William Ah Ket (, 20 June 1876 6 August 1936) was a noted Australian barrister. 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. His witticisms were aimed less to disarm the witness than The plaque commemorates William Ah Ket (1876 - 1936), who was a lawyer and campaigner for Chinese rights and was born in Wangaratta. practice in Selbourne Chambers alongside such famous neighbours William died in 1936 at the age of 60, with his wife and children by his bedside. He has the lucky number of 88 on the Victorian Bar roll. He said that "William Ah Ket did not ever sit on the Bench, though he would have been a very competent judge. specifically exclude the Chinese from gaining a livelihood Andrew and MLS would be delighted if any readers have information about William that they would like to share. 5 Law Students Society Dinner to Sir Harrison Moore, Farrago 5(5), April 23, 1929. In memory of William Ah Ket (1876 - 1936),who was born in Wangaratta of Chinesedescent and became a prominent Victorianbarrister. 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. 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. Father and son worked as court interpreters in their spare time. by Sir Colin MacKenzie and were brought to fruition through He sold opium, among other supplies. This article originally appeared on the Melbourne Law School website on May 20, 2020. "Remembering William Ah Ket is about remembering these rights were fought for they weren't just given by the benevolent government," she says. Ah Kets legal team successfully proved that the Chinese man was not an employee of the laundry but instead a boarder at the laundry who had simply been ironing his own shirt! to win the reluctant approval of the bench with his propensity established their home at No.1 Dandenong Road, Malvern where 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. "Winning the inaugural William Ah Ket Scholarship brings me great pride and satisfaction, owing to the scholarship's underlying purpose of fostering the development and promotion of cultural diversity in the Australian legal profession. [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. 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. View William Webb's profile on LinkedIn, the world's largest professional community. 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. William Ah Ket made history when he signed the bar roll. Neither of us will ever be made a judge, you because you are a woman. which he moved. Photographs supplied by Chris McLaughlin / Alistair Boyd / Sandra Brown / John Huth, Monument details supplied by Monument Australia - www.monumentaustralia.org.au, Monument Australia 2010 - 2023 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - Designed by, 100 Murphy Street, Visitor Information Centre, Wangaratta, 3677. He was a leading activist in the campaigns for equal rights for Chinese-Australians at a time when anti-Chinese sentiment ran deep. William's personal interests were widely diversified. barrister to practice in Melbourne. Australia's first Chinese barrister William Ah Ket was born in the Victorian country town of Wangaratta. Our data centers have been designed from the ground up to be some of the most efficient data centers in the world. of 'building bridges between the East and West.'. in Wangaratta, William Ah Ket continued his regular attendance . 10William Ah Ket Scholarship 2019, Program (9 October 2019). He was also the acting consul-general for China in 1913-14 and in 1917. This 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. schools. William Ah Ket also wrote articles and gave lectures in support 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. could well be achieved if the Morrison Lectureship Foundation A report in the Victorian Bar News of Winter 1984 records that he enjoyed an excellent general practice and was recognised as an able cross-examiner with a superb command of language. 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. The story of William Ah Ket is a significant one in the history of the Australian legal profession. Your help would be greatly appreciated. or a night of comedy at the Tivoli with Stiffy & Mo. Life [ edit] With paternal ancestry from Taishan, southern China, Ah Ket was Australia's first barrister of Asian heritage or ethnicity. 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. 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 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. K Tn : Cuong. father employed a resident tutor for his 'seven little Australians' 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. of Germany's fascism and Japan's expanding military aggression I because I am Chinese. Prior to completing his tertiary studies at Melbourne University, William received a full primary and secondary education in Wangaratta's public schools. Neither of us will ever be made a judge, you because you are a woman. joint Trusteeship with Sir Colin MacKenzie in the founding This article contains content that is not available. 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). . 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. C. F. Yong, The Chinese in New South Wales and Victoria, 1901-1921 (Ph.D. thesis, Australian National University, 1966). 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. 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. Chen, and in 1933 the "She never saw her children raised, she never was never able to live in the community like her husband or anything," Vivienne says. Th my scam n ni ng r xc phm g cu. