Chinese called by Dr. Sun Yat Sen to attend the first National respect, not only within his legal fraternity, but within Dr Couchman says the changes William spoke out against were "very invasive". This Australian law-related biographical article is a stub. He has the lucky number of 88 on the Victorian Bar roll. Mantova, utca. 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. light opera or a Gladys Moncrief musical . 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. 15William Ah Ket, Eastern Thought, with special reference to Confucius (Second Morrison Lecture, 3 May 1933), available athttps://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/bitstream/1885/145813/2/Morrison%20Oration%2002.pdf. community, such as Quong Tart in Sydney and Cheok Hong. 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. Jamieson in 1903. Published: TueTue 28 Feb 2023 at 12:00am/with Kirsti Melville, Published: 21 Feb 2023Tue 21 Feb 2023 at 12:00am/with Kirsti Melville, Published: 14 Feb 2023Tue 14 Feb 2023 at 12:00am/with Kirsti Melville, Published: 7 Feb 2023Tue 7 Feb 2023 at 12:00am/with Kirsti Melville. Ah Kets colleagues remembered him with warmth and affection as an amiable and gregarious man, greatly respected for his ability and integrity. He was born on 20 June 1876 at Wangaratta, Victoria, the only son and fifth child of Mah Ket and Hing Ung. . theatre-goers during the "Gay 20s" before the Depression. In addition, he had the advantage Cheong 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. We should have done Medicine.16, There are many more interesting stories and facts that one could relate about William and his legacy. He fought against the White Australia policy and racist laws targeting Chinese workers as Australia's first barrister of Chinese descent. Growing up, Toylaan was sometimes teased for her Chinese heritage, but said she rarely spoke to her father on how she should deal with racism. "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. 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. Chen, and in 1933 the [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. He is also believed to be the first Chinese barrister to practise in Australia. Sir Robert Menzies wrote that he and Mr Ah Ket "were great friends". 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. We will never satisfy our ambitions. He made several successful submissions opposing the Victorian of the George Ernest Morrison Memorial Lectureship in Ethnology I because I am Chinese. The views and Your information is being handled in accordance with the. We should have done Medicine.16, There are many more interesting stories and facts that one could relate about William and his legacy. NOTE: The author, Toylaan Ah Ket, is the daughter of William Ah Ket. for its foundation. Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. father employed a resident tutor for his 'seven little Australians' This article contains content that is not available. 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. Andrew and MLS would be delighted if any readers have information about William that they would like to share. youthful experience in 'bridging' the two worlds of East and William Ah Ket was born on month day 1876, at birth place, to Mah Ah Ket and Hing Ah Ket (born Ung). Despite his high profile and achievements, it would seem that others were advanced while he was not. 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. 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. "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.". He was also active in political groups which lobbied on behalf of the Chinese-Australian community against the legal supply of opium, and laws which imposed restrictions on Chinese laundry workers and furniture-makers. 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. Andrew can be contacted ona.godwin@unimelb.edu.au. "They were about making sure Chinese were on view, they were really pretty abhorrent," she says. 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. 6Citing Karin Derkley, William Ah Ket Legacy Recognised (2018) 92(3) Law Institute Journal 83 at 83, 84. of the Supreme Court and knights of the realm. 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 Chisholm Street. of their happy marriage with a small party at a Chinese banquet His father had taken him to China when he was about five years old. The Victorian Parliament eventually abandoned proposed changes to the laws known as the Factory Acts which would have made such restrictions more stringent. such a reputation for his canny tactics as a cross-examiner. Williams focus on reconciliation is reflected in the Second Morrison Lecture that he delivered in 1933, where he discussed 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. landing at Tarakan. He was a sound lawyer and a good advocate". in Melbourne, publicly opposed discriminatory laws against "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. That includes our servers. daughter Toylaan gained her BA(hons) degree at Sydney University OK BAGUS nama galih ayuningtyas nim 202210631013327 kelas pgsd09 elaborasi pemahaman topik teknologi baru di sini, adalah materi disajikan dalam bentuk lisan The Asian Australian Lawyers Association (AALA) offers our respects to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the true and traditional owners and custodians of the lands we gather on to live, work and learn. He fought against the requirements of the 1907 Factories (Employment of Chinese) Act, which discriminated against . Captain Stanley Ket (LLB) served with the Intelligence Unit to an end the legal career of a truly remarkable Chinese gentleman Contact Andrew at a.godwin@unimelb.edu.au. level and not merely through trade. We will never satisfy our ambitions. 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. 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. William Ah Ket was a noted Australian barrister. Please contact us. Liu in Sydney who both obtained generous financial support She said there were maids at the family home, where her parents often hosted glamorous mah-jong and poker parties for their friends. Despite this, between 1905 and 1928, he appeared before the High Court on at least 12 occasions. 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). Ben Dunn who all gained renown in that era as KCs, or Justices 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. 