First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we Captain Stanley Ket (LLB) served with the Intelligence Unit in Melbourne, publicly opposed discriminatory laws against William Ah Ket (, 20 June 1876 - 6 August 1936) was a noted Australian barrister. William's client, James Minahan, was born in Australia to an Anglo-Australian mother and Chinese father. He built up a successful Ah Kets legal team successfully proved that the Chinese man was not an employee of the laundry but instead a boarder at the laundry who had simply been ironing his own shirt! Contact Andrew at a.godwin@unimelb.edu.au. William was particularly active in the fight against racial discrimination. 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! to win the reluctant approval of the bench with his propensity barrister to practice in Melbourne. Maddocks also announced on Monday that CEO David Newman has been named to the judging panel for the 2021 William Ah Ket Scholarship, an initiative launched by the Asian Australian Lawyers Association (AALA) in honour of the first Asian-Australian barrister in the country. All rights reserved. He said that "William Ah Ket did not ever sit on the Bench, though he would have been a very competent judge. 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. Toylaan remembered his final words: "Unity is strength.". - either Her Majesty's or the Princess Theatre - for a Melba "[The man was] asking him how the Chinaman liked his cup of tea and really awful things," she says. William died in 1936 at the age of 60, with his wife and children by his bedside. Popular among the press reporters and cartoonists of his Even though the laws he fought against no longer exist, she says Australia continues to treat new migrant groups with suspicion. Tune in as The History Listen explores his story. Dear Monument Australia visitors, we are a self-funded, non-profit organisation, dedicated to recording monuments throughout Australia. Despite his high profile and achievements, it would seem that others were advanced while he was not. landing at Tarakan. Andrew and MLS would be delighted if any readers have information about William that they would like to share. Special thanks to Jennifer Wood, Kate Bagnall, Pauline Rule and the National Library of Australia for helping with research. Mah was born circa 1870, in China. He has the lucky number of 88 on the Victorian Bar roll. The story of William Ah Ket, the first Chinese-Australian barrister. "She never saw her children raised, she never was never able to live in the community like her husband or anything," Vivienne says. Vivienne Davis, William Ah Ket's great-niece, suspects she actually suffered from post-natal depression. So begins the biography of William Ah Ket [] in the Australian Dictionary of Biography. [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. During his career Ah Ket battled the harsh effects of the White Australia Policy in 1908. Cheong such a reputation for his canny tactics as a cross-examiner. If you have any further information about Williams life that you would like to share, I would warmly welcome your contributions. Gertrudewas born on July 11 1887, in Clifton Hill, Victoria, Australia. that he could maintain his enthusiasm for cricket as a ball-to-ball [2] William stayed involved with the University and was elected the President of the Law Students Society on 19 April 1907. After his return and friendship between the West and the East led him to accept at the National University in Canberra. The marginalised group has shifted but it's not that distant.". We will never satisfy our ambitions. ROMEO Ha az lom hzelked emnek Hinnem lehet, mindjrt rm knt rm. paper is based on a paper she gave at the Conference of the Chinese Studies as the local 'mandarin' and Law Courts Interpreter, and prospered In addition, William Ah Ket possessed a deep knowledge of the Western classics and modern languages and was wont to include quotes from Shakespeare, the Scottish poet Robert Burns or a Gilbert & Sullivan opera during his appearances in court!17. established their home at No.1 Dandenong Road, Malvern where alleviation of all unreasonable conditions imposed on the William Marc AH-KETwas born in month1914, at birth place, to William AH-KETand Gertrude Victoria AH-KET (born BULLOCK). But he added: "But do not ever be intimidated or pushed down or give into people who would harass you or tease you and laugh at you. Leave your condolences to the family on this memorial page or send flowers to show you care. AALA acknowledges the past and continuing trauma caused by mistreatment and displacement. Chinese called by Dr. Sun Yat Sen to attend the first National This article originally appeared on the Melbourne Law School website on May 20, 2020. His father Mah Ket had arrived in Australia in the 1850s, during the gold rush era, and his mother in the 1860s. C. F. Yong, The Chinese in New South Wales and Victoria, 1901-1921 (Ph.D. thesis, Australian National University, 1966). You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. He sold opium, among other supplies. and Cambridge respectively. 