[1] All information in this chapter is from my own recollections and those of my brothers and sisters. In many instances the original source of the information was my mother, as told to me or to one or other family member.

It is my hope that there will be many more chapters of this story written one day by descendants of those who are mentioned in this book. In the meantime I will bring my brief account of something of the history of the Bonds to a close with a short summary of the lives of my brothers and sisters and their families to this time, but with the hope that one day someone else will rewrite it in greater detail.

After completing Form 4 (Year 10) in 1952, Gerald left school and commenced work at the CBA Bank in Geelong. He gave that up after some years to take up employment in Melbourne as a technician with Burroughs Ltd a multi-national computer firm. He married Joan Haygarth, the sister of a Geelong and Victorian League footballer, at St Mary's Geelong in 1959 and moved to Springvale North. The couple later moved to Mulgrave but in the meantime had three children, Debbie (b 6th Aug 1959), Rodney (b 3rd May 1961) and David (b 10th July 1964). In 1975 the family moved to Hexham in western Victoria and took over the local hotel. A couple of years later Gerald and Joan divorced with Gerald taking the three children to Ararat where he established a business selling records, tapes etc. Shortly after this Gerald met and subsequently married a local girl, Debbie Osmond (b 31st Dec 1959). The marriage took place on 7th Oct 1978 at the Uniting church in Ararat as Gerald's divorce prevented his remarriage in the Catholic Church.

The couple built a new home on the Port Fairy Rd at Mt Chalambar just south of Ararat where they raised four children Jared (b 25th Jan 1980), Nathan (b 6th Mar 1982) Meagan (b 27th Dec 1983) and Bridie (b 29th Apr 1993). Debbie was received into the Catholic Faith at Easter 1989 and the children were baptised at St Marys Catholic Church in Ararat and attended St Marys Primary School and later the older ones attended Marian College.

Gerald's eldest daughter Debbie was herself married at Ararat in 1980. She and her husband Billy Gibson then moved to Kiewa in north-eastern Victoria where their family grew to include four children:- Emma (b 28th Mar 1983) who became a successful writer, theatre-maker and poet, Luke (b 31st Jan 1985), Matthew (b 4th Mar 1987) and Lara (b 5th July 1989). Debbie and Billy were divorced in 1993.

Rodney married Sharon Klemm in Ararat on 21st Nov 1987 and had two children, Chloe and Jack. He continued to live in work in Ararat but for a time also worked on an oil rig off the coast of Western Australia.

David married Michelle Square at Warrnambool in Nov 1988 where he continued to live even after she had left him and gone to live in W.A. about twelve months after the marriage. He remarried in 1995 to Debbie Eccles and continued to live in Warrnambool.The couple had a daughter, Jordan in 1997 and a son Damian (b 14th Nov 2000).

Gerald, Debbie and their youngest three children moved from Ararat to Bannockburn near Geelong on 17th Oct 1998 and in Nov 2005 the family moved to Furner Ave in Bell Park, a suburb of Geelong, for a couple of years before yet another move to Herne St, Manifold Heights. Nathan completed his education at St Josephs College and Meagan and Bridie attended Clonard (Brigidine) College. The couple then moved to the 'Pelican Shores' retirement village on Corio Bay near Point Henry on the outskirts of Geelong where they remained until 2023 before moving to live with daughter Bridie near Meredith.

Jared married Melita King in Perth in March 2006. Their daughter Mahlie Zanna was born in Geelong on 23rd Sep 2011 and a son, Alfie Oscar on 11th Oct 2015, also in Geelong. Nathan married Rebecca Stevens at SS Peter and Pauls in Geelong West on 15th Nov 2008 and a son Logan Riley was born on 22nd Oct 2011. A second son, Harrison Jack was born prematurely on 11th May 2013. Meagan married Tim Callaghan at Holy Spirit Church Manifold Heights on 2nd Jan 2010. A son Archie Jack was born in 2014 and a daughter Poppy Eve in Geelong on the 11th Nov 2015. Bridie completed her veterinary science studies at Melbourne University in 2017 and commenced working in Bannockburn where she lived with her partner Emmet Brosnan, a New Zealander who moved to Victoria to further his career in harness racing where he became a leading driver. Emmet and his father trained Maori Law the winner of the prestigious Inter Dominion trotting final in 2021. Bridie and Emmet were married at Sacred Heart church Inverleigh, on 9th Feb 2019. A daughter, Eloise Dorothy, was born in Geelong on 23rd December 2022.