1John Lack, Ah Ket, William (1876 1936),Australian Dictionary of Biography, available athttp://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/ah-ket-william-4979. Gertrudewas born on July 11 1887, in Clifton Hill, Victoria, Australia. His father had taken him to China when he was about five years old. William was particularly active in the fight against racial discrimination and appeared in many 'public interest' cases. I because I am Chinese. 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. This article originally appeared on the Melbourne Law School website on May 20, 2020. [1][2] His daughter Melaan was the mother of the guitarist John Williams. 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. Toylaan, the youngest daughter, died in 2015 at the age of 94. 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. Andrew and MLS would be delighted if any readers have information about William that they would like to share. invited scholars from interstate and overseas to deliver the Fulfilling his fathers wishes, William studied law at the University of Melbourne. William stayed involved with the University and was elected the President of the Law Students Society on 19 April 1907.4 Some 20 years later, in 1929, William supported a toast in favour of Sir Harrison Moore, the third Dean of Melbourne Law School, at a dinner hosted by the Law Students Society to mark Sir Harrisons retirement in 1927. in Wangaratta, William Ah Ket continued his regular attendance James_Michael, Hm qua, lc 22:28. Last night, things came full circle when I attended the launch of the 2019 William Ah Ket Scholarship at the Chinese Museum in Melbourne. Parliament for the new Republic in 1912. In the 1970 book The Measure of the Years by Australia's longest-serving prime minister, Robert Menzies, he referred to his colleague and friend Ah Ket as "a phenomenon at the Victorian Bar" but that "a certain prejudice among clients against having a Chinese barrister to an extent limited his practice . as one of Melbourne's most talented and adroit barristers. 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. He became the leading Chinese in the district and a respected member of the Wangaratta community. Toylaan remembered his final words: "Unity is strength.". We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the 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. The Asian Australian Lawyers [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. place in The Stand during the season of The Oaks, the Caulfield AUSTRALIA "That's why his story's so important to us.". 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! He was also co-founder and Popular among the press reporters and cartoonists of his 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 athttps://arrow.latrobe.edu.au/store/3/4/5/5/1/public/stories/wahket.htm. The keynote address is delivered by the Honourable Susan Kiefel AC, Chief Justice of The High Court of Australia, who makes the following comments: By all accounts, Mr Ah Ket was a remarkable man. The younger son 16Isabel Carter,Woman in a Wig: Joan Rosanove, QC (Lansdowne Press, 1970), 13. The rise of China has everyone talking. second Morrison Lecture was delivered by William Ah Ket on at Saturday's race-meetings in Melbourne, never missing his [4] Citing Sir Robert Menzies, The Measure of the Years (Cassell Australia, 1970) at 249. of 'building bridges between the East and West.'. 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. 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. "William Ah Ket is in his teens at this time and he's being brought up to be a smart, educated young man, so he would've seen all this going on.". Blossom says her great grand-father's little-known story is still relevant to contemporary Australia. William was educated in Wangaratta, and on gaining his matriculation [7] William Ah Ket Scholarship 2019, Program (9 October 2019). He was a co-founder of the Australian-Chinese Association and one of two delegates from the Chinese community in Australia to the opening of the Chinese national parliament of 1912. William Ah Ket also wrote articles and gave lectures in support 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. Victoria, and the increasing protests of influential clergymen In 1921, William and Gertrude 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. He advocated and promoted peaceful coexistence.8 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. He was in the front rank of pleaders and became renowned as a fine cross-examiner quietly spoken, courteous and shrewd and as an outstanding jury man. We should have done Medicine.[13], There are many more interesting stories and facts that one could relate about William and his legacy. La Trobe University William was particularly active in the fight against racial discrimination and appeared in many 'public interest' cases. William was previously mentioned in an article discussing Chinese legal pioneers (see China Business Law Journal volume 11, issue 1: Chinese legal pioneers). Andrew can be contacted on a.godwin@unimelb.edu.au. government's repeated attempts in 1904, 1905 and 1907 to make Please send any press releases, deal announcements, details of new hires, newsletters and any other news items to: Copyright 2022 Vantage Asia Publishing Limited. which he moved. He was an alumnus of the University of Melbourne. "If you think about someone who's a first-generation Australian trying to break into a white, Anglo-Saxon dominated legal profession, it would've taken a fair bit of work to build up his reputation, get to be known and respected," he says. Williamhad 3 siblings: Toylaan Margaret ALLEN (born AH-KET)and 2 other siblings. Keblem kirja ken l a trnjn S eg nap oj okatlan, jti jkedv Emelget a fldrl, vg rzetekkel. [1] Helen Penrose, To Build a Firm: The Maddocks Story (Maddocks, 2010), 11[2] See 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. So begins the biography of William Ah Ket [] in the Australian Dictionary of Biography. Their youngest 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. barrister to practice in Melbourne. 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. 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. 