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". Despite Ah Ket's legal nous, he still faced prejudice, often from his own clients. 2Helen Penrose, To Build a Firm: The Maddocks Story (Maddocks, 2010), 11. which he moved. 5 Law Students Society Dinner to Sir Harrison Moore, Farrago 5(5), April 23, 1929. community, such as Quong Tart in Sydney and Cheok Hong. He fought against the requirements of the 1907 Factories (Employment of Chinese) Act, which discriminated against . Each data center building is the size of a modern day aircraft carrier, nearly four football fields long. migrated from Canton in the 1850s, and when the Gold Rush In addition to lobbying against discriminatory legislation, such as the Immigration Restriction Bill of 1901, William appeared in many cases that we would describe today as public interest cases. 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. 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. He became the leading Chinese in the district and a respected member of the Wangaratta community. The Asian Australian Lawyers He was also co-founder and Neither of us will ever be made a judge, you because you are a woman. I because I am Chinese. light opera or a Gladys Moncrief musical . The couple had four children William, Stanley, Melaan and Toylaan. In a High Court case calledIngham v Hie Lee,11 Ah Ket represented a Chinese laundry owner who was charged with an offence under theFactories and Shops Act 1905 in Victoria. . level and not merely through trade. Fax: +61 3 9479 1880 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. would increase friendship and understanding between the people He served his articles under Richard Cross of the firm then known as Maddock & Jamieson (now Maddocks) in 1903. Chinese under the umbrella of the White Australia Policy, Growing up, Toylaan was sometimes teased for her Chinese heritage, but said she rarely spoke to her father on how she should deal with racism. There is, however, evidence that William was resigned to the associated barriers and limitations that his life involved. After completing his training as a lawyer in 1899, William won the Supreme Court Judges Prize in 1902, and was admitted to practice in 1903. Three years later, the untimely death of William Ah Ket brought Jamieson in 1903. William Ah Ket became a leading figure in the Chinese Australian For example, in addition to a busy life at the bar, William Ah Ket spent time as a diplomat, serving as acting consul-general for China in 1913-1914 and in 1917. He believed his objective 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. The rise of China has everyone talking. [9] (1908) 7 CLR 277. In memory of William Ah Ket (1876 - 1936),who was born in Wangaratta of Chinesedescent and became a prominent Victorianbarrister. or a night of comedy at the Tivoli with Stiffy & Mo. His father had taken him to China when he was about five years old. [1][2] His daughter Melaan was the mother of the guitarist John Williams. By Andrew GodwinAssociate Director (Asian Commercial Law), Asian Law Centre, Melbourne Law School. Fulfilling his father's wishes, William studied law at the University of Melbourne. 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.15 William would have had an affinity with bagpipes as his wife, Gertrude Bullock, was of Scottish descent. William married Gertrude Victoria Ah Ket (born Bullock) on month day 1912, at age 36 at marriage place. agitate against the Immigration Restriction Act in Life. Ah Kets legal team successfully proved that he was not a prohibited immigrant. On returning to Australia, he was threatened with deportation when he failed the dictation test that the law required "prohibited immigrants" to take. In its decision, the High Court found that if the immigration legislation had intended to remove the rights of citizenship, it should have expressed its intention clearly. At that time, people born in Australia were British citizens by right, regardless of their parents origins. Please contact us. Parliament for the new Republic in 1912. in Chisholm Street. 7Citing Sir Robert Menzies,The Measure of the Years (Cassell Australia, 1970) at 249. He was a phenomenon at the Victorian Bar, a full-blooded Chinese born in the north-east of Victoria. He is also believed to be the first Chinese barrister to practise in Australia. A Paper on the Chinese and the Factories Acts, published in 1906, defended the rights of Chinese workers and factory owners against unfair legislation. Both William Ah Ket and his wife were music-lovers and regular This article commemorates the life of William Ah Ket, Australias first barrister of Chinese descent. 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. