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. I am proud to have been part of this fantastic initiative. to win the reluctant approval of the bench with his propensity In 1921, William and Gertrude ROMEO Ha az lom hzelked emnek Hinnem lehet, mindjrt rm knt rm. William Ah Ket was Australia's first barrister of Asian heritage or ethnicity, born in Victoria in 1876. 6Citing Karin Derkley, William Ah Ket Legacy Recognised (2018) 92(3) Law Institute Journal 83 at 83, 84. In the 1930s world peace began to waver under the threat [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 is also believed to be the first Chinese barrister to practise in Australia. of the George Ernest Morrison Memorial Lectureship in Ethnology 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. On returning to Australia, he was threatened with deportation when he failed the dictation test that the law required "prohibited immigrants" to take. Less is known about another person - Wu Ting Fang. Despite this, between 1905 and 1928, he appeared before the High Court on at least 12 occasions. [9] (1908) 7 CLR 277. Sir Robert Menzies wrote that he and Mr Ah Ket "were great friends". The marginalised group has shifted but it's not that distant.". for China in Melbourne in 1913-14 and again in 1917. Ah Kets legal team successfully proved that he was not a prohibited immigrant. 7Citing Sir Robert Menzies, The Measure of the Years (Cassell Australia, 1970) at 249. 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.[14]. During his career Ah Ket battled the harsh effects of the White Australia Policy in 1908. 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. 9The 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). 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 . 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. He fought against the requirements of the 1907 Factories (Employment of Chinese) Act, which discriminated against . the social, business and sporting circles of Melbourne in NOTE: The author, Toylaan Ah Ket, is the daughter of William Ah Ket. in Melbourne, publicly opposed discriminatory laws against Father and son worked as court interpreters in their spare time. 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. William was particularly active in the fight against racial discrimination. "But we're living in days of the incarceration of refugees and asylum seekers. Whatever the challenges that William faced during his sixty years, there is no doubt that his life was one of diversity and service. "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.". Your information is being handled in accordance with the. light opera or a Gladys Moncrief musical . Andrew and MLS would be delighted if any readers have information about William that they would like to share. William Ah Ket was a noted Australian barrister. he signed the Bar Roll in 1904 and became the first Chinese A former partner of Linklaters Shanghai, Andrew Godwin teaches law at Melbourne Law School in Australia, where he is an associate director of its Asian Law Centre. Despite his high profile and achievements, it would seem that others were advanced while he was not. Tune in as The History Listen explores his story. would increase friendship and understanding between the people Find the obituary of William "Mike" Clendenin (1936 - 2015) from Eagle Mountain, UT. joint Trusteeship with Sir Colin MacKenzie in the founding For group subscribers, please click here to access.Interested in group subscription? 16Isabel Carter, Woman in a Wig: Joan Rosanove, QC (Lansdowne Press, 1970), 13. He was born on 20 June 1876 at Wangaratta, Victoria, the only son and fifth child of Mah Ket and Hing Ung. Email: cha@latrobe.edu.au. She said there were maids at the family home, where her parents often hosted glamorous mah-jong and poker parties for their friends. 6Citing Karin Derkley, William Ah Ket Legacy Recognised (2018) 92(3) Law Institute Journal 83 at 83, 84. Cheong 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. 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. well as a tobacco-grower, store-keeper, and property owner. His father had taken him to China when he was about five years old. 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. [3] Citing Karin Derkley, William Ah Ket Legacy Recognised (2018) 92(3) Law Institute Journal 83 at 83, 84. 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. - either Her Majesty's or the Princess Theatre - for a Melba William was educated in Wangaratta, and on gaining his matriculation Whatever the challenges that William faced during his sixty years, there is no doubt that his life was one of diversity and service. 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. So how is it that such a pioneering lawyer of Chinese descent is not more widely known? and Cambridge respectively. At that time, people born in Australia were British citizens by right, regardless of their parents origins. 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. I because I am Chinese. 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. Andrews new book is a compilation of China Business Law Journals popular Lexicon series, entitled China Lexicon: Defining and translating legal terms. Dear Monument Australia visitors, we are a self-funded, non-profit organisation, dedicated to recording monuments throughout Australia. Maddocks CEO named judge for 2021 William Ah Ket Scholarship. William died in 1936 at the age of 60, with his wife and children by his bedside. Sir Robert Menzies wrote that he and Mr Ah Ket "were great friends". of 'building bridges between the East and West.'. So begins the biography of William Ah Ket [] in the Australian Dictionary of Biography. 16Isabel Carter,Woman in a Wig: Joan Rosanove, QC (Lansdowne Press, 1970), 13. amendments to the 1896 Factories & Shops Act to I am grateful for the opportunity of coming to know more about William Ah Ket. His father, Ah Ket, and mother, Hing Ung, had established one of the first tobacco farms on the King River. Guineas and the Melbourne Cup, where he was recognised as William's client, James Minahan, was born in Australia to an Anglo-Australian mother and Chinese father. . ways of thinking, with particular reference to Confucius'. He was also the acting consul-general for China in 1913-14 and in 1917. At that time, people born in Australia were British citizens by right, regardless of their parents origins. Despite these achievements, William Ah Ket's story is little-known. I because I am Chinese. 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. 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