General News
25 June, 2026
Uncovering the truth
A PERSISTENT curiosity for genealogy has led a south west export to uncover a 150-year-old family mystery.
Former Terang and Kolora resident Gerald Moloney has released his new book, titled ‘Finding Maggie: An investigative story of a family’s secret past’.
Mr Moloney has long held a sharp interest in family genealogy, driven by the curiosity of his ancestry and a desire to understand their experiences – many of which happened during times which, against the standards of today, are filled with incomprehensible hardships.
His research hit a wall in what he describes as a “mysterious and significant piece” of the Moloney ancestry – the story of his grandfather’s maternal origins.
Mr Moloney said he had first heard about a mystery within the Moloney family surrounding his father’s grandmother, Margaret, when he was just 12 years old.
It was a subject he has researched on and off for the better part of 30 years, before committing to writing in 2018 following a conversation with is father.
“When my dad, Lindsay Moloney, was about 90 he shared a lot of the stories from not only my own family but from Terang and the south west district,” he said.
“He mentioned he didn’t really know his grandmother’s origins.
“I got him to do a DNA test and started digging then.
“There was a lot of people who didn’t like to delve into their background if there were any skeletons – they were a proud people who liked to keep everything above board.
“The more I got into it, the more intrigued I got – there was something here that people weren’t talking about.”
Mr Moloney said the process of researching his book began 30 years prior after a conversation peaked his interest.
“I was talking to a cousin of my grandfather’s about 30 years ago and I asked her what she could tell me about Margaret Moloney – known as Maggie,” he said.
“I said I believed she was born in Ireland and brought out to Australia, but this cousin, Jean Hickey, said “the only bit of Ireland Aunt Mag ever saw was on a map”.
“That’s when I really started to try and find out who her parents were.
“When I did find out, I came to the realisation I was the first person in four generations of family to know who these people were.”
Mr Moloney said the book officially released earlier this month after a pre-copy circulated among the Moloney family, which drew positive reviews and the tick of approval.
“My dad still has one brother in Terang, Frank, who is 92 and he had no idea about this history,” he said.
“It was fantastic because I’ve always been involved in the family history – every now and again someone would come along and ask me who such-and-such was or where the family had come from.
“I had a bit of an idea people would be interested, but it’s been quite amazing to get the feedback.
“Even from other people who are into finding out their origins, it’s a story which is not just a basic family history – there’s a mystery which intertwines within it.”
Copies are available at The Shed in Noorat, the Camperdown Courthouse and Collins Bookshop in Warrnambool.
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