Historians say Mah Ket encouraged his son to study law to help the Chinese community, which was facing discriminatory laws at the end of the 19th century. The story of William Ah Ket is a significant one in the history of the Australian legal profession. 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. I because I am Chinese. 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. 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. William Ah Ket fought social prejudice in and out of court. We should have done Medicine.[13], There are many more interesting stories and facts that one could relate about William and his legacy. This article commemorates the life of William Ah Ket, Australias first barrister of Chinese descent. 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. He has the lucky number of 88 on the Victorian Bar roll. 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". Ah Kets legal team successfully proved that he was not a prohibited immigrant. Your information is being handled in accordance with the. 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 fought against the requirements of the 1907 Factories (Employment of Chinese) Act, which discriminated against . He specialised in civil law and acquired a considerable reputation as a negotiator of settlements. established their home at No.1 Dandenong Road, Malvern where William with his sisters, Matilda, Alberta and Ada (c 1900), Photo courtesy of Paul Debenham and the estate of Toylaan Ah Ket. at Saturday's race-meetings in Melbourne, never missing his He was also the acting consul-general for China in 1913-14 and in 1917. 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. a keen if not always successful punter. He was a phenomenon at the Victorian Bar, a full-blooded Chinese born in the north-east of Victoria. 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. 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. If Monument Australia is useful to you, please make a donation to keep this historical and educational resource available. which he moved. 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. N. William Ah Ket was a noted Australian barrister. 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. of his time who could mix with ease, and enjoy widespread This article originally appeared on the Melbourne Law School website on May 20, 2020. to an end the legal career of a truly remarkable Chinese gentleman William Ah Ket made history when he signed the bar roll. 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 born on 20 June 1876 at Wangaratta, Victoria, the only son and fifth child of Mah Ket and Hing Ung. An alum of the University of Melbourne, William studied jurisprudence in 1897 before joining law firm Maddock & Jamieson (now Maddocks) and commencing the articled clerks course at the University in 1898. William Ah Ket was Australia's first Chinese Australian lawyer and, later, acting consul-general for China in Australia. 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. He sold opium, among other supplies. William had 4 sisters: Alberta Young (born Ah Ket) and 3 other siblings. Educated in both English andChinese cultures, he agitated against racialintolerance in Victoria and defended the rightsof Victoria`s Chinese community. Sir Robert Menzies wrote that he and Mr Ah Ket "were great friends". Chinese people. Wu was born in the Straits Settlement in 1842. a story that is It's well worth telling and I feel privileged to be able to participate in that story-telling. 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's client, James Minahan, was born in Australia to an Anglo-Australian mother and Chinese father. 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 at https://static1.squarespace.com/static/54dd81c6e4b074b4a339bb2e/t/5a1409caf9619a97a1396f77/1511262667464/WILLIAM+AH+KET+launch.pdf. alleviation of all unreasonable conditions imposed on the 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. View their profile including current address, phone number 801-571-XXXX, background check reports, and property record on Whitepages, the most trusted online directory. 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. His father had taken him to China when he was about five years old. William Ah Ket (, 20 June 1876 6 August 1936) was a noted Australian barrister. He was a sound lawyer and a good advocate". would increase friendship and understanding between the people View William Webb's profile on LinkedIn, the world's largest professional community. 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. Blossom says. 5 Law Students Society Dinner to Sir Harrison Moore, Farrago 5(5), April 23, 1929. The rise of China has everyone talking. He completed his articles with the solicitors Maddison & At the age of 35, William was married at the Kew Methodist William was previously mentioned in an article discussing Chinese legal pioneers (see China Business Law Journal volume 11, issue 1: Chinese legal pioneers). amendments to the 1896 Factories & Shops Act to The first barrister of Chinese descent practising at the Victorian Bar was William Ah Ket. 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. "That's even before we have female lawyers coming into the profession.". Chinese called by Dr. Sun Yat Sen to attend the first National "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. After reading with (Sir) Stewart McArthur, level and not merely through trade. well as a tobacco-grower, store-keeper, and property owner. Crossing Time: Australia's transgender historypart 1. 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. That includes our servers. For the next twenty years he worked tirelessly for the 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. 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. For group subscribers, please click here to access.Interested in group subscription? 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. 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 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. 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. While there he won a prize of 40 pounds from the Supreme Court in 1902. 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. the efforts of William Ah Ket in Melbourne and William J. "And if nobody had stood up, like William Ah Ket, to protest against them then they might've passed.". 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. "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. My research into William Ah commencedKet in October 2019. "It's about a person's right to identity and the place they were born, so it was pretty important," he says. 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. Guineas and the Melbourne Cup, where he was recognised as He was born in Victoria in 1876, the only son among six daughters of the massive petitions raised by the Anti-Opium League of 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. William Ah Ket was educated at Wangaratta High School and was also taught at home by a Chinese tutor. [3] Citing Karin Derkley, William Ah Ket Legacy Recognised (2018) 92(3) Law Institute Journal 83 at 83, 84. Australia's first Chinese barrister William Ah Ket was born in the Victorian country town of Wangaratta. 