Unveiling The Remarkable Family Saga Of The Backhaus Family

Family and friends, relatives old and new, gathered at the Millaroo home of Elizabeth Tudehope last Saturday, November 4 to celebrate the launch of ‘May the Cane Prosper’, a remarkable family history spanning continents and generations.

The book was written by two second cousins, New Zealand based author Pene Greet and Brisbane based researcher Avis-Ann Ballard, who met at a family gathering in 2017 and bonded over their passion for family history.

“I hadn’t seen Pene since 1961 when she was two and I was 10,” Avis-Ann said.

Pene and Avis-Anne share the same great-grandmother, Louise Backhaus, who ventured from Germany to Australia in 1884 and is the central character of ‘May the Cane Prosper’.

“Pene’s grandmother was Louise’s first daughter, my grandmother was the second daughter and then there was a third daughter who had no children,” Avis-Ann said.

The book charts the family’s movements throughout north Queensland, with descendants now residing across the state.

Avis-Ann said her passion for family history came from her father, who loved his family.

“Being a banker, my dad was very particular, very pedantic about everything, and he kept every piece of paper from everywhere,” she said.

“He also looked after his widowed mother, his widowed aunt and his widowed sister and he had all of their papers and photographs so before he died, I had a chance to go through all of his old photos and he’d tell me his stories.

“He always said he had all this family history and in his funeral file, I found a letter he had written to me and my brother explaining where everything is.”

Avis-Ann and her mother would go through her father’s belongings after his death in 2009, keeping the important pieces of history and ultimately creating a family timeline.

After Pene and Avis-Ann’s meeting in 2017, they began collaborating, sharing, and collecting photos and information.

With the two second cousins based on opposite sides of the Tasman Sea; the book was written entirely by electronic correspondence.

“It’s a beautiful book; there are photographs in there from the 1800s and they look great,” Avis-Anne said.

“We did the whole book by emails so I’m very proud of it.

“It didn’t matter how much information I gave Pene, she always wanted more and that became more enjoyable for me; I became addicted to it all.

“The friendships I have made with these other family members that I didn’t know before has been the greatest thing.

“It wasn’t just Pene and I; it’s been a collaborative effort.”  

Book launches were held at locations including the Burdekin, Atherton, Innisfail, and Brisbane, sharing the book and the stories with the far reaches of the family across Queensland.

Copies have been donated to Burdekin Shire Council libraries and are available to purchase from Home Hill resident Anne Kerr.

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Elizabeth Tudehope, Avis-Ann Ballard, Pene Greet and Anne Kerr. Photo credit: Melanie Napier