volume of this kind cannot be produced by one person, but must necessarily be the work of a co-operative group. The idea of a family history was first suggested in 1987 by one of my cousins when they all gathered to meet my sister Joan Dougan who paid a visit to Perth from her home in New Jersey. Perhaps because I was a university academic, I accepted the challenge. Little did I then realise the magnitude of the task. However, it was not until 1989 that I embarked seriously on the project. When my mother Dorothy died in October 1988, we found amongst her belongings many volumes of the diaries of her mother, Kate Rumble. Later my cousin Miriamme Young lent me other volumes of the diary that were in her possession. This gave impetus to my work.

y mother, perhaps more than any other of her generation in Perth, always kept alive a romantic notion of her past. From an early age I had known about the de Brotherton line stretching back to the fourteenth century; I was told about the Humfreys who were landed gentry at Upton, and I knew a little about my Chinese ancestry, although my mother was vague on detail. On the walls of my parents' home hung the oil-painting of the Rev Edward Fall, my great-great grandfather. I felt I had known him all my life, but knew little of him. He lived at a time of great change in England - the time of the Industrial revolution. I often wished I knew more about the life and thoughts of this kindly old gentleman who followed my every action from his place on the wall. With this head-start in both motivation and knowledge, I embarked on the task enthusiastically.

efore me there were two well defined tasks: the need to research the ancestry of my grandparents; and the task of seeking the co-operation of my many cousins to write the story of descendants. My mother had maintained contact with a few relatives in Britain, and I extended this. Through Frances Baynton in Gairloch, Scotland, I made contact with her brother Joseph Rumble and with Judy Rumble. They, in turn, gave me contact with Michael Rumble and Mark Rumble who were both interested in family research. Michael gave me what he knew about the Rumbles, and sent me a most detailed family tree of the Humfrey branch of the family. Mark, a keen local historian, gave me much information about the de Brothertons. Joseph also added to my knowledge of the de Brothertons. Maryanne Tate, Mark's sister, sent me family information.

ithout the help of Brenda Rohl, daughter of my cousin Robin Furphy, much of the detail of the Rumble ancestry would be incomplete, or not confirmed. Brenda had gone to Oxford with her husband Andrew and became interested in my project when I asked her to obtain one piece of information for me. She researched official records, sent me birth, marriage and death certificates. She consulted census records from 1841 onwards, and posted me photocopies of over forty wills of ancestors on both the Rumble and Knight side of the family. She visited cemeteries and, with Michael Rumble, researched the Rumble ancestors. She made contact with Alexandra and Henry Knight, among others. Through them she obtained many details of the Hochee family, previously unknown to us, and located the portraits of Ho Chee and his father Ho Foo.

ape recorder in hand, I visited in turn all my Cousins and their spouses in Perth. I asked them to talk about their parents, about their own lives and about their children. There were only two survivors of my mother's generation: Horace Rumble and his wife Vera. In 1989 I recorded short conversations with them. Many people cooperated with me: Jean Warren, Peter and Joyce Rumble, Bob and Dot Rumble, Nancy and Lew Mills, Jim and Joan Rumble, Ross and Beryl Rumble, Elsa Matthews, Robin and Bob Furphy, Lesley and Jim Carroll, Alison Baseden and her daughter Michelle Kueser, Miriamme and John Young, Edward and Dawn Chown, and my sister Joan, whom I initially waylaid during a visit in 1990. I transcribed over sixty cassettes of recorded interviews and used these to produce draft entries for the book. Each cousin undertook the task of checking these entries for accuracy, and made suggestions for changes and improvement. I contacted Penelope Tay in Sydney and Joseph Chown in Melbourne and they helped me write their entries. Greg Sheehan in New South Wales gave me details of his deceased wife Ailsa and family. Often, the children of my cousins also contributed.

o all these people, both in Australia and overseas, who contributed whole-heartedly to the project, I give my sincere thanks. They made it possible. While they contributed many ideas, I must accept responsibility for the final text. A project of this size is unlikely to be free of the occasional error. Not all entries for living relatives are of equal depth. For some, this was by request; for others it was due to lack of balance in my own research.

erhaps my greatest thanks must go to my wife Kay. Not only did she transcribe the many hundreds of pages of Kate Rumble's diary, noting items that should be recorded in the Register, but she also proofread all drafts several times and offered constant constructive criticism, supplied endless cups of tea and much encouragement. Her support was magnificent.

amily histories usually paint rosy pictures: sensitive areas such as conflicts and problems are often minimised or omitted. Each person to whom I spoke was asked to tell their story from their own point of view. Another family member may have a different perspective.

ome descendants of my grandchildren's generation, or beyond, may be encouraged to update the story of their own family in greater detail, adding material omitted from this volume and extending it beyond the year 1994. I hope that they will do so. My own efforts have greatly increased my personal sense of belonging, and I am sure that anyone who continues the project will reap similar benefits.

John Fall

29 Paterson Gardens, Winthrop

Perth, Western Australia

May, 1994