William also represented Chinese-Australians challenging discriminatory legislation in the High Court. Special thanks to Jennifer Wood, Kate Bagnall, Pauline Rule and the National Library of Australia for helping with research. "He played the game of affluence and gambling and carding and living it up," she recalled. He fought against the requirements of the 1907 Factories (Employment of Chinese) Act, which discriminated against . We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. Maureen Bedford - Great-niece of William Ah Ket, Vivienne Davis- Great-niece of William Ah Ket, Reynah Tang- Lawyer and founding president of Asian Australian Lawyers Association, Toylaan Ah Ket- Daughter of William Ah Ket, Blossom Ah Ket- Great-granddaughter of William Ah Ket, The Chinese and the Factories Acts by William Ah Ket,1906, The Measure of the Years by Sir Robert Menzies, 1970. He said that "William Ah Ket did not ever sit on the Bench, though he would have been a very competent judge. 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. Gertrudewas born on July 11 1887, in Clifton Hill, Victoria, Australia. She was sent to the Beechworth Lunatic Asylum and diagnosed with mania when William was five, and she lived there until she died in 1896. 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. "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.". After his return AALA acknowledges the past and continuing trauma caused by mistreatment and displacement. The Asian Australian Lawyers '14 Williams focus on reconciliation is reflected in the Second Morrison Lecture that he delivered in 1933. William was a member of the Chinese Empire Reform Association of 1904 and the Anti-Opium League of Victoria, organisations which supported modernisation and social reform among Chinese at home and abroad. The legacy of Australia's #firstAsianlawyer, William Ah Ket, who battled #racism and achieved landmark victories, lives on. [3] He was neither appointed Silk nor a judge. He advocated and promoted peaceful coexistence. "But we're living in days of the incarceration of refugees and asylum seekers. I haven't yet established who exactly it was that organised James Minahan's legal representation; the Chinese consulate began its operations the following year. Morrison Lecture was given in 1932 by 5 Law Students Society Dinner to Sir Harrison Moore, Farrago 5(5), April 23, 1929. Ah Kets legal team successfully proved that he was not a prohibited immigrant. 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. On top of that work, William also had to deal with racism. In a passage that is still recognised as current law in Australia, Justice OConnor stated as follows: It is improbable that the legislature would overthrow fundamental principles, infringe rights, or depart from the general system of law, without expressing its intention with irresistible clearness [10], Despite the bamboo ceiling that William must have encountered during his life and career, it appears that his mission was to remove barriers and, as his daughter Toylaan Ah Ket wrote, to implement his personal philosophy of building bridges between the East and West.'[11]. 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 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. His father Mah Ket had arrived in Australia in the 1850s, during the gold rush era, and his mother in the 1860s. 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. 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). landing at Tarakan. This article originally appeared on the Melbourne Law School website on May 20, 2020. Sir Robert Menzies wrote that he and Mr Ah Ket "were great friends". K Tn : Cuong. 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. One case he was involved in successfully challenged the Immigration Restriction Act better known as the White Australia policy in 1908. William Ah Ket became a leading figure in the Chinese Australian community during the early years of Federation. 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. 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 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. 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. 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). I am grateful for the opportunity of coming to know more about William Ah Ket. at Saturday's race-meetings in Melbourne, never missing his Contact Us, Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 7. 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. Andrew and MLS would be delighted if any readers have information about William that they would like to share. Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. We will never satisfy our ambitions. Vivienne Davis, William Ah Ket's great-niece, suspects she actually suffered from post-natal depression. He built up a successful 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. 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 Australian Dictionary of Biography notes the following in its entry on William Ah Ket: Ah Ket built up a healthy practice at the Victorian Bar, specialising in civil law. in 1982 and is currently writing the biography of her father. William Ah Ket fought social prejudice in and out of court. We should have done Medicine.16, There are many more interesting stories and facts that one could relate about William and his legacy. At that time, people born in Australia were British citizens by right, regardless of their parents origins. 