad later remarried to Gillian McIlwain and they had a son, Lachlan Maurits Wortman (b. 23/03/1986).

Valerie Joy Wortman (my mother) passed away on the 13/12/2005.

I, though not at this point in time married, have 2 children to Lucy Ann Shaw (b. 13/04/1977 in Clacton-on-sea, Essex, England), Jarrah Oliver Wortman (b. 29/09/1998 at Tyagerah, NSW), and Tallow Harper Wortman (b. 18/11/2000 at Nambour, QLD). We now live at Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia.

I sincerely hope these details can be corrected and would gladly give you more details on request.

Brett Wortman

[darryl]

Brett

Thank you very much for these corrections, and for the addition to your family - great to see.

Regards
Darryl