Female genealoogical researcher searching through card catalogue in wooden drawers.

Kathryn Le Gay Brereton

Genealogical Researcher & Family Historian

I am a genealogical researcher and family historian with over twenty years of experience in records management, research, and archival work. My practice is trauma informed and culturally responsive.

As a descendant of Polish Jewish ancestors, I understand the deep need to uncover lost family histories, especially those disrupted by adversity. My personal journey began with a fragment of a Polish birth certificate from 1888, leading to a twenty-year search that uncovered my family story.

I have worked with descendants of concentration camp survivors, as well as clients in Australia seeking redress for childhood abuse in institutions and those affected by forced separations through adoption, child migration, and institutionalisation. My clients have included Forgotten Australians and the Stolen Generation. I am a funded researcher for the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS).

My passion lies in helping others break through their research brick walls to find the answers they seek. However, I believe that not finding the answer doesn't always mean the end of the story—it’s just another step in the journey.

Qualifications:

  • Certificate in Genealogical Research - Society of Australian Genealogists

  • Diploma Family History, University of Tasmania

  • Recipient of 2022 Society of Australian Genealogists Scholarship

  • Admitted to the 2024 University Roll of Excellence on behalf of the College of Arts, Law and Education for outstanding academic performance in the Diploma of Family History

  • Statement in Accidental Counselling

  • Culturally Responsive Trauma Informed Practice (Yamurrah)

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Competence (Centre for Cultural Competence Australia in partnership with Reconciliation NSW)

  • Bachelor of Applied Science (Health Information Management)

  • Graduate Certificate in Business Administration

  • Experience in records searching and family history tracing for clients placed into childhood institutions or removed from family, including care leavers, former child migrants and the Stolen Generation.

  • JewishGen Family Finder listee & contributor to JewishGen Donation Portal

  • Current subscriptions/credits with Ancestry.com, GenealogySA, MyHeritage.com, Fold3.com, Findmypast.co.uk, FamilySearch.org, ScotlandsPeople.gov.uk, the British Newspaper Archive, Koori Mail, Newspapers.com, DNA Painter, and GEDmatch

  • Active user with the National Library of Australia & Trove, State Library of NSW, National Archives of Australia, NSW State Archives, The Arolsen Archives, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and ScotlandsPeople

  • Experience submitting applications to repositories on behalf of clients including requests to the Bringing Them Home Name Index, Aboriginal History Research Service WA, State Library and State Archive repositories across Australian States & Territories, and AIATSIS collections

  • Experience in finding, analysis and transcription of records from Australia, England, Ireland, America, and Eastern Europe, including census records, electoral rolls, naturalisation and immigration documents, military records, birth, marriage, divorce, and death records

  • Experience in interpretation of DNA results

Memberships:

  • Society of Australian Genealogists (SAG)

  • The Australasian Association of Genealogists and Record Agents (AAGRA)

  • Proud member of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG)

  • GenealogySA

  • Sydney Jewish Museum

  • Israel Genealogy Research Association