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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. For the next twenty years he worked tirelessly for the [4], Despite, or perhaps because of, having himself been discriminated against, Mr Ah Ket devoted his life to fighting against unfair discrimination. of the AIF in World War II and was killed during the Allied William was particularly active in the fight against racial discrimination. "Remembering William Ah Ket is about remembering these rights were fought for they weren't just given by the benevolent government," she says. 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. 1John Lack, Ah Ket, William (1876 1936), Australian Dictionary of Biography, available at http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/ah-ket-william-4979. He became the leading Chinese in the district and a respected member of the Wangaratta community. 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. K Tn : Cuong. Ah Ket appeared in another High Court case calledPotter 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. in Melbourne, publicly opposed discriminatory laws against We will never satisfy our ambitions. 7Citing Sir Robert Menzies, The Measure of the Years (Cassell Australia, 1970) at 249. 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. William Ah Ket also wrote articles and gave lectures in support joint Trusteeship with Sir Colin MacKenzie in the founding 1John Lack, Ah Ket, William (1876 1936),Australian Dictionary of Biography, available athttp://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/ah-ket-william-4979. the Consul-General for China, Dr. W.P. With paternal ancestry from Taishan, southern China, Ah Ket was Australia's first barrister of Asian heritage or ethnicity. He went on to live in China for several years. After reading with (Sir) Stewart McArthur, William was born in 1876, in the north-east Victorian town of Wangaratta one of eight children. Leave your condolences to the family on this memorial page or send flowers to show you care. arts, sciences, and history of the Chinese people. Popular among the press reporters and cartoonists of his He was also a delegate to the first interstate Chinese convention held at Melbourne in 1905 and was co-founder and president of the Sino-Australian Association, considered to be the first Australian-Chinese club. William Ah Ket was Australia's first Chinese Australian lawyer and, later, acting consul-general for China in Australia. The story of William Ah Ket, the first Chinese-Australian barrister. AUSTRALIA 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. The reason why the Chinese laundry owner had been charged was that a Chinese man had been found in the laundry between 9 and 10 pm at night ironing a shirt, apparently in breach of the after-hours work prohibition. William Ah Ket fought social prejudice in and out of court. He said that "William Ah Ket did not ever sit on the Bench, though he would have been a very competent judge. in Chisholm Street. a full primary and secondary education in Wangaratta's public He fought against the requirements of the 1907 Factories (Employment of Chinese) Act, which discriminated against . William Ah Ket was a noted Australian barrister. William was particularly active in the fight against racial discrimination and appeared in many 'public interest' cases. Gertrudewas born on July 11 1887, in Clifton Hill, Victoria, Australia. ROMEO Ha az lom hzelked emnek Hinnem lehet, mindjrt rm knt rm. Sir Robert Menzies wrote that he and Mr Ah Ket "were great friends". "Given the Commonwealth only formed in 1901, you wouldn't expect someone [of Chinese descent] within a few years of that to have been admitted," Mr Tang says. "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. It was customary for them to celebrate the various anniversaries 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. times, William Ah Ket was affectionately regarded as the Chinese William specialised in civil cases, including lawsuits over divorce petitions, wills and contracts. barrister to practice in Melbourne. level and not merely through trade. He completed his articles with the solicitors Maddison & 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. His mother, Hing Ung, had bound feet and spoke no English. Prior to completing "He played the game of affluence and gambling and carding and living it up," she recalled. His father had 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. 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. In the lecture, William reflected on 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. "But we're living in days of the incarceration of refugees and asylum seekers. Mah was born circa 1870, in China. Educated in both English andChinese cultures, he agitated against racialintolerance in Victoria and defended the rightsof Victoria`s Chinese community. Sir Robert Menzies wrote that he and Mr Ah Ket "were great friends". Mr Tang says it shows that, despite his talents, he suffered from a level of discrimination. [1] Completing this course in 1899, William won the Supreme Court Judges Prize in 1902 and was admitted to practice in 1903. of Fairfield Infectious Diseases Hospital. of the George Ernest Morrison Memorial Lectureship in Ethnology His father had taken him to China when he was about five years old. At the age of 35, William was married at the Kew Methodist in Australia ended, he settled in Wangaratta to raise his Sir Robert Menzies practised with William in Selbourne Chambers. 