David Forrest

I don't think this will be the only post I write about my 2x great grandfather David Forrest.
I am finishing reading a book by one of his grandsons, and he is featured in the early chapters quite prominently.
It gives me a sense of his presence.
And I felt his presence far before reading this book (WORSE COULD HAVE HAPPENED - ANDREW FORREST)

He travelled...he lived in other countries...and as I researched and learned more of him, I found he had been to Canada.
I suppose this was a big deal because before my mum, I didn't know of anyone in my direct line who had been to this country.
He spent some time in the Prairies...I found him in Saskatchewan at one point.

When his travelling days were over, when his 10 years in Australia were brought to an abrupt end (family duties, returning to Ireland as his brother was ill, and David was to manage the family land), I got a sense of who he evolved into.

an activist who worked for farmers rights in establishing the dairy collective
a well-read man who delighted his grandchildren with stories of Egypt and the pharaohs
a man who spent hours sitting out under the trees reading
someone I feel I have met through time and ancestral memory.