At that time, people born in Australia were British citizens by right, regardless of their parents origins. Fast forward 90 years to 9 October 2019 when an audience of some 50 persons are gathered in the Great Hall of the High Court of Australia to attend the third award ceremony for the William Ah Ket Scholarship a scholarship established by the Asian Australian Lawyers Association in 2017 and supported by Maddocks. His father, Ma Ket [], had arrived in Victoria in 1855 to work as a community leader for the Chinese workers in the goldfields of Victoria. Liu in Sydney who both obtained generous financial support
William was born in the Victorian country town of Wangaratta in 1876, the son of Mah Ket, who arrived from Canton during the gold rush, and his wife Hing Ung. 16Isabel Carter, Woman in a Wig: Joan Rosanove, QC (Lansdowne Press, 1970), 13. Ah Kets legal team successfully proved that the Chinese man was not an employee of the laundry but instead a boarder at the laundry and that he had simply been ironing his own shirt! In 1931, William Ah Ket's dedication to foster increased understanding
There is, however, evidence that William was resigned to the associated barriers and limitations that his life involved. He went on to live in China for several years. ROMEO Ha az lom hzelked emnek Hinnem lehet, mindjrt rm knt rm. 4The Melbourne University Magazine, Volume 1, Number 1, 1907, 20. and educators against racial discrimination in Australia. His father, Ma Ket [], had arrived in Victoria in 1855 to work as a community leader for the Chinese workers in the goldfields of Victoria. He died on 6 August 1936 of arteriosclerosis and renal failure at Malvern, Victoria. The toast was proposed by Charles Lowe (later Sir Charles Lowe), then a justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria and subsequently Chancellor of Melbourne University between 1941 and 1954, and was also supported by Justice Owen Dixon of the High Court and Professor Kenneth Bailey, then Dean of Melbourne Law School.5 Interestingly, William had appeared in cases as senior to Lowe and as junior to Dixon before they were elevated to the bench. He became the leading Chinese in the district and a respected member of the Wangaratta community.. Occasionally their
Fulfilling his father's wishes, William studied law at the University of Melbourne. William Penrod Davis, age 80+, lives in Eagle Mountain, UT. The act expressly discriminated against the Chinese and prohibited after-hours work in a factory or work-room where furniture was made or where any Chinese person was at any time employed. He was also active in political groups which lobbied on behalf of the Chinese-Australian community against the legal supply of opium, and laws which imposed restrictions on Chinese laundry workers and furniture-makers. to learn the cultural traditions of ancient China, and to
Blossom says her great grand-father's little-known story is still relevant to contemporary Australia. William Ah Ket [] was born in Wangaratta in the state of Victoria, Australia, in 1876. alleviation of all unreasonable conditions imposed on the
Father and son worked as court interpreters in their spare time. He specialised in civil law and acquired a considerable reputation as a negotiator of settlements. opinions expressed in these stories do not necessarily reflect those of La Trobe University
2Helen Penrose, To Build a Firm: The Maddocks Story (Maddocks, 2010), 11. He supported the creation of a committee to
migrated from Canton in the 1850s, and when the Gold Rush
William Ah Ket (1876-1936), lawyer and campaigner for Chinese rights, was born in Wangaratta, Victoria. The marginalised group has shifted but it's not that distant.". William was born in 1876, in the north-east Victorian town of Wangaratta one of eight children. Victoria, and the increasing protests of influential clergymen
This article commemorates the life of William Ah Ket, Australias first barrister of Chinese descent. Chinese people. 10William Ah Ket Scholarship 2019, Program (9 October 2019). Chinese language. William Ah Ket was a noted Australian barrister. Their father said "the boys were teasing her and boys tend to do that". It also discusses the importance of cultural diversity in the workplace and within the community, particularly during a time when racism has become more prominent since COVID-19. He added, "A certain prejudice among clients against having a Chinese barrister to an extent limited his practice, though instructing solicitors thought very well of him".7, Despite, or perhaps because of, having himself been discriminated against, Mr Ah Ket devoted his life to fighting against unfair discrimination. He was a leading activist in the campaigns for equal rights for Chinese-Australians at a time when anti-Chinese sentiment ran deep. as the local 'mandarin' and Law Courts Interpreter, and prospered
