He was born on 20 June 1876 at Wangaratta, Victoria, the only son and fifth child of Mah Ket and Hing Ung. In the 1900s William Ah Ket along with other leaders of the Andrew can be contacted on a.godwin@unimelb.edu.au. Victoria 3086 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. His father Mah Ket had arrived in Australia in the 1850s, during the gold rush era, and his mother in the 1860s. Prior to completing Vivienne Davis, William Ah Ket's great-niece, suspects she actually suffered from post-natal depression. 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. 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. who had made such a worthy contribution to the history of Find the obituary of William "Mike" Clendenin (1936 - 2015) from Eagle Mountain, UT. There is little doubt that William Ah Ket's William also represented Chinese-Australians challenging discriminatory legislation in the High Court. in the furniture-making trade. in Melbourne, publicly opposed discriminatory laws against He became the leading Chinese in the district and a respected member of the Wangaratta community. father employed a resident tutor for his 'seven little Australians' William Ah Ket became a leading figure in the Chinese Australian community during the early years of Federation. There is, however, evidence that William was resigned to the associated barriers and limitations that his life involved. However, as Sir Robert Menzies, who was a friend and practised with Mr Ah Ket in Selbourne Chambers, observed [a] certain prejudice among clients against having a Chinese barrister to an extent limited his practice. The younger son Both William Ah Ket and his wife were music-lovers and regular Educated in both English andChinese cultures, he agitated against racialintolerance in Victoria and defended the rightsof Victoria`s Chinese community. Once completed, the Eagle Mountain Data Center will be a nearly 2.4 million square foot campus. Our data centers have been designed from the ground up to be some of the most efficient data centers in the world. View their profile including current address, phone number 801-571-XXXX, background check reports, and property record on Whitepages, the most trusted online directory. 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. Victoria, and the increasing protests of influential clergymen At that time, people born in Australia were British citizens by right, regardless of their parents origins. . Blossom says. would increase friendship and understanding between the people 1901. Neither of us will ever be made a judge, you because you are a woman. He was born on 20 June 1876 at Wangaratta, Victoria, the only son and fifth child of Mah Ket and Hing Ung. 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. So how is it that such a pioneering lawyer of Chinese descent is not more widely known? Life. 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. 5 Law Students Society Dinner to Sir Harrison Moore, Farrago 5(5), April 23, 1929. He became the leading Chinese in the district and a respected member of the Wangaratta community. 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. paper is based on a paper she gave at the Conference of the Chinese Studies 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. 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. in Australia ended, he settled in Wangaratta to raise his 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. I because I am Chinese. 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. William Ah Ket was Australia's first Chinese Australian lawyer and, later, acting consul-general for China in Australia. His mother, Hing Ung, had bound feet and spoke no English. He sold opium, among other supplies. as one of Melbourne's most talented and adroit barristers. The story of William Ah Ket, the first Chinese-Australian barrister. [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. 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. eyewitness of the Test matches between England and Australia. We will never satisfy our ambitions. Each August since 2017, the William Ah Ket Scholarship committee has accepted applications for the most outstanding research paper on a topic dealing with equality, diversity, and the legal profession or the law from legal trainees, graduates, final year students and lawyers with less than five years of practice. 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. 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. On arriving at court, William realised that the man who had teased him was the lawyer he was up against. He also appeared before Justice Lowe after he was appointed to the Supreme Court of Victoria. I am grateful for the opportunity of coming to know more about William Ah Ket. of the Supreme Court and knights of the realm. Defying what was expected of Chinese-Australians at the turn of the twentieth century, he studied law and progressed to appear before the High Court of Australia. 16Isabel Carter,Woman in a Wig: Joan Rosanove, QC (Lansdowne Press, 1970), 13. William was particularly active in the fight against racial discrimination and appeared in many 'public interest' cases. 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. He was also the acting consul-general for China in 1913-14 and in 1917. "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. 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. With paternal ancestry from Taishan, southern China, Ah Ket was Australia's first barrister of Asian heritage or ethnicity. barrister to practice in Melbourne. William Penrod Davis, age 80+, lives in Eagle Mountain, UT. Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. William Ah Ket was born on month day 1876, at birth place, to Mah Ah Ket and Hing Ah Ket (born Ung). In 191314 and 1917, he acted as Consul-General for China in Melbourne.[1][5]. He was a sound lawyer and a good advocate". 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. William Ah Ket (, 20 June 1876 - 6 August 1936) was a noted 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. Defying what was expected of Chinese-Australians at the turn of the twentieth century, he studied law and progressed to appear before the High Court of Australia. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. ways of thinking, with particular reference to Confucius'. agitate against the Immigration Restriction Act in 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. This article commemorates the life of William Ah Ket, Australias first barrister of Chinese descent. landing at Tarakan. In 1921, William and Gertrude choice would be a controversial play at The Little Theatre, We should have done Medicine.16, There are many more interesting stories and facts that one could relate about William and his legacy. Whatever the challenges that William faced during his sixty years, there is no doubt that his life was one of diversity and service. [14] Karin Derkley, above n 6. He specialised in civil law and acquired a considerable reputation as a negotiator of settlements. . 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. 2Helen Penrose, To Build a Firm: The Maddocks Story (Maddocks, 2010), 11. "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. Gertrudewas born on July 11 1887, in Clifton Hill, Victoria, Australia. and friendship between the West and the East led him to accept '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. or a night of comedy at the Tivoli with Stiffy & Mo. 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. He said that "William Ah Ket did not ever sit on the Bench, though he would have been a very competent judge. 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. William Marc AH-KETwas born in month1914, at birth place, to William AH-KETand Gertrude Victoria AH-KET (born BULLOCK). "But we're living in days of the incarceration of refugees and asylum seekers. [5], 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. Each data center building is the size of a modern day aircraft carrier, nearly four football fields long. His father had taken him to China when he was about five years old. Williamhad 3 siblings: Toylaan Margaret ALLEN (born AH-KET)and 2 other siblings. 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. 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! for China in Melbourne in 1913-14 and again in 1917. was a founding member and Grand Master of the East Caulfield Neither of us will ever be made a judge, you because you are a woman. 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. Dr Couchman says the changes William spoke out against were "very invasive". 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. The eldest daughter, Melaan, married Len 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. [7] William Ah Ket Scholarship 2019, Program (9 October 2019). Defend yourself nobly but always in a dignified fashion.". [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. He was a leading activist in the campaigns for equal rights for Chinese-Australians at a time when anti-Chinese sentiment ran deep. Sir Colin envisaged a lectureship that If Monument Australia is useful to you, please make a donation to keep this historical and educational resource available. Parliament for the new Republic in 1912. 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. Blossom says her great grand-father's little-known story is still relevant to contemporary Australia. community during the early years of Federation. Guidelines for the Lectureship had been initially proposed Less is known about another person - Wu Ting Fang. Three years later, the untimely death of William Ah Ket brought "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. With paternal ancestry from Taishan, southern China, Ah Ket was Australia's first barrister of Asian heritage or ethnicity.He was born on 20 June 1876 at Wangaratta, Victoria, the only son and fifth child of Mah Ket and Hing Ung.He was an alumnus of the University of Melbourne.On 16 November 1912 he married Gertrude Victoria Bullock at the . 5 Law Students Society Dinner to Sir Harrison Moore, Farrago 5(5), April 23, 1929. William Ah Ket (, 20 June 1876 6 August 1936) was a noted Australian barrister. 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 athttps://static1.squarespace.com/static/54dd81c6e4b074b4a339bb2e/t/5a1409caf9619a97a1396f77/1511262667464/WILLIAM+AH+KET+launch.pdf. Sir Robert Menzies practised with William in Selbourne Chambers. all born in Australia to his Chinese parents. William later married English-Australian typist Gertrude Bullock, courting her for four years before her father would accept him. 10William Ah Ket Scholarship 2019, Program (9 October 2019). 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. of the George Ernest Morrison Memorial Lectureship in Ethnology 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. Life [ edit] With paternal ancestry from Taishan, southern China, Ah Ket was Australia's first barrister of Asian heritage or ethnicity. I because I am Chinese. 