MORE ABOUT BRIAN AUSTIN

IT'S BETTER TO BE A "HAS-BEEN" THAN TO BE A "NEVER WAS". - Brian Austin


Weston roots, Westonian focus

Brian has considerable experience as an actor and later as a 'local and family history expert' on stage, radio and television.

He was born in Weston-super-Mare in 1942 where he has several lines of ancestors. He is the son of Councillor Brigadier Ron Austin CBE.

His wife Annemarie Austin is a highly regarded poet and has been published by BloodAxe Books (among others).

The Austin family has a long connection to local entertainment and Brian first appeared on stage in 1946, eventually becoming a professional actor in 1962. In 1975 he retired through ill health and became a successful playwright.

In 1980, his long time interest in local history and genealogy led to lectureships  in those subjects. He went on to create the Weston Family History Society with a group of his former students.

For more than ten years he provided complimentary consultancies at Weston Museum and at Bristol Central Library. He also gave on-air advice sessions on BBC Radio Bristol.

Brian is dedicated to the research of genuine history and to eliminating myths and misconceptions. He is responsible for rescuing a large quantity of source material from potential destruction, including Books of Petty Session, Weston Council records (1942-1972), Wills, Land Deeds, original Victorian correspondence and more.

He remains an 'internet-free' zone so his personal local family history file consists of over twelve thousand handwritten A4 pages. 

In addition, Brian is known for standing up for the best interests of the town and its Westonian residents.


Local and Family History Accomplishments

Brian has over fifty years' worth of experience researching the history of Weston-super-Mare and its families.

This includes:

  • consulting to the then Weston Museum, attending over one thousand sessions between 1983 and 1993
  • providing over one hundred and twenty six-hour sessions at Bristol's Central Library
  • extramural lecturing on 'Sources for local and family history research" for Bristol University (1989-1998) and Weston College (1980-1990)
  • Members' Research Consultant for Somerset and Dorset Family History Society (1990-2000)
  • regular columnist for the Weston Mercury and Bristol Evening Post
  • helped the Association of Cricket Statistics with research to help them identify Victorian cricketers
  • founding the Weston Family History Society (FMHS) in 1983
  • vice-chair of Weston Library Committee (1992 - 1997)
  • served on Woodspring Area Leisure-Funding Committee (1991-96)
  • public speaker with over 400 talks and presentations under his belt.
  • Award-winning and Festival playwright, winner of Taylor award for Best New One- Act Play performed in Britain.
  • commissioned by local Council to write 'Weston, Our Weston" in celebration of the 150th anniversary of Weston becoming a town,