Hi David,
Sorry I didn't reply sooner, I have been quite busy in the past week.
Likewise, it is interesting to hear from a Slabicki overseas. I have never been overseas, but perhaps I will one day.
It's a bit of a shame that you weren't able get much information about your ancestry from your relatives. It was similar with me, by the time I started my research, my grandfather had passed away, which is why I have little information on the Slabicki side. But I have made an effort of finding out as much information from my grandmother as I can so that the information is not forgotten. I found that if I didn't collate the information about my relatives then no one would. My grandmother has a German background, and many of my distant relatives live in Germany, some of whom I have met when they have come to Australia for a holiday.
My grandparents emigrated in 1950 aboard a ship from Germany to Australia, with a stop-off in Naples, Italy. Since then all of their descendants have resided in Victoria, Australia.
I haven't done too much official research through archives, but I have been able to access some documents online from the National Archives of Australia that document my grandparents emigration over to Australia. Most of which is in German, but I have managed to translate it. I also came across some records of my grandfather's brother, I think it was and found out some very interesting information, which I didn't know before.
I hope to hear from you some time again.
Regards,
Daniel