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. William Ah Ket [] was born in Wangaratta in the state of Victoria, Australia, in 1876. Despite this, between 1905 and 1928, he appeared before the High Court on at least 12 occasions. [8] (1912) 15 CLR 267. Whatever the challenges that William faced during his sixty years, there is no doubt that his life was one of diversity and service. 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. Sir Robert Menzies wrote that he and Mr Ah Ket "were great friends". "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.". 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. 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. William's personal interests were widely diversified. Please contact us. In the past we have borne all the costs associated with maintaining the website but we are now having difficulties in paying the monthly expenses. This included a number of cases, Bishop v Chung Brothers, Potter v Minahan and Ingham v Hie Lee, that involved challenges to legislation that discriminated against those of Chinese origin. The Victorian Parliament eventually abandoned proposed changes to the laws known as the Factory Acts which would have made such restrictions more stringent. 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. Burns or Gilbert & Sullivan. 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. Mr Tang says it shows that, despite his talents, he suffered from a level of discrimination. 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. as the local 'mandarin' and Law Courts Interpreter, and prospered 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. Williams, founder of the Spanish Guitar Centre in London, View William Webb's profile on LinkedIn, the world's largest professional community. Despite these achievements, William Ah Ket's story is little-known. opinions expressed in these stories do not necessarily reflect those of La Trobe University 1John Lack, Ah Ket, William (1876 1936),Australian Dictionary of Biography, available athttp://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/ah-ket-william-4979. William was well regarded as a barrister. he signed the Bar Roll in 1904 and became the first Chinese William Ah Ket [] was born in Wangaratta in the state of Victoria, Australia, in 1876. 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. [5] Citing 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 9.6] The Hon Susan Kiefel AC, Chief Justice of Australia, William Ah Kets contribution to diversity in the legal profession (Asian Australian Lawyers Association, William Ah Ket Scholarship Presentation, Great Hall, High Court of Australia, Canberra, 9 October 2019, 5:30pm). This Maddocks CEO named judge for 2021 William Ah Ket Scholarship. Over time the costs of maintaining this website have risen substantially (in fact they are probably larger than those of many companies who exist for profit). master the Confucian skills of reading and writing in the Asian Studies Program He made several successful submissions opposing the Victorian For group subscribers, please click here to access.Interested in group subscription? Contact Us, Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 7. He served his articles under Richard Cross of the firm then known as Maddock & Jamieson (now Maddocks) in 1903. 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. Crossing Time: Australia's transgender historypart 1. Church to a young Australian woman, Gertrude Bullock, whose 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. 820 Drummond Street Carlton North VIC 3054. Dear Monument Australia visitors, we are a self-funded, non-profit organisation, dedicated to recording monuments throughout Australia. 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. Masonic Lodge No.123 and held life-membership of the MCG so [4] Citing Sir Robert Menzies, The Measure of the Years (Cassell Australia, 1970) at 249. of Commerce to represent Victoria at the Conference of Overseas He became the leading Chinese in the district and a respected member of the Wangaratta community.. 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. At that time, people born in Australia were British citizens by right, regardless of their parents origins. William was particularly active in the fight against racial discrimination. We should have done Medicine.[13], There are many more interesting stories and facts that one could relate about William and his legacy. William was survived by his wife Gertrude Victoria (nee Bullock) and four children Dr. William, Stanley, Melaan and Toylaan. After completing his secondary education, he studied law at the University of Melbourne, and joined the law firm of Maddock & Jamieson (now Maddocks). Imagined by, Understanding internal and external evidence in interpretation of claims, Legal risks and strategies for ending a tenancy early, Tips for insolvency administration of NEEQ-listed companies, Applying estoppel, dedication rules in drug patent linkage dispute, Ongoing developments with follow-on antitrust lawsuits, Legal risks of one-day trip into SCSZs for deemed exports, Fees to please: Flexible and innovative fee structure for Hong Kong arbitration, Prerequisites, exemptions for fledgling personal bankruptcy system, Bankruptcy reorganisation: revealing an investment window, Save time and money with pre-reorganisation rescue planning. He suffered from a level of discrimination, suspects she actually suffered from a of! Is it that such a pioneering lawyer of william ah ket descent is not widely. 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