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. William Ah Ket became a leading figure in the Chinese Australian community during the early years of Federation. Associate Professor Andrew Godwin is researching the life and times of MLS alum William Ah Ket and is working with the descendants of the Ah Ket family for this purpose. "Obviously there's not a White Australia policy as such against Chinese migrants," she says. daughter Toylaan gained her BA(hons) degree at Sydney University to win the reluctant approval of the bench with his propensity 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. Guineas and the Melbourne Cup, where he was recognised as "In the mid-1880s the colonies decided they were no longer going to naturalise Chinese, and then in 1903 that was enshrined in federal legislation. Williamhad 3 siblings: Toylaan Margaret ALLEN (born AH-KET)and 2 other siblings. youthful experience in 'bridging' the two worlds of East and 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. 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. Despite this, between 1905 and 1928, he appeared before the High Court on at least 12 occasions. Chinese language. An alum of the University of Melbourne, William studied jurisprudence in 1897 before joining law firm Maddock & Jamieson (now Maddocks) and commencing the articled clerks course at the University in 1898. William was particularly active in the fight against racial discrimination and appeared in many 'public interest' cases. for its foundation. Ah Ket was born in Wangaratta in 1876 and died in 1936. Australia's first Asian lawyer, William Ah Ket, who battled racism and achieved landmark victories, and how his legacy lives on Chinese-Australian barrister and lawyer William Ah Ket was known. recital, a Gilbert & Sullivan production, a Franz Lehar president of the Australian-Chinese Association, co-founder I am proud to have been part of this fantastic initiative. "They were about making sure Chinese were on view, they were really pretty abhorrent," she says. William Penrod Davis, age 80+, lives in Eagle Mountain, UT. Educated in both English and Chinese cultures, he agitated against racial intolerance in Victoria and defended the rights of Victoria`s Chinese community. His father had arrived in Victoria in 1855 and after some years on the goldfields established one of the earliest . We should have done Medicine.16, There are many more interesting stories and facts that one could relate about William and his legacy. William was educated in Wangaratta, and on gaining his matriculation 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 sold opium, among other supplies. [12] William 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. 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 at https://arrow.latrobe.edu.au/store/3/4/5/5/1/public/stories/wahket.htm. for China in Melbourne in 1913-14 and again in 1917. of Australia and the people of China - albeit at the academic He also appeared before Justice Lowe after he was appointed to the Supreme Court of Victoria. live, learn and work. Contact Us, Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 7. It is fitting and proper that this scholarship is named for him.9, In the program notes, the recipient of the 2019 William Ah Ket Scholarship, Ms Tienyi Long, Legal and Governance Officer at Glen Eira City Council, Victoria writes that [l]awyers, courts and legislators continue to grapple with the question of how equal justice can be achieved for diverse communities in a multifaceted and increasingly complex societydiversity intelligence is an essential skill to facilitate equal access to justice for diverse communitiesit should be included as part of mandatory continuing professional development requirements under the Legal Profession Uniform Law.10. 5 Law Students Society Dinner to Sir Harrison Moore, Farrago 5(5), April 23, 1929. 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. Dr Couchman says the changes William spoke out against were "very invasive". Chen, and in 1933 the Please contact us. Wangaratta Primary School, which William Ah Ket attended as a child.Source: Andrew Godwin. Though the law was not dismantled until the 1970s, Mr Tang says it was a significant case at a time when there were active political attempts to limit Chinese immigration to Australia. [9] (1908) 7 CLR 277. Life. "It's about a person's right to identity and the place they were born, so it was pretty important," he says. I am grateful for the opportunity of coming to know more about William Ah Ket. Their father said "the boys were teasing her and boys tend to do that". 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. My research into William Ah commencedKet in October 2019. community during the early years of Federation. 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 Ah Ket - A Life of Diversity and Service Andrew Godwin* 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 One case he was involved in successfully challenged the Immigration Restriction Act better known as the White Australia policy in 1908. Ben Dunn who all gained renown in that era as KCs, or Justices "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. 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