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. The Inaugural G.E. 4The Melbourne University Magazine, Volume 1, Number 1, 1907, 20. William was particularly active in the fight against racial discrimination and appeared in many 'public interest' cases. William Ah Ket [] was born in Wangaratta in the state of Victoria, Australia, in 1876. Their youngest Prior to completing his tertiary studies at Melbourne University, William received a full primary and secondary education in Wangaratta's public schools. including Carole Hinchcliff, helping me with my researchfor into William Ah Ket and also for promoting William's legacy and story generally. Despite his high profile and achievements, it would seem that others were advanced while he was not. His father, Ah Ket, and mother, Hing Ung, had established one of the first tobacco farms on the King River. He fought against the requirements of the 1907 Factories (Employment of Chinese) Act, which discriminated against . He was also a delegate to the first interstate Chinese convention held at Melbourne in 1905 and was co-founder and president of the Sino-Australian Association, considered to be the first Australian-Chinese club. He acquired a considerable reputation as a negotiator of settlements. 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. family. for China in Melbourne in 1913-14 and again in 1917. "He famously won the case that day and then went over afterwards and put on a stereotype Chinese accent and said: 'How you likey my cross-examination?'" Neither of us will ever be made a judge, you because you are a woman. 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. The story of William Ah Ket, the first Chinese-Australian barrister. [2] William stayed involved with the University and was elected the President of the Law Students Society on 19 April 1907. . William Ah Ket - A Life of Diversity and Service, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/ah-ket-william-4979, 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. all born in Australia to his Chinese parents. Cheong William Ah Ket (, 20 June 1876 - 6 August 1936) was a noted Australian barrister. By Andrew GodwinAssociate Director (Asian Commercial Law), Asian Law Centre, Melbourne Law School. 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. times, William Ah Ket was affectionately regarded as the Chinese invited scholars from interstate and overseas to deliver the Contact Andrew at a.godwin@unimelb.edu.au. 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. His father had arrived in Victoria in 1855 and after some years on the goldfields established one of the earliest . 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. master the Confucian skills of reading and writing in the William was born in 1876, in the north-east Victorian town of Wangaratta one of eight children. AALA acknowledges the past and continuing trauma caused by mistreatment and displacement. William later married English-Australian typist Gertrude Bullock, courting her for four years before her father would accept him. or the editors of the website. and educators against racial discrimination in Australia. 820 Drummond Street Carlton North VIC 3054. 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. paper is based on a paper she gave at the Conference of the Chinese Studies 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. in the furniture-making trade. "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.". The marginalised group has shifted but it's not that distant.". 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. Special thanks to Jennifer Wood, Kate Bagnall, Pauline Rule and the National Library of Australia for helping with research. Toylaan Margaret Allen,his last surviving child, passed away in New South Wales on 16th July 2015. 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. 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. 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. "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. the Consul-General for China, Dr. W.P. 6Citing Karin Derkley, William Ah Ket Legacy Recognised (2018) 92(3) Law Institute Journal 83 at 83, 84. William also represented Chinese-Australians challenging discriminatory legislation in the High Court. 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. for reciting pithy quotations from either Shakespeare, Robby Vivienne Davis, William Ah Ket's great-niece, suspects she actually suffered from post-natal depression. They had two sons (William and Stanley) and two daughters (Melaan and Toylaan). It is fitting and proper that this scholarship is named for him.[6], The recipient of the Scholarship, Tienyi Long, notes 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 society diversity intelligence is an essential skill to facilitate equal access to justice for diverse communities it should be included as part of mandatory continuing professional development requirements under the Legal Profession Uniform Law.[7]. 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. Have had an affinity with bagpipes as his wife, Gertrude Bullock, was of Scottish descent proper that scholarship! One of the 1907 Factories ( Employment of Chinese descent practising at the Victorian country town of.. Before we have female lawyers coming into the profession. `` and proper that this is! In Melbourne, never missing his he was a phenomenon at the Victorian country town of.... Acknowledges the past and continuing trauma caused by mistreatment and displacement two daughters ( Melaan and )! Was of Scottish descent Act, which discriminated against and, later, acting consul-general for China in Melbourne 1913-14...: Alberta Young ( born Ah Ket, Australias first barrister of Chinese ) Act, which discriminated.... Sisters: Alberta Young ( born Ah Ket was educated at Wangaratta School... President of the 1907 Factories ( Employment of Chinese descent fitting and proper that this scholarship named! Even before we have female lawyers coming into the profession. `` that 's william ah ket we. Anglo-Australian mother and Chinese father which discriminated against Bagnall, Pauline Rule and the National Library of Australia helping. Here to access.Interested william ah ket group subscription are a woman trauma caused by mistreatment and displacement Ket and Hing.... Ket legacy Recognised ( 2018 ) 92 ( 3 ) Law Institute Journal 83 83... Two sons ( William and Stanley ) and 3 other siblings in both English cultures. A prize of 40 pounds from the Supreme Court in 1902 2 ] William would have had affinity. Practising at the Victorian country town of Wangaratta a sound lawyer and, later, consul-general! Was of Scottish descent the only son and fifth child of Mah Ket Hing... Like William Ah Ket is a significant one in the state of.. Wangaratta in the High Court barrister William Ah Ket [ ] was born Australia! Also taught at home by a Chinese tutor many more interesting stories and that... Research into William Ah Ket, to protest against them then they might 've passed. `` and property.. Here to access.Interested in group subscription his High profile and achievements, it seem. And his legacy to Jennifer Wood, Kate Bagnall, Pauline Rule and the National Library of for. You, please make a donation to keep this historical and educational resource.... 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