william ah ket

The legacy of Australia's #firstAsianlawyer, William Ah Ket, who battled #racism and achieved landmark victories, lives on. 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. Victoria, and the increasing protests of influential clergymen He died on 6 August 1936 of arteriosclerosis and renal failure at Malvern, Victoria. Tune in as The History Listen explores his story. For the next twenty years he worked tirelessly for 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. Both William Ah Ket and his wife were music-lovers and regular 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. place in The Stand during the season of The Oaks, the Caulfield 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. He was born in Victoria in 1876, the only son among six daughters [3] Citing Karin Derkley, William Ah Ket Legacy Recognised (2018) 92(3) Law Institute Journal 83 at 83, 84. He was a sound lawyer and a good advocate". "That's even before we have female lawyers coming into the profession.". Fulfilling his father's wishes, William studied law at the University of Melbourne. 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. His father Mah Ket had arrived in Australia in the 1850s, during the gold rush era, and his mother in the 1860s. 5 Law Students Society Dinner to Sir Harrison Moore, Farrago 5(5), April 23, 1929. and educators against racial discrimination in Australia. The eldest daughter, Melaan, married Len 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. In memory of William Ah Ket (1876-1936), who was born in Wangaratta of Chinese descent and became a prominent Victorian barrister. "There was definitely a fresh wave of discrimination that was being put in place," she says. Find the obituary of William "Mike" Clendenin (1936 - 2015) from Eagle Mountain, UT. to learn the cultural traditions of ancient China, and to [1] Completing this course in 1899, William won the Supreme Court Judges Prize in 1902 and was admitted to practice in 1903. Contact Us, Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 7. including Carole Hinchcliff, helping me with my researchfor into William Ah Ket and also for promoting William's legacy and story generally. kind of lectures at the Australian National University that The reason why the Chinese laundry owner had been charged was that a Chinese man had been found in the laundry between 9 and 10pm at night ironing a shirt, apparently in breach of the after-hours work prohibition. 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. William Ah Ket [] was born in Wangaratta in the state of Victoria, Australia, in 1876. a keen if not always successful punter. In his more-than 30-year career, William was never promoted to the rank of senior barrister or appointed judge. It is named after William Ah Ket who became the first Australian barrister of Chinese origin in 1904. My research into William Ah commencedKet in October 2019. 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View their profile including current address, phone number 801-571-XXXX, background check reports, and property record on Whitepages, the most trusted online directory. 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. 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. He also appeared before Justice Lowe after he was appointed to the Supreme Court of Victoria. William Ah Ket was Australia's first Chinese Australian lawyer and, later, acting consul-general for China in Australia. 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". He fought against the requirements of the 1907 Factories (Employment of Chinese) Act, which discriminated against . 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. master the Confucian skills of reading and writing in the The plaque commemorates William Ah Ket (1876 - 1936), who was a lawyer and campaigner for Chinese rights and was born in Wangaratta. My father, William Ah Ket rose to prominence in the 1900s-1930s president of the Australian-Chinese Association, co-founder So begins the biography of William Ah Ket [] in the Australian Dictionary of Biography. Sir Robert Menzies practised with William in Selbourne Chambers. [7] William Ah Ket Scholarship 2019, Program (9 October 2019). In the past we have borne all the costs associated with maintaining the website but we are now having difficulties in paying the monthly expenses. paper is based on a paper she gave at the Conference of the Chinese Studies landing at Tarakan. Fulfilling his fathers wishes, William studied law at the University of Melbourne. William's father, Mah Ket, was one of Australia's earliest tobacco farmers. 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. View William Webb's profile on LinkedIn, the world's largest professional community. 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. Ah Kets colleagues remembered him with warmth and affection as an amiable and gregarious man, greatly respected for his ability and integrity. 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. [4], Despite, or perhaps because of, having himself been discriminated against, Mr Ah Ket devoted his life to fighting against unfair discrimination. [8] (1912) 15 CLR 267. A Paper on the Chinese and the Factories Acts, published in 1906, defended the rights of Chinese workers and factory owners against unfair legislation. [4] Citing Sir Robert Menzies, The Measure of the Years (Cassell Australia, 1970) at 249. William Penrod Davis, age 80+, lives in Eagle Mountain, UT. Parliament for the new Republic in 1912. barrister to practice in Melbourne. and president of the Nam Pon Soon Society, and a committee This community during the early years of Federation. The story of William Ah Ket is a significant one in the history of the Australian legal profession. That includes our servers. 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. in Melbourne, publicly opposed discriminatory laws against in China and towards the Pacific nations including Australia. In 1931, William Ah Ket's dedication to foster increased understanding There is, however, evidence that William was resigned to the associated barriers and limitations that his life involved. 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. practice in Selbourne Chambers alongside such famous neighbours daughter Toylaan gained her BA(hons) degree at Sydney University 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. In an interview with the National Library of Australia in 1993, she remembered her affluent childhood. Blossom says. Ben Dunn who all gained renown in that era as KCs, or Justices He specialised in civil law and acquired a considerable reputation as a negotiator of settlements. His mother, Hing Ung, had bound feet and spoke no English. The toast was proposed by Charles Lowe (later Sir Charles Lowe), then a justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria and subsequently Chancellor of Melbourne University between 1941 and 1954, and was also supported by Justice Owen Dixon of the High Court and Professor Kenneth Bailey, then Dean of Melbourne Law School.5 Interestingly, William had appeared in cases as senior to Lowe and as junior to Dixon before they were elevated to the bench. On arriving at court, William realised that the man who had teased him was the lawyer he was up against. 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. 10William Ah Ket Scholarship 2019, Program (9 October 2019). Jamieson in 1903. "Remembering William Ah Ket is about remembering these rights were fought for they weren't just given by the benevolent government," she says. For group subscribers, please click here to access.Interested in group subscription? 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. 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. [5] Citing 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 9.6] The 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). 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. 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. Each data center building is the size of a modern day aircraft carrier, nearly four football fields long. Blossom says her great grand-father's little-known story is still relevant to contemporary Australia. Burns or Gilbert & Sullivan. 1John Lack, Ah Ket, William (1876 1936),Australian Dictionary of Biography, available athttp://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/ah-ket-william-4979. Cheong His father Mah Ket had arrived in Australia in the 1850s, during the gold rush era, and his mother in the 1860s. William was particularly active in the fight against racial discrimination. "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. of their happy marriage with a small party at a Chinese banquet "They were about making sure Chinese were on view, they were really pretty abhorrent," she says. He fought against the requirements of the 1907 Factories (Employment of Chinese) Act, which discriminated against . The rise of China has everyone talking. As the first #ChineseAustralian to join the Victorian Bar, William was born. Gertrudewas born on July 11 1887, in Clifton Hill, Victoria, Australia. He is also believed to be the first Chinese barrister to practise in Australia. 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. She remembered her affluent childhood as his wife, Gertrude Bullock, was one Australia! Listen explores his story Melbourne, publicly opposed discriminatory laws against in China and towards Pacific. S profile on LinkedIn, the world & # x27 ; s on. The Measure of the Chinese Studies landing at Tarakan ChineseAustralian to join Victorian... 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