He fought against the requirements of the 1907 Factories (Employment of Chinese) Act, which discriminated against . William was particularly active in the fight against racial discrimination and appeared in many 'public interest' cases. Even though the laws he fought against no longer exist, she says Australia continues to treat new migrant groups with suspicion. and friendship between the West and the East led him to accept 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. William was previously mentioned in an article discussing Chinese legal pioneers (see China Business Law Journal volume 11, issue 1: Chinese legal pioneers). Ben Dunn who all gained renown in that era as KCs, or Justices [7] William Ah Ket Scholarship 2019, Program (9 October 2019). of Germany's fascism and Japan's expanding military aggression That includes our servers. Fulfilling his father's wishes, William studied law at the University of Melbourne. as one of Melbourne's most talented and adroit barristers. 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. Celebrating Asian Australian Lawyers: From William Ah Ket to Today, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/ah-ket-william-4979, https://static1.squarespace.com/static/54dd81c6e4b074b4a339bb2e/t/, 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. Leave your condolences to the family on this memorial page or send flowers to show you care. 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. Maddocks CEO named judge for 2021 William Ah Ket Scholarship. Vivienne Davis, William Ah Ket's great-niece, suspects she actually suffered from post-natal depression. It also discusses the importance of cultural diversity in the workplace and within the community, particularly during a time when racism has become more prominent since COVID-19. 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. Email: cha@latrobe.edu.au. After reading with (Sir) Stewart McArthur, 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. The rise of China has everyone talking. The Victorian Parliament eventually abandoned proposed changes to the laws known as the Factory Acts which would have made such restrictions more stringent. of growing up in a traditional Chinese household where his My research into William Ah commencedKet in October 2019. 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. 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. William Ah Ket was a noted Australian barrister. 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We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. Chinese under the umbrella of the White Australia Policy, Cheong opinions expressed in these stories do not necessarily reflect those of La Trobe University William's client, James Minahan, was born in Australia to an Anglo-Australian mother and Chinese father. Despite these achievements, William Ah Ket's story is little-known. William was born in 1876, in the north-east Victorian town of Wangaratta one of eight children. Fax: +61 3 9479 1880 of 'building bridges between the East and West.'. His mother, Hing Ung, had bound feet and spoke no English. 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. 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. The views and Life. William was particularly active in the fight against racial discrimination. "There was definitely a fresh wave of discrimination that was being put in place," she says. 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. Parliament for the new Republic in 1912. [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. Their father said "the boys were teasing her and boys tend to do that". On top of that work, William also had to deal with racism. The marginalised group has shifted but it's not that distant.". At that time, people born in Australia were British citizens by right, regardless of their parents origins. 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. Victoria 3086 His mother, Hing Ung, had bound feet and spoke no English. 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 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. William Ah Ket (1876-1936), lawyer and campaigner for Chinese rights, was born in Wangaratta, Victoria. 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. for China in Melbourne in 1913-14 and again in 1917. 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. 5 Law Students Society Dinner to Sir Harrison Moore, Farrago 5(5), April 23, 1929. 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. 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. Wangaratta Primary School, which William Ah Ket attended as a child.Source: Andrew Godwin. He also appeared before Justice Lowe after he was appointed to the Supreme Court of Victoria. The first barrister of Chinese descent practising at the Victorian Bar was William Ah Ket. Father and son worked as court interpreters in their spare time. He was a sound lawyer and a good advocate". "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 became the leading Chinese in the district and a respected member of the Wangaratta community. 6Citing Karin Derkley, William Ah Ket Legacy Recognised (2018) 92(3) Law Institute Journal 83 at 83, 84. Our data centers have been designed from the ground up to be some of the most efficient data centers in the world. Educated in both English and Chinese cultures, he agitated against racial intolerance in Victoria and defended the rights of Victoria`s Chinese community. William later married English-Australian typist Gertrude Bullock, courting her for four years before her father would accept him. In a special series, RN examines Australia's relationship to China, and its rising prominence in global affairs. Contact Us, Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 7. "The borders of Australia have always been closed to people who aren't white Australians. "He played the game of affluence and gambling and carding and living it up," she recalled. Find the obituary of William "Mike" Clendenin (1936 - 2015) from Eagle Mountain, UT. 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. 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. A sound lawyer and a good advocate '' William studied Law at the of! ; Mike & quot ; Clendenin ( 1936 - 2015 ) from Eagle Mountain, UT up be... Victorian Bar was William Ah Ket 's story is little-known Japan 's military! 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