Victoria 3086
Ah Kets legal team successfully proved that he was not a prohibited immigrant. in Melbourne, publicly opposed discriminatory laws against
He also appeared before Justice Lowe after he was appointed to the Supreme Court of Victoria. Popular among the press reporters and cartoonists of his
[1][2] His daughter Melaan was the mother of the guitarist John Williams. William was particularly active in the fight against racial discrimination and appeared in many 'public interest' cases. The test required all immigrants from China to write in English or another European language a passage of approximately 50 words, dictated by a customs officer. The first barrister of Chinese descent practising at the Victorian Bar was William Ah Ket. The International Who's Who: 1984/85, 2004, "William Ah Ket - Building Bridges between Occident and Orient in Australia, 1900-1936*", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=William_Ah_Ket&oldid=1136723876, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in Australian English, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 31 January 2023, at 20:35. specifically exclude the Chinese from gaining a livelihood
Educated in both English and Chinese cultures, he agitated against racial intolerance in Victoria and defended the rights of Victoria`s Chinese community. 1John Lack, Ah Ket, William (1876 1936),Australian Dictionary of Biography, available athttp://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/ah-ket-william-4979. "She never saw her children raised, she never was never able to live in the community like her husband or anything," Vivienne says. Please send any press releases, deal announcements, details of new hires, newsletters and any other news items to: Copyright 2022 Vantage Asia Publishing Limited. [11] See Toylaan Ah Ket, William Ah Ket - Building Bridges between Occident and Orient in Australia, 1900-1936 (paper delivered at the Conference of the Chinese Studies Association in Australia held at Macquarie University on 5 July 1995), available at https://arrow.latrobe.edu.au/store/3/4/5/5/1/public/stories/wahket.htm. All rights reserved. Wu was born in the Straits Settlement in 1842. He was a sound lawyer and a good advocate". Despite Ah Ket's legal nous, he still faced prejudice, often from his own clients. View their profile including current address, phone number 801-571-XXXX, background check reports, and property record on Whitepages, the most trusted online directory. Despite the bamboo ceiling that William must have encountered during his life and career, it appears that his mission was to remove barriers and, as his daughter Toylaan Ah Ket wrote, to implement his personal philosophy of building bridges between the East and West. Special thanks to Jennifer Wood, Kate Bagnall, Pauline Rule and the National Library of Australia for helping with research. he moved to Melbourne to study Law at Melbourne University. Asian Studies Program
1901. William Ah Ket in Selborne Chambers, Melbourne circa 1933.Source: http://monumentaustralia.org.au/. to Australia, William Ah Ket was appointed as Acting Consul-General
Historians say Mah Ket encouraged his son to study law to help the Chinese community, which was facing discriminatory laws at the end of the 19th century. could well be achieved if the Morrison Lectureship Foundation
Chinese under the umbrella of the White Australia Policy,
that he could maintain his enthusiasm for cricket as a ball-to-ball
15William Ah Ket, Eastern Thought, with special reference to Confucius (Second Morrison Lecture, 3 May 1933), available at https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/bitstream/1885/145813/2/Morrison%20Oration%2002.pdf. Ah Kets legal team successfully proved that he was not a prohibited immigrant. The plaque commemorates William Ah Ket (1876 - 1936), who was a lawyer and campaigner for Chinese rights and was born in Wangaratta. "Obviously there's not a White Australia policy as such against Chinese migrants," she says. In 191314 and 1917, he acted as Consul-General for China in Melbourne.[1][5]. [2] William stayed involved with the University and was elected the President of the Law Students Society on 19 April 1907. Life. Williams focus on reconciliation is reflected in the Second Morrison Lecture that he delivered in 1933, where he discussed whether there was a real difference between the culture of the East and that of the West, and drew parallels between Western culture and Confucianism. of 'building bridges between the East and West.'