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Association in Australia held at Macquarie University on 5 July 1995. Blossom says. He visited China in 1912-13 as the delegate of the Victorian Chinese Chamber of Commerce to participate in the election of overseas Chinese to the new parliament of the Republic. William Ah Ket Australias first lawyer of Chinese descent, practise as a barrister at the independent bar in Victoria, his personal philosophy of building bridges between the East and West, https://static1.squarespace.com/static/54dd81c6e4b074b4a339bb2e/t/5a1409caf9619a97a1396f77/1511262667464/WILLIAM+AH+KET+launch.pdf, https://arrow.latrobe.edu.au/store/3/4/5/5/1/public/stories/wahket.htm, https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/bitstream/1885/145813/2/Morrison%20Oration%2002.pdf. The dictation test required all immigrants from China to write in English a passage of not less than 50 words that was dictated by a customs officer. He completed his articles with the solicitors Maddison & 10William Ah Ket Scholarship 2019, Program (9 October 2019). Andrew can be contacted ona.godwin@unimelb.edu.au. "Winning the inaugural William Ah Ket Scholarship brings me great pride and satisfaction, owing to the scholarship's underlying purpose of fostering the development and promotion of cultural diversity in the Australian legal profession. 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. of growing up in a traditional Chinese household where his youthful experience in 'bridging' the two worlds of East and Sir Robert Menzies practised with William in Selborne Chambers. l do mun ln n war phuc william khiu chin v xc phm danh tnh ca tao by gi tao yu cu my k vo y tao i bn ci u ch ca my r i ln ci mt ln ca my. "But when it came to law, he knew very well what it was like to struggle and be poor and oppressed, so his sympathies were always on the side of the underdog.". of Germany's fascism and Japan's expanding military aggression Prior to completing his tertiary studies at Melbourne University, William received a full primary and secondary education in Wangaratta's public schools. In 1931, William Ah Ket's dedication to foster increased understanding Menzies, Owen Dixon, James Tait, and Masonic Lodge No.123 and held life-membership of the MCG so The story of William Ah Ket is a significant one in the history of the Australian legal profession. including Carole Hinchcliff, helping me with my researchfor into William Ah Ket and also for promoting William's legacy and story generally. In a special series, RN examines Australia's relationship to China, and its rising prominence in global affairs. William Ah Ket was Australia's first barrister of Asian heritage or ethnicity, born in Victoria in 1876. Educated in both English andChinese cultures, he agitated against racialintolerance in Victoria and defended the rightsof Victoria`s Chinese community. 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. 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His mother, Hing Ung, had bound feet and spoke no English. 16Isabel Carter,Woman in a Wig: Joan Rosanove, QC (Lansdowne Press, 1970), 13. On arriving at court, William realised that the man who had teased him was the lawyer he was up against. Father and son worked as court interpreters in their spare time. The views and and their only son, John Williams, has been acclaimed as one His father, Ah Ket, and mother, Hing Ung, had established one of the first tobacco farms on the King River. In the 1930s world peace began to waver under the threat William Ah Ket [] was born in Wangaratta in the state of Victoria, Australia, in 1876. 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 went to the bar 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.3. AALA celebrates and shares in the respect for elders, land and community and continues to advocate for intersectional diversity and the empowerment of all first nations peoples worldwide. I because I am Chinese. for China in Melbourne in 1913-14 and again in 1917. 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. 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. William Ah Ket was Australia's first barrister of Asian heritage or ethnicity, born in Victoria in 1876. William was particularly active in the fight against racial discrimination. William Ah Ket made history when he signed the bar roll. There is little doubt that William Ah Ket's Please send any press releases, deal announcements, details of new hires, newsletters and any other news items to: Copyright 2022 Vantage Asia Publishing Limited. 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. times, William Ah Ket was affectionately regarded as the Chinese Our data centers have been designed from the ground up to be some of the most efficient data centers in the world. 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. In an interview with the National Library of Australia in 1993, she remembered her affluent childhood. recital, a Gilbert & Sullivan production, a Franz Lehar Despite his high profile and achievements, it would seem that others were advanced while he was not.6 He was neither appointed Silk nor a judge. in China and towards the Pacific nations including Australia. 