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. Special thanks to Jennifer Wood, Kate Bagnall, Pauline Rule and the National Library of Australia for helping with research. The eldest daughter, Melaan, married Len 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. Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Wu was born in the Straits Settlement in 1842. Victoria, and the increasing protests of influential clergymen 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. 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. 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. The legacy of Australia's #firstAsianlawyer, William Ah Ket, who battled #racism and achieved landmark victories, lives on. 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. Australia, by putting into practice his personal philosophy In addition, the gallery is currently hosting an exhibition of memorabilia about him. AALA acknowledges the past and continuing trauma caused by mistreatment and displacement. William specialised in civil cases, including lawsuits over divorce petitions, wills and contracts. "He played the game of affluence and gambling and carding and living it up," she recalled. Blossom says her great grand-father's little-known story is still relevant to contemporary Australia. William was born in 1876, in the north-east Victorian town of Wangaratta one of eight children. "They were about making sure Chinese were on view, they were really pretty abhorrent," she says. 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 an interview with the National Library of Australia in 1993, she remembered her affluent childhood. Source: MA,VMR Mantova, utca. 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. Whatever the challenges that William faced during his sixty years, there is no doubt that his life was one of diversity and service. 1901. I am proud to have been part of this fantastic initiative. 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. He specialised in civil law and acquired a considerable reputation as a negotiator of settlements. William Ah Ket became a leading figure in the Chinese Australian community during the early years of Federation. He made several successful submissions opposing the Victorian So commences the biography of William Ah Ket [] in theAustralian Dictionary of Biography.1 An alumnus of the University of Melbourne, William studied Jurisprudence in 1897 at the University before joining the law firm of Maddock & Jamieson (now Maddocks) and commencing the articled clerks course at the University in 1898.2 After completing the articled clerks course in 1899, William won the Supreme Court Judges Prize in 1902 and was admitted to practice in 1903. [2] William stayed involved with the University and was elected the President of the Law Students Society on 19 April 1907. Chinese under the umbrella of the White Australia Policy, 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). of the Supreme Court and knights of the realm. Following his youthful introduction to country horse-racing With paternal ancestry from Taishan, southern China, Ah Ket was Australia's first barrister of Asian heritage or ethnicity. He was a phenomenon at the Victorian Bar, a full-blooded Chinese born in the north-east of Victoria. He acquired a considerable reputation as a negotiator of settlements. master the Confucian skills of reading and writing in the William was particularly active in the fight against racial discrimination and appeared in many 'public interest' cases. That in itself was an "impressive feat", says Reynah Tang, the founding president of the Asian-Australian Lawyers' Association. While there he won a prize of 40 pounds from the Supreme Court in 1902. So commences the biography of William Ah Ket [] in the Australian Dictionary of Biography.1 An alumnus of the University of Melbourne, William studied Jurisprudence in 1897 at the University before joining the law firm of Maddock & Jamieson (now Maddocks) and commencing the articled clerks course at the University in 1898.2 After completing the articled clerks course in 1899, William won the Supreme Court Judges Prize in 1902 and was admitted to practice in 1903. Chinese people. 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. Ah Ket appeared in another High Court case called Potter v Minahan,[9] where he represented a man born in Australia of a Chinese father and a white Australian mother. of Australia and the people of China - albeit at the academic We should have done Medicine.[13], There are many more interesting stories and facts that one could relate about William and his legacy. light opera or a Gladys Moncrief musical . was a founding member and Grand Master of the East Caulfield respect, not only within his legal fraternity, but within 4The Melbourne University Magazine, Volume 1, Number 1, 1907, 20. Life. 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. "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?'" 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. Wangaratta Primary School, which William Ah Ket attended as a child.Source: Andrew Godwin. 