Family photograph at the wedding of Bridie Bond, Inverleigh, 2019. Back (l-r) Jared & Melita Bond, Brian Bond, Rebecca and Nathan Bond; Gerald Bond; Emmet & Bridie Brosnan; Debbie Bond; Meagan & Tim Callaghan; Pam Osmond; Catherine Bond. In front ( l-r) Alfie ; Mahlie; Harrison and Logan Bond; Poppy & Archie Callaghan.

Maureen worked in the office of the Volum Brewery in Geelong for about twelve months after leaving school, then for a short time at Myers (a major department store in Geelong) before she married Noel Dempsey at St Mary's Geelong in Feb 1958. The couple moved to Medowie, north of Newcastle in NSW, where Noel obtained employment as a plumber. Two children were born in Newcastle, Stephen (8th Mar 1959) and Susan (11th Aug 1961), before the family returned to Geelong in Feb 1962 and settled eventually at 7 Alkoomi Ave in Hamlyn Heights. The family lived at this address until May 1971 when they shifted to 72 Fairview Ave in Newtown where they continued to live until moving to 5 Coquette St in Geelong West in Dec 1990. The family had grown to total six children by this time with the births of Greg (b 24th Aug 1964), Lisbeth (Libby) (b 27th Aug 1966); Justin (b 11th Aug 1970) and Marisa (b 7th Dec 1972). Following Noel's retirement, Maureen and Noel spent over a year travelling around Australia in their mobile home. In 2002 they sold their house in Geelong and shifted to Lennox Head in NSW.

In August 2006 Maureen was first diagnosed with motor-neurone disease, a progressive disease of the nervous system that attacks the cells that control voluntary muscle activity including speaking, walking, breathing, swallowing and general movement of the body. Over the next almost three years, her condition gradually deteriorated with her speech and swallowing being the first areas to be affected. Her brave fight finally ended on 22nd May in Lismore, NSW. Her funeral mass was celebrated in Lennox Head and her body cremated.

Stephen married Karyn Marshall on 23rd Feb 1985 in Geelong about six months before taking up a position as a librarian in Maffra (Vic). A daughter, Jessica, was subsequently born on 14th Feb 1990.

Sue married Norman Kirwan at the chapel in St Joseph's College chapel in Geelong on 2nd Feb 1991 and settled at Agnes Water, near Gladstone in Queensland. The couple had four children Cassandra (Cassie) (b 16th Jan 1993), Jack (b 14th Sep 1994), who married Shanee Lea Martin on 20th July 2024 on the Gold Coast, Qld, Meg (b 18th Jan 1997) and Isabella (b 28th May 2001).

Greg married Camille Ryan at Holy Spirit church Manifold Heights in Feb 1989 and settled in Geelong. Two boys Luke (b 12th Aug 1991) and Joshua (b 27th Jun 1994) followed. Cam passed away on 24th March 2013 after which Greg and his sons moved to Darwin.

Libby lived and worked in a variety of locations and occupations before settling first at Fremantle (WA) and then Lismore (NSW) where she worked at the local hospital. She later returned to Geelong where she worked as a paramedic in the ambulance service. Her brother Justin also regularly changed address and family members were sometimes unsure of his whereabouts and activities. In 2003 he obtained employment as a teacher of English in China and began to show signs of a more settled existence. He became involved in an export business with a Chinese partner and returned to Australia and lived at Ballina (NSW).

Marisa worked as a teacher in Thailand where she formed a relationship with a Burmese refugee named Htun who was active in developing and implementing a program for the emergency treatment of landmine victims. Eventually in 2003 Marisa, Htun and their son Jaylalay were able to move back to Australia as a family and settled at Bellingen (NSW). Marisa and Htun separated in 2005 and Marissa moved to the Mullimbimby (NSW) area not far from her parents. She subsequently moved to Blevio near Lake Como, Italy with her new partner Danny but returned to live in Sydney, Australia in 2014.

Dempsey family gathering Easter 2004. Back (l-r) Norm & Sue Kirwan with baby Isabella; Unknown; Libby Dempsey; Htun Htun; Josh Dempsey; Luke Dempsey (holding Jaylalay); Maureen & Greg Dempsey. Centre: Marisa Dempsey; Cassie Kirwan. In front: Meg and Jack Kirwan . (it was not possible to find a photo showing all family members!

After obtaining his Intermediate certificate at St Mary's Technical School, Laurence commenced an apprenticeship with a local electrician. He later transferred to the much larger Plumbing and Electrical contracting firm H E Green Pty Ltd, and eventually rose to the position of manager of the Geelong branch. Later he formed and operated his own electrical contracting business. For many years he was a prominent player for the St Marys Football Club in the Geelong Football League, playing over 200 games, being a member of several successful Grand Final teams, winning the Best and Fairest Award and being named in the club's 'Team of the Century'.

