About Me

One of my fondest memories is sitting around the Christmas Dinner table with my family, discussing the work that my Grandfather had recently found while completing our family tree. Since a child I have been interested in watching my Mother and Grandfather completing the branches on the tree, but didn’t start working on the tree myself until in my early 20s.

What got me onto this DNA Journey?

After moving to Cairns, Queensland I attended a DNA Group at my local Cairns and District Family History Society and was hooked. I went home that night and ordered my first Ancestry DNA kit. Since that time I have been lucky to test a lot of my family members and work on confirming the branches on our family tree. It’s great to be able to find new cousins and be able to add them on facebook and learn about their lives.

Luckily being based in Cairns,  I have been lucky to learn from the amazing Louise Coakley  Many hours have been spent, reading her website Genie1 over and over trying to understand and learn everything I need to know. The information changes so quickly but I recommend her website as a great place to get reliable information.

Working with Adoptees

I started working with my first adoptee not long after this time, working to find her birth father. This has been a long journey with lots of twists and turns, but it isn’t my story to share.  The lessons I learnt along the way have taught me so much, and she feels like family to me.

The chase of filling the missing branches onto trees, reading the stories of the people that have gone before us, and researching to find more than just a name, drives me to continue this work. I work hard to reference my work and ensure that I reference all of the information that gets added to the tree.

Teaching others how to use Genetic Genealogy to answer questions, break down brick walls, and confirm or deny family stories, is one of my joys.

What makes me unique?

I have completed the Certificate of Genealogical Research with Distinction from the Society of Australian Genealogists and I am a licensed Private Investigator. By day I am a Nurse Practitioner and Midwife, working in Cairns,  Queensland, Australia. Believe it or not I have five university degrees, Bachelor of Nursing, Graduate Diploma of Midwifery, Graduate Diploma of Family and Child Health, Masters of Nurse Practitioner and Graduate Certificate of Diabetes Education. I think my day job has given me the unique edge of being sensitive to my clients needs, whilst being able to remain confidential and supportive. I am a certified life coach too, so I think I have a wide range of skills to assist my clients 

I live with my Husband and our cat Ezra.

Some of the details of the work that I have done and cases that I am working on can be found over on Stories and interesting tales page

I am always up for a chat, so feel free to reach out to me

Email me: mel@thednaconnection.com.au