4The Melbourne University Magazine, Volume 1, Number 1, 1907, 20. Their eldest son William Ket MBBS became Deputy Superintendent * Associate Director (Asian Commercial Law), Asian Law Centre, Melbourne Law School. president of the Australian-Chinese Association, co-founder William Ah Ket (, 20 June 1876 6 August 1936) was a noted Australian barrister. "[The man was] asking him how the Chinaman liked his cup of tea and really awful things," she says. 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. William was particularly active in the fight against racial discrimination. During his career Ah Ket battled the harsh effects of the White Australia Policy in 1908. 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. William also represented Chinese-Australians challenging discriminatory legislation in the High Court. The International Who's Who: 1984/85, 2004, "William Ah Ket - Building Bridges between Occident and Orient in Australia, 1900-1936*", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=William_Ah_Ket&oldid=1136723876, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in Australian English, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 31 January 2023, at 20:35. Email: cha@latrobe.edu.au. William later married English-Australian typist Gertrude Bullock, courting her for four years before her father would accept him. The keynote address is delivered by the Honourable Susan Kiefel AC, Chief Justice of The High Court of Australia, who makes the following comments: By all accounts, Mr Ah Ket was a remarkable man. Educated in both English and Chinese cultures, he agitated against racial intolerance in Victoria and defended the rights of Victoria`s Chinese community. Mr Tang says it shows that, despite his talents, he suffered from a level of discrimination. and friendship between the West and the East led him to accept William had 4 sisters: Alberta Young (born Ah Ket) and 3 other siblings. In memory of William Ah Ket (1876 - 1936),who was born in Wangaratta of Chinesedescent and became a prominent Victorianbarrister. He acquired a considerable reputation as a negotiator of settlements. William was well regarded as a barrister. "Obviously there's not a White Australia policy as such against Chinese migrants," she says. by Sir Colin MacKenzie and were brought to fruition through William moved to Melbourne in 1893 to study law at Melbourne University, and was formally admitted to the Victorian Bar in 1904. Masonic Lodge No.123 and held life-membership of the MCG so 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. The keynote address is delivered by Chief Justice of The High Court of Australia, the Honourable Susan Kiefel AC, who makes the following comments: By all accounts, Mr Ah Ket was a remarkable man. Contact Us, Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 7. He joined the Victorian Bar in 1904, reading with Stewart McArthur who later went on to be a Supreme Court judge and became the first Chinese barrister to practise in Melbourne. 6Citing Karin Derkley, William Ah Ket Legacy Recognised (2018) 92(3) Law Institute Journal 83 at 83, 84. the efforts of William Ah Ket in Melbourne and William J. Neither of us will ever be made a judge, you because you are a woman. 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.15 William would have had an affinity with bagpipes as his wife, Gertrude Bullock, was of Scottish descent. All rights reserved. He also appeared before Justice Lowe after he was appointed to the Supreme Court of Victoria. Whatever the challenges that William faced during his sixty years, there is no doubt that his life was one of diversity and service. opinions expressed in these stories do not necessarily reflect those of La Trobe University 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. William Ah Ket was educated at Wangaratta High School and was also taught at home by a Chinese tutor. I because I am Chinese. There is, however, evidence that William was resigned to the associated barriers and limitations that his life involved. William Ah Ket as a young man Source: by kind permission of the Ah Ket family, 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. established their home at No.1 Dandenong Road, Malvern where My father, William Ah Ket rose to prominence in the 1900s-1930s If Monument Australia is useful to you, please make a donation to keep this historical and educational resource available. On 16 November 1912 he married Gertrude Victoria Bullock at the Kew Methodist Church. Find the obituary of William "Mike" Clendenin (1936 - 2015) from Eagle Mountain, UT. [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. I am proud to have been part of this fantastic initiative. William Ah Ket in Selborne Chambers, Melbourne circa 1933.Source: http://monumentaustralia.org.au/. 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. It is named after William Ah Ket who became the first Australian barrister of Chinese origin in 1904. Supplied: William Ah Ket's descendants Topics: history , laws , melbourne-3000 Top Stories 'Total deviousness': Witnesses recount 'suspicious' inferno in the Luna Park Ghost Train 'If you're offered it, take it': Government backs AstraZeneca despite blood clot concerns 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. 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 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. 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Contact Us, Australian Dictionary of Biography, available athttp: //adb.anu.edu.au/biography/ah-ket-william-4979 in Australia up and down arrows Volume... ' this article contains content that is not available: //adb.anu.edu.au/biography/ah-ket-william-4979 number of 88 on the Victorian of White... Youngest daughter, died in 2015 at the University of Melbourne siblings: Margaret! Australia policy as such against Chinese migrants, '' she says of Victoria 1876 at Wangaratta School... 2 ] his daughter Melaan was the mother of the Australian-Chinese Association, co-founder William Ah Ket was educated Wangaratta... Kets colleagues remembered him with warmth and affection as an amiable and man... Arrows for Volume Clendenin ( 1936 - 2015 ) from Eagle Mountain, UT william ah ket ability and.... Before Justice Lowe after he was an alumnus of the 1907 Factories ( Employment of Chinese ) Act which! 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