Laurie as he was more commonly called, married Karlene Baker at St Peter and Pauls, Geelong West in 1966 and settled at Grovedale where his family grew to include ten children:- Anthony (b 22nd Apr 1967); Jane(b 4th Oct 1968); Matthew (b 17th Dec 1969); Sarah (b 21st Apr 1973); Rachael (b 2nd July 1974); Nathan (b 7th Mar 1976); Anna (b 26th Apr 1978); Luke (b 17th Dec 1979); Lucinda (b 20th Feb 1983) and Miranda (b 30th Apr 1986).

Anthony married Debra Corden at the Parade College chapel in Bundoora in November of the same year (1991) and settled first at Mill Park, later at Eltham then at Greensborough, but the marriage ended in divorce a few years later. Anthony then married Jacqueline Ricketts in 2003 and settled in Torquay. A son, Alexander Joseph, was born the following year (b 27th Jul 2004) but Anthony and Jacquie separated not long after that and Anthony moved to Queensland. He died in Cairns on 28th April, 2024

Jane married Pat Fitzgerald at St Marys Geelong in April 1991 and later gave birth to a son Zachary (b 25th Apr 1994), daughters Matilda (b 21st Sep 1995) and Jemimah Grace (b 5th Nov 1999), followed by another son Oscar Patrick (b 29th Sep 2006), all born in Geelong. The family lived in Nanjing, China for a number of years where Pat was transferred in his employment. They returned to Geelong in 2019 and Jane commenced a photographic business.

Matthew fathered two children with his partner Lisa Fowkes, Jayden (b 23rd Apr 1995) and Joshua (b 17th Apr 1996) before becoming estranged from her and her family. A daughter Ebony was born to his new partner Bronwyn Greig in Jan 2004 and this was followed by the births of Liam and Paige. He later lived at Hattah in north-western Victoria.

Sarah and her partner Glen Abbott became the parents of a daughter, Scarlett Rose, who was born in Geelong on 20th Oct 2010. Sarah and Glenn were married at Puerto Galera in the Philippines on 6th Apr 2013, but separated shortly afterwards. Sarah subsequently married Drew Morrison at Fyansford near Geelong on 21st Mar 2020

Rachael was diagnosed with cancer as a teenager and then again with another form of cancer a few years later. She was able to overcome both conditions and forged a successful career as a naturopath. She gave birth to a son, Hugo Laurence on 10th Dec 2015 and a second son Theodore (Teddy) on 7th Dec 2017. Rachael qualified as a midwife in 2021 and lived in Hawthorn, Vic.

In 1998 Nathan became the father of Jacob Liam with his partner Jasmine Dunn. Nathan and Jasmine were married at Barwon Heads on 18th Mar 2000 and a second child Lilly May was born in February of the following year (16th Feb 2001). Nathan died on 12th Dec 2018 at his home in Ocean Grove (Vic).

Anna married Grant Foot on 12th Nov 2004 and settled at Drysdale near Geelong. A daughter, Kalani Louise was born on 1st Sep 2006 and a son, Jarvis William, on 19th Feb 2009.

Luke moved to London where he established himself as a computer programmer. His partner Antonias Bechmann, originally from Leipzig in Germany, gave birth to their son Rohan on 28th Aug 2021. They married in London during the Covid pandemic, but decided to repeat the ceremony when the pandemic eased and family members were able to attend. the wedding took place on 24th Sep 2022. A daughter Ylva Sophia was born on Christmas Day 2023.

Lucy married James Collins (originally from the UK) at Torquay on 14 Dec 2013. A son Otis John, was born on 5th May 2016 and a second son Lennon 'Lenny' George on 9th April 2018. She qualified as a teacher and taught at Lara Secondary College for a number of years before transferring to Bellarine Secondary College in 2021.

Miranda married Darren Roth at the Sacred Heart College chapel in Geelong on 28th Nov 2009. Their son Angus Lee was born in Geelong on 27th Jun 2013. The couple separated a few years after that.

In 2000 Laurie, Karlene and the chidren still living at home sold their house in Grovedale and moved temporarily to Jan Juc before moving into their newly built residence in Glaneuse Ave in Torquay. In 2022 they sold their house and moved into a smaller unit Armstrong Green Villa 35, 722-742 Barwon Heads Rd, Armstrong Creek.