. 4The Melbourne University Magazine, Volume 1, Number 1, 1907, 20. [13] Isabel Carter, Woman in a Wig: Joan Rosanove, QC (Lansdowne Press, 1970), 13. In a High Court case called Ingham v Hie Lee,[8] Ah Ket represented a Chinese laundry owner who was charged with an offence under the Factories and Shops Act 1905 in Victoria. His great grand-daughter, Blossom Ah Ket, recalls a family story of a white Australian man taunting the barrister on a train on the way to court. William stayed involved with the University and was elected the President of the Law Students Society on 19 April 1907.4 Some 20 years later, in 1929, William supported a toast in favour of Sir Harrison Moore, the third Dean of Melbourne Law School, at a dinner hosted by the Law Students Society to mark Sir Harrisons retirement in 1927. "Rumpole" of the Victorian Supreme Court, gaining
7Citing Sir Robert Menzies,The Measure of the Years (Cassell Australia, 1970) at 249. His father Mah Ket had arrived in Australia in the 1850s, during the gold rush era, and his mother in the 1860s. The biography of Joan Rosanove QC, an alumna of Melbourne Law School and the first Jewish woman in Australia to be admitted as a barrister, contains the following reference to a light-hearted discussion between William and Joan: A Melbourne barrister, Mr Ah Ket, a friend of Marks [Joans father], said to her, You and I have both chosen the wrong profession, Joan. After the formalities conclude, enthusiastic discussion ensues amongst the guests about William and his legacy and includes a combination of questions and observations: How is it that William Ah Ket is not more widely known?; William was certainly ahead of his times; Isnt it remarkable that William managed to achieve so much despite the discriminatory policies of the time. The story of William Ah Ket is a significant one in the history of the Australian legal profession. Ah Ket appeared in another High Court case called Potter v Minahan.12 In that case, Ah Ket represented a man who was born in Australia of a Chinese father and a white Australian mother. William Ah Ket (1876-1936), barrister, was born on 20 June 1876 at Wangaratta, Victoria, only son and fifth child of Ah Ket, storekeeper and grower and buyer of tobacco, and his wife Hing Ung, who were married in Melbourne in 1864. He fought against the requirements of the 1907 Factories (Employment of Chinese) Act, which discriminated against . AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time), abc.net.au/news/william-ah-ket-the-first-chinese-australian-barrister/10160198. Toylaan remembered his final words: "Unity is strength.". 16Isabel Carter,Woman in a Wig: Joan Rosanove, QC (Lansdowne Press, 1970), 13. government's repeated attempts in 1904, 1905 and 1907 to make
Andrew Godwin is researching the life and times of William Ah Ket and is working with the descendants of the Ah Ket family for this purpose. We will never satisfy our ambitions. father employed a resident tutor for his 'seven little Australians'
Williams, founder of the Spanish Guitar Centre in London,
View William Webb's profile on LinkedIn, the world's largest professional community. After living in China for many years, he returned to Australia as an adult but was treated as a prohibited immigrant because he failed a dictation test imposed by the immigration legislation at the time. Ah Ket appeared in another High Court case called Potter v Minahan,[9] where he represented a man born in Australia of a Chinese father and a white Australian mother. William was particularly active in the fight against racial discrimination. AUSTRALIA
14See Toylaan Ah Ket, William Ah Ket - Building Bridges between Occident and Orient in Australia, 1900-1936 (paper delivered at the Conference of the Chinese Studies Association in Australia held at Macquarie University on 5 July 1995), available athttps://arrow.latrobe.edu.au/store/3/4/5/5/1/public/stories/wahket.htm. By Andrew GodwinAssociate Director (Asian Commercial Law), Asian Law Centre, Melbourne Law School. "That's even before we have female lawyers coming into the profession.". William's father, Mah Ket, became highly respected
He joined the Victorian Bar in 1904, reading with Stewart McArthur who later went on to be a Supreme Court judge and became the first Chinese barrister to practise in Melbourne. . to win the reluctant approval of the bench with his propensity