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. Despite Ah Ket's legal nous, he still faced prejudice, often from his own clients. The story of William Ah Ket is a significant one in the history of the Australian legal profession. Their youngest Sir Robert Menzies practised with William in Selborne Chambers. "It's about a person's right to identity and the place they were born, so it was pretty important," he says. [8] (1912) 15 CLR 267. "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. William was previously mentioned in an article discussing Chinese legal pioneers (see China Business Law Journal volume 11, issue 1: Chinese legal pioneers). Fulfilling his father's wishes, William studied law at the University of Melbourne. "And if nobody had stood up, like William Ah Ket, to protest against them then they might've passed.". He fought against the requirements of the 1907 Factories (Employment of Chinese) Act, which discriminated against . William with his sisters, Matilda, Alberta and Ada (c 1900), Photo courtesy of Paul Debenham and the estate of Toylaan Ah Ket. A Paper on the Chinese and the Factories Acts, published in 1906, defended the rights of Chinese workers and factory owners against unfair legislation. Keblem kirja ken l a trnjn S eg nap oj okatlan, jti jkedv Emelget a fldrl, vg rzetekkel. 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. 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. There is, however, evidence that William was resigned to the associated barriers and limitations that his life involved. 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. Australias first Chinese barrister William Ah Ket was born in the Victorian country town of Wangaratta. Make a life-giving gesture He was an alumnus of the University of Melbourne. opinions expressed in these stories do not necessarily reflect those of La Trobe University his tertiary studies at Melbourne University, William received Crossing Time: Australia's transgender historypart 1. William's client, James Minahan, was born in Australia to an Anglo-Australian mother and Chinese father. 5 Law Students Society Dinner to Sir Harrison Moore, Farrago 5(5), April 23, 1929. . 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. NOTE: The author, Toylaan Ah Ket, is the daughter of William Ah Ket. AALA celebrates and shares in the respect for elders, land and community and continues to advocate for intersectional diversity and the empowerment of all first nations peoples worldwide. community during the early years of Federation. William Ah Ket was a noted Australian barrister. in Little Bourke Street or attending one of the city theatres times, William Ah Ket was affectionately regarded as the Chinese as the local 'mandarin' and Law Courts Interpreter, and prospered William Ah Ket was chosen as delegate by the Chinese Chamber [3] He was neither appointed Silk nor a judge. 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. l do mun ln n war phuc william khiu chin v xc phm danh tnh ca tao by gi tao yu cu my k vo y tao i bn ci u ch ca my r i ln ci mt ln ca my. 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. 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). Ah Kets colleagues remembered him with warmth and affection as an amiable and gregarious man, greatly respected for his ability and integrity. of the George Ernest Morrison Memorial Lectureship in Ethnology 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 became a leading figure in the Chinese Australian William Penrod Davis, age 80+, lives in Eagle Mountain, UT. migrated from Canton in the 1850s, and when the Gold Rush such a reputation for his canny tactics as a cross-examiner. 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 "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.". family. Both William Ah Ket and his wife were music-lovers and regular On top of that work, William also had to deal with racism. On arriving at court, William realised that the man who had teased him was the lawyer he was up against. 6Citing Karin Derkley, William Ah Ket Legacy Recognised (2018) 92(3) Law Institute Journal 83 at 83, 84. recital, a Gilbert & Sullivan production, a Franz Lehar In a special series, RN examines Australia's relationship to China, and its rising prominence in global affairs. He said that "William Ah Ket did not ever sit on the Bench, though he would have been a very competent judge. So how is it that such a pioneering lawyer of Chinese descent is not more widely known? He 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. he signed the Bar Roll in 1904 and became the first Chinese in 1982 and is currently writing the biography of her father. Once completed, the Eagle Mountain Data Center will be a nearly 2.4 million square foot campus. 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". New and compelling histories from Australia and around the world. [4] Citing Sir Robert Menzies, The Measure of the Years (Cassell Australia, 1970) at 249. In memory of William Ah Ket (1876-1936), who was born in Wangaratta of Chinese descent and became a prominent Victorian 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. William later married English-Australian typist Gertrude Bullock, courting her for four years before her father would accept him. Gertrudewas born on July 11 1887, in Clifton Hill, Victoria, Australia. William has 1 job listed on their profile. of Fairfield Infectious Diseases Hospital. 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. Asian Studies Program Toylaan Margaret Allen,his last surviving child, passed away in New South Wales on 16th July 2015. 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