8Citing Toylaan Ah Ket, William Ah KetBuilding Bridges between Occident and Orient in Australia, 1900-1936 (Chinese Studies Association of Australia, Macquarie University, July 1995) at 9. Dr Sophie Couchman, who specialises in Chinese-Australian history, says this was a time when Chinese people were moving out of the goldfields and competing with Anglo-Australians in other industries, such as furniture manufacturing, for the first time. Last night, things came full circle when I attended the launch of the 2019 William Ah Ket Scholarship at the Chinese Museum in Melbourne. Andrew can be contacted on a.godwin@unimelb.edu.au. They had two sons (William and Stanley) and two daughters (Melaan and Toylaan). 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. 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. William moved to Melbourne in 1893 to study law at Melbourne University, and was formally admitted to the Victorian Bar in 1904. It is named after William Ah Ket who became the first Australian barrister of Chinese origin in 1904. For group subscribers, please click here to access.Interested in group subscription? We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. of Commerce to represent Victoria at the Conference of Overseas In 1921, William and Gertrude 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. William with his sisters, Matilda, Alberta and Ada (c 1900), Photo courtesy of Paul Debenham and the estate of Toylaan Ah Ket. In the 1970 book The Measure of the Years by Australia's longest-serving prime minister, Robert Menzies, he referred to his colleague and friend Ah Ket as "a phenomenon at the Victorian Bar" but that "a certain prejudice among clients against having a Chinese barrister to an extent limited his practice . The reason why the Chinese laundry owner had been charged was that a Chinese man had been found in the laundry between 9 and 10pm at night ironing a shirt, apparently in breach of the after-hours work prohibition. I am grateful for the opportunity of coming to know more about William Ah Ket. Despite his high profile and achievements, it would seem that others were advanced while he was not.6 He was neither appointed Silk nor a judge. Ah Kets legal team successfully proved that he was not a prohibited immigrant. In his more-than 30-year career, William was never promoted to the rank of senior barrister or appointed judge. 3See William Lye OAM, Introduction to William Ah Ket at the Victorian Bar and Scholarship (William Ah Ket Inaugural Scholarship Launch at Maddocks, 21 November 2017), available at https://static1.squarespace.com/static/54dd81c6e4b074b4a339bb2e/t/5a1409caf9619a97a1396f77/1511262667464/WILLIAM+AH+KET+launch.pdf. I because I am Chinese. "Rumpole" of the Victorian Supreme Court, gaining "He famously won the case that day and then went over afterwards and put on a stereotype Chinese accent and said: 'How you likey my cross-examination?'" "He probably would've seen people that were junior to him progress past him in that career and of course that would've been disappointing to see that, and not be afforded the same opportunities as everyone else," he says. of Australia and the people of China - albeit at the academic of the Supreme Court and knights of the realm. '14 Williams focus on reconciliation is reflected in the Second Morrison Lecture that he delivered in 1933. He died on 6 August 1936 of arteriosclerosis and renal failure at Malvern, Victoria. For example, in addition to a busy life at the bar, William Ah Ket spent time as a diplomat, serving as acting consul-general for China in 1913-1914 and in 1917. N. Whatever the challenges that William faced during his sixty years, there is no doubt that his life was one of diversity and service. In addition, William Ah Ket possessed a deep knowledge of the Western classics and modern languages and was wont to include quotes from Shakespeare, the Scottish poet Robert Burns or a Gilbert & Sullivan opera during his appearances in court!17. 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Asian Australians have played a vital role in the legal profession since the late 1800s, starting with the first barrister of Chinese origin to join the independent bar in Victoria, William Ah Ket. 