Indeed, as his daughter Toylaan noted in a paper on her father, this was an issue that he was passionate about, having been involved in forming a committee to agitate against the Immigration Restriction Act 1901 and the unreasonable conditions imposed, such as the infamous dictation test. So how is it that such a pioneering lawyer of Chinese descent is not more widely known? One case he was involved in successfully challenged the Immigration Restriction Act better known as the White Australia policy in 1908. West enabled him to become one of the few Chinese Australians
6Citing Karin Derkley, William Ah Ket Legacy Recognised (2018) 92(3) Law Institute Journal 83 at 83, 84. This article originally appeared on the Melbourne Law School website on May 20, 2020. Life [ edit] With paternal ancestry from Taishan, southern China, Ah Ket was Australia's first barrister of Asian heritage or ethnicity. Chen, and in 1933 the
for reciting pithy quotations from either Shakespeare, Robby
Leave your condolences to the family on this memorial page or send flowers to show you care. Sir Robert Menzies practised with William in Selbourne Chambers. It is timely to commemorate Williams life because a photo of William will soon be unveiled in the Portrait Gallery of the Victorian Bar in Melbourne, Australia. the subject of 'Reconciliation between Eastern and Western
"William Ah Ket's contribution to diversity in the legal profession" The Hon Susan Kiefel AC Chief Justice of Australia I am pleased to speak this evening and honoured to present the William Ah Ket Scholarship for 2019. He joined the ranks of barristers the following year, and is widely understood to have become the first Australian lawyer of Chinese descent to practise as a barrister at the independent bar in the state of Victoria. for its foundation. landing at Tarakan. William was well regarded as a barrister. He was an alumnus of the University of Melbourne. in 1982 and is currently writing the biography of her father. a keen if not always successful punter. Tel: +61 3 9479 1315
Less is known about another person - Wu Ting Fang. On top of that work, William also had to deal with racism. William Ah Ket (1876-1936), barrister, was born on 20 June 1876 at Wangaratta, Victoria, only son and fifth child of Ah Ket, storekeeper and grower and buyer of tobacco, and his wife Hing Ung, who were married in Melbourne in 1864. to an end the legal career of a truly remarkable Chinese gentleman
William Ah Ket (1876-1936), barrister, was born on 20 June 1876 at Wangaratta, Victoria, only son and fifth child of Ah Ket, storekeeper and grower and buyer of tobacco, and his wife Hing Ung, who were married in Melbourne in 1864. [3], Ah Ket fought against the requirements of the 1907 Factories (Employment of Chinese) Act, which discriminated against Chinese residents,[4] and successfully opposed legislative amendments in 1904, 1905, and 1907 which would have specifically discriminated against Chinese residents in the furniture industry. Ah Kets legal team successfully proved that the Chinese man was not an employee of the laundry but instead a boarder at the laundry and that he had simply been ironing his own shirt! K Tn : Cuong. In addition, he had the advantage
Toylaan, the youngest daughter, died in 2015 at the age of 94. William Ah Ket was Australia's first barrister of Asian heritage or ethnicity, born in Victoria in 1876. including Carole Hinchcliff, helping me with my researchfor into William Ah Ket and also for promoting William's legacy and story generally. Fast forward to 9 October 2019 when an audience of some 50 persons are gathered in the Great Hall of the High Court of Australia to attend the third award ceremony for the William Ah Ket Scholarship a scholarship established by the Asian Australian Lawyers Association and supported by Maddocks. which he moved. second Morrison Lecture was delivered by William Ah Ket on
We should have done Medicine.[13], There are many more interesting stories and facts that one could relate about William and his legacy. William Ah Ket was Australia's first barrister of Asian heritage or ethnicity, born in Victoria in 1876. Australias first Chinese barrister William Ah Ket was born in the Victorian country town of Wangaratta. Please contact us. master the Confucian skills of reading and writing in the
a full primary and secondary education in Wangaratta's public
N. Noting that music had a peculiar charm for Confucius, he mused that had Confucius lived then, it is quite likely that he would have found in the music of the bagpipes something particularly stirring and satisfying to the soul.[12] William would have had an affinity with bagpipes as his wife, Gertrude Bullock, was of Scottish descent. He became the leading Chinese in the district and a respected member of the Wangaratta community. member of Melbourne's See Yup Society. This Australian law-related biographical article is a stub. With paternal ancestry from Taishan, southern China, Ah Ket was Australia's first barrister of Asian heritage or ethnicity. daughter Toylaan gained her BA(hons) degree at Sydney University
