Michelle Patient is a genealogist, computer geek, and DNA enthusiast, with qualifications in Chemistry and Geology. She grew up with a grandmother whose family stories, photographs, and memorabilia sparked her life-long interest in genealogy. In 1989 Michelle began searching for her English half-sister, and in 2005 she reconnected her mother with her birth family. With ancestry ranging from early Australian military and convicts, and Australian & New Zealand early colonists, through to post-WWII Royal Naval Support, her personal research covers a wide range of British Isles diasporas and early Down Under research. She has separated facts from fiction, uncovering stories of will disputes, adoptions, children being given away, bankruptcies, and murder-suicides. Adding DNA research to her genealogy tool kit has increased the range of Michelle’s methods, revealing skeletons, and breaking down many brick walls. Michelle volunteers for several genealogical societies and is one of the DNA consultants behind the Australian SBS TV series Every Family has a Secret.