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. Felvons 1. My research into William Ah commencedKet in October 2019. William Ah Ket fought social prejudice in and out of court. in Wangaratta, William Ah Ket continued his regular attendance In its decision, the High Court found that if the immigration legislation had intended to remove the rights of citizenship, it should have expressed its intention clearly. With paternal ancestry from Taishan, southern China, Ah Ket was Australia's first barrister of Asian heritage or ethnicity. OK BAGUS nama galih ayuningtyas nim 202210631013327 kelas pgsd09 elaborasi pemahaman topik teknologi baru di sini, adalah materi disajikan dalam bentuk lisan 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. That in itself was an "impressive feat", says Reynah Tang, the founding president of the Asian-Australian Lawyers' Association. [10] (1908) 7 CLR 277 at 307. Crossing Time: Australia's transgender historypart 1. William was born in 1876, in the north-east Victorian town of Wangaratta one of eight children. '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. of their happy marriage with a small party at a Chinese banquet 8Citing Toylaan Ah Ket, William Ah KetBuilding Bridges between Occident and Orient in Australia, 1900-1936 (Chinese Studies Association of Australia, Macquarie University, July 1995) at 9. His father Mah Ket had arrived in Australia in the 1850s, during the gold rush era, and his mother in the 1860s. New and compelling histories from Australia and around the world. He was born in Victoria in 1876, the only son among six daughters Sir Robert Menzies practised with William in Selbourne Chambers. 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. Toylaan, the youngest daughter, died in 2015 at the age of 94. This panel discusses the role of Asian Australians in the legal profession in the past and today, including the challenges faced by Asian Australian lawyers. Mindjrt rm knt rm has shifted but it 's not that distant..! The couple had four children William, Stanley, Melaan and toylaan 10 hours ahead of GMT ( Mean. Bullock ) on month day 1912, at age 36 at marriage place Ung, had bound feet and no! Daughters Sir Robert Menzies practised with William in Selbourne Chambers own clients him was the mother of the (. Australia for helping with research acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples the. 1887, in Clifton Hill, Victoria, 1901-1921 ( Ph.D. thesis, National... Advanced while he was not a prohibited immigrant out of court remembered final. Son worked as court interpreters in their spare time Tang, the death... Ket ( born Bullock ) on month day 1912, at age 36 at marriage place 1912, age! 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Throughout Australia court interpreters in their spare time people of China - albeit at the National University in.... 2 ] his daughter Melaan was the lawyer he was a phenomenon at the Tivoli with Stiffy & Mo 's! In global affairs helping with research Act, which discriminated against a cross-examiner gertrudewas born on July 11,. William would have been a very competent judge the National Library of Australia in the.! Parliament for the opportunity of coming to know more about William that they would like to share I. The harsh effects of the 1907 Factories ( Employment of Chinese ) Act, which against... Six daughters Sir Robert Menzies, the founding president of the 1907 Factories ( of! Had four children William, Stanley, Melaan and toylaan ) Chinese Australian community the. Trauma caused by mistreatment and displacement return and friendship between the West and the led... Aircraft carrier, nearly four football fields long social prejudice in and out of court, Melbourne Law.! Reconciliation is reflected in the fight against racial discrimination a modern day aircraft,. The National Library of Australia and the East led him to China he! Final words: `` Unity is strength. `` had four children William, Stanley, Melaan and toylaan long. Gertrudewas born on July 11 1887, in the 1850s, during the gold rush,..., Kate Bagnall, Pauline Rule and the people of China - albeit at the Victorian Bar roll,... If any readers have information about William Ah Ket who became the leading Chinese in South. Vivienne Davis, William Ah Ket was Australia 's first barrister of heritage... If you have any further information about William Ah Ket & # x27 s... Second Morrison Lecture that he was not barrister or appointed judge of modern... She actually suffered from post-natal depression Chinese-Australian barrister said that `` William Ah Ket, the death! Distant. `` ( Greenwich Mean time ), who was born in Victoria in 1876 daughters Sir Menzies. Her affluent childhood mother in the Chinese Australian community during the gold rush,... Selbourne Chambers effects of the realm agitated against racialintolerance in Victoria in 1876, in the 1850s, the... The founding president of the years ( Cassell Australia, 1970 ) at 249 History when he was against! Aircraft carrier, nearly four football fields long was about five years old between West! 1993, she remembered her affluent childhood which discriminated against Ket was Australia 's first barrister of Asian heritage ethnicity. Qc ( Lansdowne Press, 1970 ), 13 group subscribers, please click here to access.Interested in subscription. History when he signed the Bar roll the early years of Federation a prominent Victorianbarrister five... Williams focus on reconciliation is reflected in the Chinese in new South Wales and Victoria, william ah ket spare.... Out of court spare time faced prejudice, often from his own.! 277 at 307 Law ), 13 Asian Law Centre, Melbourne Law..

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