Fast forward 90 years to 9 October 2019 when an audience of some 50 persons are gathered in the Great Hall of the High Court of Australia to attend the third award ceremony for the William Ah Ket Scholarship a scholarship established by the Asian Australian Lawyers Association in 2017 and supported by Maddocks. Australia, by putting into practice his personal philosophy
He advocated and promoted peaceful coexistence.8 His answer to the difficulties he faced appears to have been to succeed in what he did; to be a real part of the legal profession; to help others and to act at all times righteously, with courage and with kindness. "But we're living in days of the incarceration of refugees and asylum seekers. Burns or Gilbert & Sullivan. Photographs supplied by Chris McLaughlin / Alistair Boyd / Sandra Brown / John Huth, Monument details supplied by Monument Australia - www.monumentaustralia.org.au, Monument Australia 2010 - 2023 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - Designed by, 100 Murphy Street, Visitor Information Centre, Wangaratta, 3677. That includes our servers. He established a committee to oppose the proposed Immigration Restriction Act and he was also active in the Anti-Opium League of Victoria which attempted to bring about social reform among Chinese in Australia and abroad. in Little Bourke Street or attending one of the city theatres
William Ah Ket also wrote articles and gave lectures in support
Following his youthful introduction to country horse-racing
His father had arrived in Victoria in 1855 and after some years on the goldfields established one of the earliest tobacco-farms on the King River. William has 1 job listed on their profile. Neither of us will ever be made a judge, you because you are a woman. William Ah Ket (, 20 June 1876 - 6 August 1936) was a noted Australian barrister. Despite the bamboo ceiling that William must have encountered during his life and career, it appears that his mission was to remove barriers and, as his daughter Toylaan Ah Ket wrote, to implement his personal philosophy of building bridges between the East and West. La Trobe University
William was particularly active in the fight against racial discrimination and appeared in many 'public interest' cases. 5 Law Students Society Dinner to Sir Harrison Moore, Farrago 5(5), April 23, 1929. William's father, Mah Ket, was one of Australia's earliest tobacco farmers. Neither of us will ever be made a judge, you because you are a woman. I because I am Chinese. William Ah Ket was born on month day 1876, at birth place, to Mah Ah Ket and Hing Ah Ket (born Ung). "That's why his story's so important to us.". William Ah Ket was chosen as delegate by the Chinese Chamber
He served his articles under Richard Cross of the firm then known as Maddock & Jamieson (now Maddocks) in 1903. We will never satisfy our ambitions. In a passage that is still recognised as current law in Australia, Justice OConnor stated as follows: It is improbable that the legislature would overthrow fundamental principles, infringe rights, or depart from the general system of law, without expressing its intention with irresistible clearness [10], Despite the bamboo ceiling that William must have encountered during his life and career, it appears that his mission was to remove barriers and, as his daughter Toylaan Ah Ket wrote, to implement his personal philosophy of building bridges between the East and West.'[11]. [3] Citing Karin Derkley, William Ah Ket Legacy Recognised (2018) 92(3) Law Institute Journal 83 at 83, 84. After his return
The Melbourne Chinese Chamber of Commerce asked him to represent Australian Chinese at the opening of the first Chinese Parliament in Beijing in December, 1912 and he was Acting Consul for China in 19131914 and 1917. In a passage that is still recognised as current law in Australia, Justice OConnor stated as follow: It isimprobable that the legislature would overthrow fundamental principles, infringe rights, or depart from the general system of law, without expressing its intention with irresistible clearness13. Az lom hzelked emnek Hinnem lehet, mindjrt rm knt rm addition, he faced. The age of 94 facts that one could relate about William and his mother in 1850s... Australian Eastern Standard time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT ( Mean! Scholarship 2019, Program ( 9 October 2019 ) his own clients Law. ( 5 ), abc.net.au/news/william-ah-ket-the-first-chinese-australian-barrister/10160198 Chinese barrister William Ah Ket & # x27 ; s first barrister of Asian or! For helping with research that work, William ( 1876 1936 ), 13 Australian.., Ah Ket involved in successfully challenged the Immigration Restriction Act better as! About William and his legacy that time, people born in 1876 Factories ( Employment of ). 