"Bond girls". (l-r) Sarah, Lucy, Anna; Miranda, Jane, Karlene (mother) and Rachael. In front Jemimah and Matilda Fitzgerald. Again it was not possible to find a photo with all family members present.

Catherine completed her secondary education at Sacred Heart College then furthered her studies at Geelong Teachers College. Upon graduation she taught for a year at both Glenthompson and Avoca before returning and settling at East Geelong. She taught at several different schools around Geelong including Laverton PS (where the later Hoddle St mass-murderer Julian Knight was one of her students), Norlane West PS, Rollins PS and the Geelong Special School. Catherine took a keen interest in horses and frequently entered her own horses in a variety of riding and show events. In 1995 she moved to Teesdale where she had space to keep her horses whilst being relatively close to her place of employment.

I completed fourth form (Yr 10) at St Mary's before transferring to St Josephs College in Newtown in 1965. During that year I made the decision to join the Christian Brothers and as a result completed my Matriculation (Yr 12) at the Brothers' Training College at Bundoora in 1966. Three further years of study followed at Lower Plenty (Novitiate year 1967), Parkville (1968) and Box Hill (1969) before I commenced teaching at Aquinas College in Ringwood in 1970.

I then taught at St Marys West Melbourne (1971-72), St Josephs Abbotsford (1973-5) and St Virgils Hobart (1976) before taking a year of full time study to complete a Science degree at Melbourne University in 1977. I lived at Parkville for that year. The following year I was appointed to St Patricks College Ballarat where I remained for five years.

In 1983 I was appointed as Deputy Principal at St Bernards Essendon and in 1985 I became Principal at St Bernards - a position I held until the end of 1988.

At the end of that year I travelled to New York to attend a Conference and following that was able to take the opportunity to travel through Europe before returning to take up an appointment as Principal of Parade College in Bundoora in 1989. Whilst in Europe I visited many of the places in England and Ireland associated with this Family history.

During my six years at Parade I twice had the opportunity to travel overseas. Firstly I won a raffle the prize for which was a trip on the trans-Siberian railway! Hence after six days in Japan, I journeyed across Russia from Khabarovsk to Moscow before continuing on to Berlin and home. Secondly in 1994 after Parade College had established a sister school relationship with Takada High School in Tsu City Japan I visited Tsu in order to formalise the agreement. At the conclusion of my time at Parade I was given the opportunity of 15 months further study in Israel and Ireland during which time I conducted further research and visited more places associated with this family history in Ireland, England and Scotland, as well as travelling extensively in Eastern and Western Europe and Africa.

On my return to Australia in mid-1996 I taught for a few months at Guilford Young College in Hobart before accepting an appointment as Deputy Principal of Chanel College in Geelong while the future of the school was determined. After many winding turns in my life's journey and an absence of 30 years it was good to come 'home' to Geelong in January of 1997.

Earliest known photograph of the author held by his brother Laurie with his sisters Maureen (l) and Margaret (r)

Following the closure of Chanel at the end of 1999 I moved to Lower Plenty where I assumed the role of facilitator of the Young Adult Community and took on responsibility for a number of other projects for the Christian Brothers, principally the administration of the Edmund Rice Volunteer Scheme and the Province Justice Desk which promoted awareness of Justice issues across the communities and schools. At the start of 2004 I moved to the Brothers' Community at Rosanna in the north eastern suburbs of Melbourne and in 2005 I moved again to Sunshine where I was part of the community formed to supportan outreach to refugee families in the area through an after-school homework tuition program.

I had the opportunity for further travel when I participated in anInternational Social Justice Conference organized by the Christian Brothers in Kolkata, India in 2005 and again when I participated in the 'Karibu' cross-cultural immersion program held in Nairobi, Kenya in June 2006.

In Sep 2007 I was invited to be part of the community formed around the work of Edmund Rice International (ERI) in lobbying for human rights, particularly the rights of children in regard to education, through the Human Rights Council at the United Nations. Accordingly I moved to Geneva in Switzerland in late October of that year and so began yet another different phase of my life.

After a few months the community purchased a residence in Gaillard, France, close to Geneva (only a 35 minute cycle ride into the Geneva office from where I worked)

The nature of the work involved frequent travel with trips to Ireland to attend meetings of the ERI Board and travel to other parts of the world to conduct training in human rights and advocacy for members of the Edmund Rice Network. These locations included Argentina, India, Ghana, Kenya, Peru, the Philippines, Sierra Leone, Timor Leste, South Africa, the United Kingdom, the United States, Zambia and Zimbabwe. I assumed the position of Executive Director of ERI in 2009.

More information about my life and work can be found in the About Me section of this website.