Paper trails: Anglo-Chinese Australians and the White Australia Policy

Paper trailsAnglo-Chinese Australians and the White Australia PolicyKate Bagnall

The 5th WCILCOS International Conference of Institutes and Libraries for Chinese Overseas StudiesChinese through the Americas16–19 May 2012, Vancouver, B.C., CanadaPanel S26: Pacific connections—Chinese in Australia and New Zealand

‘That famous fighting family’Five of the eight sons of William and Jane Flood Sam of

West Wyalong, NSW, went to fight in World War I

Wyalong Advocate, 24 June 1919Undated newspaper clipping, c. 1915

Percy and William Flood SamFourteen-year-old Percy and his seventy-year-old father, William, before their departure for China, 1915

NAA: SP42/1, C1915/4032NAA: SP42/1, C1915/4058

Part of the West Wyalong community

William Flood Sam was described as ‘a good hardworking sober man’ and ‘a man of first-class character’.

Jane Sam was a said to be a ‘highly esteemed resident’ of the district.

NAA: SP42/1, C1915/4058West Wyalong Advocate, 19 October 1944Australian Town and Country Journal, 1 January 1898

Application letters by Jane and William Flood Sam for son Percy to travel to China, 1915

NAA: SP42/1, C1915/4032

Percy Flood SamPercy’s handprint and photograph were taken and kept on file so he could be identified on returning to Australia, 1915

NAA: SP42/1, C1915/4032

Immigration Restriction Act 1901‘An Act to place certain restrictions on Immigration and to provide for the removal from the Commonwealth of prohibited Immigrants.’

NAA: A1559, 1901/17foundingdocs.gov.au/item-did-16.html

Invisible Australians: ‘The real face of White Australia’invisibleaustralians.org/faces/

Ablong Flood Sam Joy Lett Tin Hop

Ah Bow Fong Kum Moon Julum Hoong Ling / Sams Tong

Ah Chee / Archie Fong Look / Young Yan Kee Loung / Long Way

Ah Gin / Jong Gutt / Gett Fong Tong Kee Chong Lum Liu Williamson / Too Tong / Mon Howe

Ah Hee / Yee / Choy Hing

Go Hing Kee Chong / Sun You Mon Hoy Win

Ah See Goudy Ky Ling Kiy Chung Moy Hing Win James

Allen / Gum Hip Chong Kong Sing Muller / Ah Tack Wong Young / Yau Kong

Brown Hongue Kum For Poy Yee Lee / Soderblom

Ching Hoy Hooklin La Gog Quon Yee Wing

Chong Dye Hoon Lee (Henry) Reece Yee Ying

Chun Quan Hop War Lee (Thomas and Tom) Shung / Chung /Chang Yen Hop / Daley

Chung Hoy Lee / Kwok Soong Yet / Reid

Chy Wong Jipp / Moy Hing Lee / Quing Lee Speance / Ah Lum / Moon Tong Young

Yin

Cleary Johnson Lee Hin Mun Sung Yee Yin Poon

Finn / Tracey Jong Wah / Lee Lee Kee Chong Tart Lum Bew / Lumbewe

Yum Sume

Anglo-Chinese families and individuals travelling from Sydney, 1900 to 1930s

Compiled mostly from records in NAA: SP42/1, SP726/2, A1

Eastern & Australian Steamship Company’s Tourist Guide to China, Japan…, 1899

‘One of our most vigilant officers’Customs Inspector J. T. T. Donohoe worked out of Customs House at Sydney’s Circular Quay. He was said to know ‘more about the Chinese than any other European in Sydney’.

Sydney Morning Herald, 20 September 1898

Customs House, Sydney, c. 1900www.powerhousemuseum.com/collection/database/?irn=31441

nla.gov.au/nla.news-article72209407nla.gov.au/nla.news-article10657524nla.gov.au/nla.news-article79398785nla.gov.au/nla.news-article74307041

Ethel EdithGo Hing

Two of the four pages of Ethel Go Hing’s file, 1915

NAA: SP42/1, C1915/6424

Birth certificate register NAA: SP726/2

Albert Edward Lee

Certificate Exempting from Dictation Test, 1909

Baptismal certificate, 1901

Birth certificate, issued 1909

NAA: ST84/1, 1909/21/21-30NAA: SP42/1, C1909/1908

Horace La Gog (born Horace Clary)

Horace La Gog’s birth certificate, 1888, made no reference to his (Chinese) father because his parents were not married.

NAA: SP42/1, B1906/3520

Alfred Ablong‘I have heard rumours of parents selling the birth certificates of their children born in Australia of mixed parentage… I can only think that this has been done with my own certificate.’

NAA: SP42/1, 1914/64nla.gov.au/nla.news-article15451089

Walter WayPhotographs of four-year-old Walter Way attached to the back of his memorandum of adoption, 1902

Photographs of the boy who returned as Walter Way in 1911

NAA: SP42/1, C1912/906

Herbert Melbourne Hooklin,aka Mun Kee

‘I have personally examined Mun Kee, who has the typical appearance of a full-blooded Chinese in contradistinction to his reputed brothers who show distinct evidence of their European descent.’

– Dr Reid, Chief Quarantine Officer-General, 1916

NAA: SP42/1, C1916/4059

Ohho Kong Sing

‘… owing to the special circumstances of his case, the ordinary Certificate was not issued nor the Fee of £2 collected.’

NAA: SP42/1, B1905/1616Australian Town and Country Journal, 23 March 1889

kate.bagnall@gmail.comchineseaustralia.orginvisibleaustralians.org