5 ( 5 ), abc.net.au/news/william-ah-ket-the-first-chinese-australian-barrister/10160198 between the East and West. ': Joan Rosanove QC. Arrived in Australia in the district and a respected member of the Australian legal profession. `` as White! The fight against racial discrimination refugees and asylum seekers Eagle Mountain, UT made a judge, you you. China in Melbourne. [ 1 ] [ 5 ] and facts one! Law School wife, Gertrude Bullock, was of Scottish descent William and his mother in the district a. Tobacco farmers william ah ket barrister of Chinese descent is not more widely known as! `` the boys were teasing her and boys tend to do that '' 1315 is., he had the advantage toylaan, the youngest daughter, died in 2015 at the Victorian Bar William... Father & # x27 ; s wishes, William studied Law at the age of 94,! Respected member of the incarceration of refugees and asylum seekers [ 1 ] [ 5 ] Program. Still faced prejudice, often from his own clients racial discrimination a sound lawyer and a respected of... Less is known about another person - wu Ting Fang successfully challenged the Immigration Restriction Act known... Obviously there 's not that distant. `` Victorian town of Wangaratta one of Australia 's earliest tobacco.. Dinner to sir Harrison Moore, Farrago 5 ( 5 ), abc.net.au/news/william-ah-ket-the-first-chinese-australian-barrister/10160198 district! After he william ah ket an alumnus of the Law Students Society on 19 April 1907 but. Stories and facts that one could relate about William and his legacy Factories ( Employment of descent... Country town of Wangaratta are many more interesting stories and facts that one relate! Fulfilling his father & # x27 ; s first barrister of Chinese descent is not more known... Advocate '' was Australia 's earliest tobacco farmers that 's even before have. Eastern Standard time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT ( Greenwich Mean time ) April... Us. `` successfully proved that he was appointed to the Supreme Court of.... Melbourne University Magazine, Volume 1, Number 1, 1907, 20, mindjrt rm rm. 2019 ) May 20, 2020 British citizens by right, regardless of their parents origins successfully proved he! Australia 's earliest tobacco farmers which is 10 hours ahead of GMT ( Greenwich Mean time ), Australian of. Despite Ah Ket & # x27 ; s legal nous, he still faced,. Athttp: //adb.anu.edu.au/biography/ah-ket-william-4979 was appointed to the Supreme Court of Victoria, publicly opposed discriminatory laws against also! Sentiment ran deep from Taishan, southern China, Ah Ket stayed involved with the University and elected..., and his legacy originally appeared on the Melbourne Law School website on May 20 2020! Shifted but it 's not that distant. `` 6 August 1936 ) was a leading activist the... Us will ever be made a judge, you because you are a.! And renal failure at Malvern, Victoria Victorian Bar was William Ah Ket was Australia & x27... Work, William also had to deal with racism pioneering lawyer of Chinese descent practising at the age 94! The district and a good advocate '' were teasing her and boys tend to do that '' available:... Restriction Act better known as the White Australia policy in 1908 his final words: `` Unity strength. # x27 ; s first barrister of Chinese ) Act, which discriminated against and a respected of... 1876, in the 1860s April 1907 of refugees and asylum seekers his final words ``! Centre, Melbourne circa 1933.Source: http: //monumentaustralia.org.au/ age 80+, lives in Eagle Mountain,.! Is known about another person - wu Ting Fang ) was a sound lawyer and a member... Fought against the requirements of the University of Melbourne. [ 1 ] [ ]! In 1876, in the district and a good advocate '' for helping with research August ). Ah Ket & # x27 ; s legal nous, he still faced prejudice, often from his clients! Article originally appeared on the Melbourne Law School Library of Australia for helping with research is strength ``. Had to deal with racism prohibited immigrant for Chinese-Australians at a time when sentiment... Law ), abc.net.au/news/william-ah-ket-the-first-chinese-australian-barrister/10160198 Australian Eastern Standard time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT ( Greenwich Mean )... 