Email address                                            6 Dunkirk St   Quelji@optusnet.com.au                                    Bundaberg                                                                Queensland                                                            Australia 4670                                                             Ph.--0741512951

My name is James Weir Quaite and I am the administrator of this site and I am  endevouring to research the Quaite family from Northern Ireland where my father ,  paternal Grandparents and ancestors appear to derive from. 
  My grandfather also James Weir Quaite born Tobermorie Islandmagee Larne on 8th April  1870 with his wife Frances [nee Lewis B-16th April 1871 and married at Cliftonville  Presbyterian Church Belfast on 27th April 1892] whom together with their 8 children  James, William, Elizabeth,Frances, Hugh, John, Lewis[my dad] and Irene all migrated  to Australia departing from London on the Burns Philp Ship 'Whakatane' arriving in  Cairns Queensland Australia on 12th January 1910. 
  Both my grandparents died in Cairns James on 2/02/1943 and Frances on 8/08/1942 and  are buried in the old St Martyn's cemetery Cairns North Q'ld Australia.During World  War 2 in 1941 they moved from their home at 9 Grimshaw st Cairns  to Brisbane for a little over 12 months where they celebrated their Golden wedding anniversary at their residence at Milton Rd  Auchenflower Brisbane Q'ld before returning to Cairns during 1942 after the invasion  threat from the Japanese had eased.   
  Prior to their departure for Australia the family lived at 11 Eccles St Belfast and  51 Enfield St Belfast. My grandfather was a Joiner/Carpenter and found employment  with the Queensland Railways at Cairns Railway Workshops after their arrival in  Australia as a wagon builder . A further daughter Anne Kathleen their 9th child was born in Cairns on 25/11/1911.      
    My research so far completed shows my Grandfather James Weir Quaite was the  youngest child of Hugh and Matilda Quait [nee Weir] and there is records of a further  three other children Hugh, John and Ellen born of this union.   Hugh's father is shown as William Queate and mother Margaret [nee Magill]. Please   Note :I have found there are several ways for the spelling of Quaite name  eg, Queate  and Quait.
  My father Lewis Quaite [B-27/01/1905 Belfast N.I  D- 16/02/1969 at Mt Morgan Q'ld  Aust]married my mother a widow Mary Isabella Cain [nee Thomas B-16/04/1912 Charters  Towers Q'ld D- Brisbane Q'ld 16/01/1998]] in Townsville on 6/04/1931.Dad was a  Westinghouse Fitter in the Q'ld Railways for most of his life before working at the  Mt Morgan gold mine in his final years prior to his retirement on 15/02/1969 the day  before he passed away.      
  There were 6 children born of this marriage James[Jim B-5/05/1933], Lorice[B- 30/04/1936], Frances[Fay B-24/01/1938],Lewis,[B-16/08/1941],Jacqueline[B-31/07/1943]  and [Hugh Born and died March 1945].Hugh died within 6 days of his birth in  Brisbane,he is buried at the Toowong cemetery Brisbane.
   My marriage to Elsie May Steffensen[B 19/10/1935 in Bundaberg]  took place at  Christ Church of England Bundaberg on 29/12/1956 and we have 4 children Marion[B  15/12/1957], Carol [B:28/10/1960], James[ B: 18/11/1963] and Robert [B:  23/02/1967],all in Bundaberg Queensland Australia. 
  Marion married John McLeod in Eden N.S.W 0n 9/03/1980 and she has two children  Daniel and Minka Mc Leod. Marion and John were divorced in 1991 and she currently  lives in Brisbane Q'ld. 
  Carol married Robert Evan Crow on 29/12/1983 and they had 2 children Joshua  and Lani prior to Robert's death as a result of  a motor accident on Rosedale Rd  Bundaberg on the 6/10/1991. Carol remarried in Bundaberg on 17/11/1996 to Terry  Leather[ B-25/04/1959]and they separated in November 2010. 
  James married Rhonda Sutherland[B-12/03/1963 in Melbourne on 29/03/1986  and they have two children Emma & James. Rhonda passed away unexpectedly on 8/11/2010 from a heart attack. 
  Robert married Barbara Wegert [B-22/06/19666 at Christ Church of England Bundaberg  on 7/19/1989 and they have 2 children Sarah and Matthew.
  I conducted my own electrical contracting business for over 40 years in Bundaberg  and both my sons James and Robert trained as electricians. I retired the electrical  business in 2003. The boys decided not to continue the business but are currently employed in their trade.   
  The whole family have been very involved in the sport of Field hockey as Players ,  Coaches and Administrators. My wife and I both represented our State of  Queensland and  Elsie achieved an Australian Umpires badge whilst I coached Q'ld Women's Senior ,U/21  & U18 teams  and Men's teams for a period in excess of 15 years and also coached the  Australian U/18 Women's team for a 3 year period.
  Following my retirement from Coaching I became President of the Q'ld Men's hockey  Association for a term  of 4 years before becoming the initial President of Hockey  Q'ld [the amalgamated Men and Women's Assn] for 6 years.  Following my retirement from  coaching I was awarded an O.A.M Order of Australia Medal in the Australia Day Honours  list in 1990. Both our daughters Marion and Carol also represented Q'ld for several  years with Carol also selected for Australia for two years during the 1970's. Both  sons James and Robert were selected in Q'ld teams during the 1970/1980's.   Whilst granddaughters Minka and Sarah have been part of Q'ld age teams during the  post 2000 years. Grandsons Joshua selected in Q'ld School team and Matthew in Q'ld  age training squads. Both Elsie and I are life mambers of the Hockey Q'ld Inc whilst  I am also a life member of Hockey Australia.
  Carol , James and Robert and their spouses and children and my grandson Daniel all  live in Bundaberg whilst Marion and Minka live in Brisbane Q'ld. A recent addition to the family occurred with the birth of our first great grandchild  on 4/04/2008 when Madaleine Alysse was born to Minka and her fiancee Dylan Elliot at  the Wesley Hospital Toowong Brisbane Queensland.Minka & Dylan were married at Scarborough on 27th June 2009. Another recent addition to the family was Jaxon James first born to Lani May and her partner Trent Drinnen on 8th December 2008 at Bundaberg Q'ld Australia. Recent occurances of note saw the engagemnet of both grandsons Daniel James Mc Leod and Joshua Robert Crow. Daniel's engagement to Amanda Gray occurred in November 2008  and Joshua announcement to Sophie Hawkey was on the 6th March 2009.Joshua and Sophie were married in Bundaberg on 22nd August 2009 whilst Dan & Amanda were married in Bundaberg on 2nd October 2010.  
 My grand daughter Emma Quaite and her partner David Law gave birth to a daughter Ameilia Rose Law on 14th august 2010 at Bundaberg Maternity hospital whilst my Grandson Joshua Crow and his wife Sophie also had a daughter Molly Ann on 9th October 2010 at Bundaberg Maternity hospital. The most recent family additions are Max Alexander Drinnen born to Lani & Trent on 28-04-2011 in Bundaberg  and Pippa Mae Elliot born to Minka and Dylan Elliot on 01/12/2011 in Brisbane Q'ld .Another great grand daughter Ellena Mae Crow was born to Sophie and Joshua on 11th April 2012  our first addition in 2012 and a sister for Molly Ann. The recent birth of Zander Kade Law to Emma Quaite and her partner David Law occurred on Wednesday  27th March 2013 at 11.30am at Bundaberg Q'ld the 2nd child and brother to Ameilia Rose.