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. Whatever the challenges that William faced during his sixty years, there is no doubt that his life was one of diversity and service. [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. Their youngest 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. A Paper on the Chinese and the Factories Acts, published in 1906, defended the rights of Chinese workers and factory owners against unfair legislation. In addition, the gallery is currently hosting an exhibition of memorabilia about him. schools. The eldest daughter, Melaan, married Len 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. 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. ROMEO Ha az lom hzelked emnek Hinnem lehet, mindjrt rm knt rm. Andrew can be contacted ona.godwin@unimelb.edu.au. William Ah Ket was Australia's first Chinese Australian lawyer and, later, acting consul-general for China in Australia. Masonic Lodge No.123 and held life-membership of the MCG so and educators against racial discrimination in Australia. Despite this, between 1905 and 1928, he appeared before the High Court on at least 12 occasions. Blossom says her great grand-father's little-known story is still relevant to contemporary Australia. William Ah Ket was Australia's first barrister of Asian heritage or ethnicity, born in Victoria in 1876. youthful experience in 'bridging' the two worlds of East and 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. I because I am Chinese. AUSTRALIA The award is sponsored by Maddocks where William Ah Ket was an articled clerk prior to joining the Victorian Bar, which is also a new sponsor this year along with the University of Melbourne Law School, where Mr Ah Ket studied. William was particularly active in the fight against racial discrimination. 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. in Wangaratta, William Ah Ket continued his regular attendance William Ah Ket was Australia's first barrister of Asian heritage or ethnicity, born in Victoria in 1876. The younger son He 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 Victoria. Neither of us will ever be made a judge, you because you are a woman. Fulfilling his father's wishes, William studied law at the University of Melbourne. in Melbourne, publicly opposed discriminatory laws against Ah Ket was born in Wangaratta in 1876 and died in 1936. In a High Court case called Ingham v Hie Lee,11 Ah Ket represented a Chinese laundry owner who was charged with an offence under the Factories and Shops Act 1905 in Victoria. 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. a keen if not always successful punter. "There was definitely a fresh wave of discrimination that was being put in place," she says. "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. 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. In 1921, William and Gertrude president of the Australian-Chinese Association, co-founder joint Trusteeship with Sir Colin MacKenzie in the founding He was, by all accounts, a man of at the National University in Canberra. 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. First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we 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! Neither of us will ever be made a judge, you because you are a woman. would provide all Australians with a better knowledge of the 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. to an end the legal career of a truly remarkable Chinese gentleman "She never saw her children raised, she never was never able to live in the community like her husband or anything," Vivienne says. light opera or a Gladys Moncrief musical . He acquired a considerable reputation as a negotiator of settlements. 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. by Sir Colin MacKenzie and were brought to fruition through He was an alumnus of the University of Melbourne. He was an excellent after-dinner speaker, a prominent Freemason and a keen punter and golfer. Despite Ah Ket's legal nous, he still faced prejudice, often from his own clients. 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 has 1 job listed on their profile. William Ah Ket (, 20 June 1876 6 August 1936) was a noted Australian barrister. Dr Couchman says the changes William spoke out against were "very invasive". He fought against the requirements of the 1907 Factories (Employment of Chinese) Act, which discriminated against . Ah Ket appeared in another High Court case called Potter 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. He was born on 20 June 1876 at Wangaratta, Victoria, the only son and fifth child of Mah Ket and Hing Ung. See the complete profile on LinkedIn and discover William's . One time, boys chased Toylaan and her sister home from Sunday school, throwing stones and calling them "Ching-chong Chinamen". Chen, and in 1933 the As the first #ChineseAustralian to join the Victorian Bar, William was born. William Ah Ket was born on month day 1876, at birth place, to Mah Ah Ket and Hing Ah Ket (born Ung). The couple had four children William, Stanley, Melaan and Toylaan. He specialised in civil law and acquired a considerable reputation as a negotiator of settlements. 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. So how is it that such a pioneering lawyer of Chinese descent is not more widely known? 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