Known as the father of Canberra and the founder of the Queanbeyan Age newspaper in 1860, a statue of Mr Gale watches over the city of Queanbeyan on Monaro Street.

His great great granddaughter, Christine Burton, and her cousins came to the capital from right across New South Wales to admire his statue and read the expansive collection of documents and photographs related to Mr Gale at the National Library of Australia.

"It is very meaningful because I remember my mother used to talk about her great grandfather, John Gale, and she was quite proud of him and also very fond of him,” Mrs Bruton said.

"She told me quite a lot about him and because of that I have researched him and found many wonderful things about him.”

Mrs Bruton said she and her cousins are proud of the legendary life of their great great grandfather.

“He achieved a lot in his time and he was a very highly respected member of the community when he was living in Queanbeyan,” she said.

The descendants also planned to visit the Queanbeyan Printing Museum, and although Mrs Bruton has visited the statue of Mr Gale in the past, she said it was hard to predicate family’s reactions.

"It will be quite emotional,” she said.

“My husband and I visited it in May 2014 and I was so impressed with it.

"John Gale doesn't look aloof, he's looking down at you with just a gentle smile on his lips and you feel as though he's smiling right at you, and it gave me goose bumps,” Mrs Bruton said.

"So to be there with my cousins will be quite emotional.”

The National Library of Australia compiled a special collection of artifacts, clippings and photographs of Mr Gale for the descendants to view and a spokeswoman from the library said it was a joy to bring life to their materials.

“Communal memory is important to bring these details back to life,” she said.