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. the Consul-General for China, Dr. W.P. In addition, he had the advantage He became the leading Chinese in the district and a respected member of the Wangaratta community. 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". "It's about a person's right to identity and the place they were born, so it was pretty important," he says. William Ah Ket [] was born in Wangaratta in the state of Victoria, Australia, in 1876. 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. 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. "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. Indeed, as his daughter Toylaan noted in a paper on her father, this was an issue that he was passionate about, having been involved in forming a committee to agitate against the Immigration Restriction Act 1901 and the unreasonable conditions imposed, such as the infamous dictation test. Captain Stanley Ket (LLB) served with the Intelligence Unit 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. The legacy of Australia's #firstAsianlawyer, William Ah Ket, who battled #racism and achieved landmark victories, lives on. Source: MA,VMR His mother, Hing Ung, had bound feet and spoke no English. Your information is being handled in accordance with the. Andrew can be contacted on a.godwin@unimelb.edu.au. Australia, by putting into practice his personal philosophy [1][2] His daughter Melaan was the mother of the guitarist John Williams. William was particularly active in the fight against racial discrimination and appeared in many 'public interest' cases. William later married English-Australian typist Gertrude Bullock, courting her for four years before her father would accept him. One case he was involved in successfully challenged the Immigration Restriction Act better known as the White Australia policy in 1908. William was particularly active in the fight against racial discrimination and appeared in many 'public interest' cases. 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. For the next twenty years he worked tirelessly for the Fax: +61 3 9479 1880 After the formalities conclude, enthusiastic discussion ensues among 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. Sir Robert Menzies practised with William in Selbourne Chambers. 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 (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. 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. 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. Dr Couchman says the changes William spoke out against were "very invasive". Prior to completing including Carole Hinchcliff, helping me with my researchfor into William Ah Ket and also for promoting William's legacy and story generally. who had made such a worthy contribution to the history of In 1921, William and Gertrude 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). government's repeated attempts in 1904, 1905 and 1907 to make opinions expressed in these stories do not necessarily reflect those of La Trobe University William had 4 sisters: Alberta Young (born Ah Ket) and 3 other siblings. A Paper on the Chinese and the Factories Acts, published in 1906, defended the rights of Chinese workers and factory owners against unfair legislation. By Andrew GodwinAssociate Director (Asian Commercial Law), Asian Law Centre, Melbourne Law School. 5 Law Students Society Dinner to Sir Harrison Moore, Farrago 5(5), April 23, 1929. Sir Robert Menzies practised with William in Selbourne Chambers. . In memory of William Ah Ket (1876 - 1936),who was born in Wangaratta of Chinesedescent and became a prominent Victorianbarrister. 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. 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 couple had four children William, Stanley, Melaan and Toylaan. Following his youthful introduction to country horse-racing alleviation of all unreasonable conditions imposed on the Williamwas born on June 20 1876, in Wangaratta, Victoria, Australia. William Ah Ket was a noted Australian barrister. of the Supreme Court and knights of the realm. 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. View their profile including current address, phone number 801-571-XXXX, background check reports, and property record on Whitepages, the most trusted online directory. 16Isabel Carter,Woman in a Wig: Joan Rosanove, QC (Lansdowne Press, 1970), 13. barrister to practice in Melbourne. His mother, Hing Ung, had bound feet and spoke no English. 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. Each data center building is the size of a modern day aircraft carrier, nearly four football fields long. William Shakespeare Romeo s Jlia 5. On top of that work, William also had to deal with racism. 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. . Please send any press releases, deal announcements, details of new hires, newsletters and any other news items to: Copyright 2022 Vantage Asia Publishing Limited. Blossom says her great grand-father's little-known story is still relevant to contemporary Australia. William was particularly active in the fight against racial discrimination. of 'building bridges between the East and West.'. This article originally appeared on the Melbourne Law School website on May 20, 2020. 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. - either Her Majesty's or the Princess Theatre - for a Melba The first barrister of Chinese descent practising at the Victorian Bar was William Ah Ket. invited scholars from interstate and overseas to deliver 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.15 William would have had an affinity with bagpipes as his wife, Gertrude Bullock, was of Scottish descent. all born in Australia to his Chinese parents. and president of the Nam Pon Soon Society, and a committee agitate against the Immigration Restriction Act in of the massive petitions raised by the Anti-Opium League of At that time, people born in Australia were British citizens by right, regardless of their parents origins. William Ah Ket (1876-1936), lawyer and campaigner for Chinese rights, was born in Wangaratta, Victoria. "There was definitely a fresh wave of discrimination that was being put in place," she says. In a High Court case called Ingham v Hie Lee,[8] Ah Ket represented a Chinese laundry owner who was charged with an offence under the Factories and Shops Act 1905 in Victoria. Last night, things came full circle when I attended the launch of the 2019 William Ah Ket Scholarship at the Chinese Museum in Melbourne. "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.". 16Isabel Carter, Woman in a Wig: Joan Rosanove, QC (Lansdowne Press, 1970), 13. 7Citing Sir Robert Menzies, The Measure of the Years (Cassell Australia, 1970) at 249. William also represented Chinese-Australians challenging discriminatory legislation in the High Court. Tune in as The History Listen explores his story. Chinese language. One of the most distinguished a presentatives of the Chinese community in Australia, and one of the most popular members of the Bar in Victoria, Mr. William . At that time, people born in Australia were British citizens by right, regardless of their parents origins. 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. as the local 'mandarin' and Law Courts Interpreter, and prospered The Inaugural G.E. or the editors of the website. in Australia ended, he settled in Wangaratta to raise his the social, business and sporting circles of Melbourne in If you have any further information about Williams life that you would like to share, I would warmly welcome your contributions. He served his articles under Richard Cross of the firm then known as Maddock & Jamieson (now Maddocks) in 1903. He fought against the requirements of the 1907 Factories (Employment of Chinese) Act, which discriminated against . Australia's first Chinese barrister William Ah Ket was born in the Victorian country town of Wangaratta. Williamhad 3 siblings: Toylaan Margaret ALLEN (born AH-KET)and 2 other siblings. 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. From this summary of his early achievements, it is clear that William was a gifted student and lawyer, who succeeded in a time rife with racial discrimination. Educated in both English and Chinese cultures, he agitated against racial intolerance in Victoria and defended the rights of Victoria`s Chinese community. The story of William Ah Ket, the first Chinese-Australian barrister. second Morrison Lecture was delivered by William Ah Ket on [4] Citing Sir Robert Menzies, The Measure of the Years (Cassell Australia, 1970) at 249. 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