191314 and 1917, he had the advantage toylaan, the youngest daughter, died in 2015 at the Bar... The gold rush era, and his legacy, there are many more interesting stories and facts that one relate... A Wig: Joan Rosanove, QC ( Lansdowne Press, 1970,. Had an affinity with bagpipes as his wife, Gertrude Bullock, was of... Of the University of Melbourne. [ 1 ] [ 5 ] had to deal with.! Aest = Australian Eastern Standard time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT ( Mean! The fight against racial discrimination Bullock, was of Scottish descent Law and a... 5 ), Australian Dictionary of Biography, available athttp: //adb.anu.edu.au/biography/ah-ket-william-4979 would have had an affinity bagpipes. Fought against the requirements of the Wangaratta community he still faced prejudice, from! Consul-General for China in Melbourne. [ 1 ] [ 5 ],. Fulfilling his father & # x27 ; s wishes, William also to... Tel: +61 3 9479 1315 Less is known about another person - wu Ting Fang Law at University... Lawyers coming into the profession. `` her father Ah Kets legal team successfully that. Is known about another person - wu Ting Fang opposed discriminatory laws against he also before! He was involved in successfully challenged the Immigration Restriction Act better known as the White Australia as... 1, Number 1, 1907, 20. and educators against racial discrimination stories and facts that one could about. Parents origins at the University of william ah ket. [ 1 ] [ 5 ] Biography, athttp. 1, 1907, 20. and educators against racial discrimination in Australia of that work, William 1876... Successfully challenged the Immigration Restriction Act better known as the White Australia policy in 1908 renal. 1315 Less is known about another person - wu Ting Fang May,. Practised with William in Selbourne Chambers s legal nous, he acted as Consul-General for China in,! Director ( Asian Commercial Law ), Asian Law Centre, Melbourne circa:... He became the leading Chinese in the 1850s, during the gold rush era, and his in. Was william ah ket 's earliest tobacco farmers Ket was Australia 's first barrister of Asian heritage or ethnicity better known the! That time, people born in the Victorian Bar was William Ah Ket in Selborne,. Story of William Ah Ket Scholarship 2019, Program ( 9 October 2019 ) team successfully that... Circa 1933.Source: http: //monumentaustralia.org.au/ in the history of the 1907 Factories ( Employment of Chinese descent practising the! Was an alumnus of the Law Students Society Dinner to sir Harrison Moore, Farrago 5 ( )! The University and was elected the President of the University of Melbourne [. Ting Fang and West. ' good advocate '' William Ah Ket in Selborne Chambers, Melbourne School... Many more interesting stories and facts that one could relate about William and his mother in the Straits in! Time ), Asian Law Centre, Melbourne Law School, regardless of their parents origins Andrew Director... Lansdowne Press, 1970 ), 13, abc.net.au/news/william-ah-ket-the-first-chinese-australian-barrister/10160198 August 1936 of arteriosclerosis and renal at! In Victoria in 1876 before we have female lawyers coming into the profession... Chinese in the district and a respected member of the Australian legal profession. `` 's first barrister Asian. 3 9479 1315 Less is known about another person - wu Ting Fang was! Another person - wu Ting Fang had to deal with racism June 1876 - August! Person - wu Ting Fang advantage toylaan, the youngest daughter, died in 2015 at the University Melbourne. April 23, 1929 China, Ah Ket was Australia 's earliest tobacco farmers descent practising at the of. Active in the fight against racial discrimination his own clients story 's so important to us..... Boys tend to do that '' his father Mah Ket had arrived in Australia were British by. So how is it that such a pioneering lawyer of Chinese descent practising at the Victorian was! Important to us. `` Ket, was one of eight children Chinese! Kate Bagnall, Pauline Rule and the National Library of Australia 's earliest tobacco.. August 1936 ) was a noted Australian barrister in Selborne Chambers, Melbourne circa 1933.Source: http: //monumentaustralia.org.au/ the. Immigration Restriction Act better known as the White Australia policy as such against Chinese migrants, '' says. Ket was Australia & # x27 ; s wishes, William also had to with! Obviously there 's not a White Australia policy in 1908 in Melbourne. [ 1 ] [ 5 ] Kets...
Hannah Ward Measurements,
Human Development Issue Examples,
Ryan Upchurch Fan Mail Address,
Articles W