CHAPTER MEMBERSHIP
Arthur Phillip Chapter mainly attracts members who live on the north side of Sydney Harbour, including the Northern Beaches, but has no specific Chapter boundaries. Once you are a financial member of the Fellowship of First Fleeters you can attend meetings at any of their eighteen Chapters Australia-wide.
As a national organisation (hence the floral emblems representing the States and Territories), membership is mainly directed towards descendants of those who arrived with the First Fleet in 1788.
Descendants of later arrivals (e.g. Second Fleeters, Third Fleeters, later-arriving convicts and free settlers) are very welcome join the Fellowship of First Fleeters and be an active member of the Arthur Phillip Chapter; or join the Chapter closest to your home town.
Prospective members of the Fellowship of First Fleeters (FFF) are welcome to attend Chapter meetings as guest observers for the first few meetings until becoming a registered member of the Fellowship. Spouses/partners are encouraged to join so they too can attend and participate in meetings.
Chapter membership: Is available to all registered members. Chapter membership is free, covered by an FFF annual subscription which applies to all members. (A small fee is charged when attending meetings to cover the room hire.)
CATEGORIES
Ordinary: For those who can provide to FFF documentary evidence as being a direct descendant of one or more First Fleet ancestor.
Full time Student Member - supply student card
Junior Member (under 18 years - supply date of birth)
* Once a parent's membership has been approved, children need only supply an application form plus a photocopy of their own FULL Birth Certificate to be granted membership.
Spouse/Associate: A wife, husband or partner of a First Fleeter – must live at the same address.
Friend: Membership is available if the connection to a First Fleeter cannot initially be verified, but once the connection is made an application for Ordinary membership can be submitted.
Friend membership is also open to persons interested in the First, Second, Third Fleets and later convict and free settler arrivals. Anyone interested in the social and family history of colonial times is very welcome too.
Fees: Once your First Fleeter ancestry is verified by Head Office, you then join the FFF and pay their annual Ordinary fee which entitles you to their benefits and the bi-monthly Founders magazine.
Notes:
- There is no category for ‘Chapter Only’ membership.
- A discount is available for a Pensioner Member (supply card number).
- If an Application for an Ordinary Member + Associate Member is submitted together, at the same time, then only one Joining Fee of $20.00 is payable.
For Arthur Phillip Chapter Enquiry Form apply by email to the Chapter Secretary: [email protected]
Fellowship of First Fleeters: Full membership requirements:
The Fellowship is committed to assisting applicants in their their search for family-tree connections, often successfully connecting an application to existing family-trees and prove ancestry back to a First Fleeter.
Where an applicant has a relative who has already proven their line and been accepted as a member of the Fellowship, the applicant need only provide ‘certified’ evidence of their relationship to that person - often certification exists in FFF files verifying the ancestral line.
Only copies of certificates, e.g. birth, death, marriage and baptism, is accepted by the Board of the FFF. However they accept ‘transcripts' of certificates showing the relationship to an existing member or past member when these are obtained through accredited transcription agents (see lists on FFF website). In recent times verified DNA has been accepted by the Board as supporting evidence.
For all FFF membership details go to (not linked): www.fellowshipfirstfleeters.org.au
Top images: Aurora Australis lighting up the skies of Southern Australia.
Insert: Bottlebrush, courtesy of P. Doyle
Bottom L-R: Eastern Rozella; Cockatoo; Kookaburra; Rainbow Lorikeet; King Parrot. Images from the internet
© Arthur Phillip Chapter of Fellowship of First Fleeters 2023 -