The couple had four children William, Stanley, Melaan and Toylaan. He was born on 20 June 1876 at Wangaratta, Victoria, the only son and fifth child of Mah Ket and Hing Ung. Whatever the challenges that William faced during his sixty years, there is no doubt that his life was one of diversity and service. Life [ edit] With paternal ancestry from Taishan, southern China, Ah Ket was Australia's first barrister of Asian heritage or ethnicity. 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. he signed the Bar Roll in 1904 and became the first Chinese 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. Ben Dunn who all gained renown in that era as KCs, or Justices 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. 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. such as the Dictation Test and Limitation of Residence. The reason why the Chinese laundry owner had been charged was that a Chinese man had been found in the laundry between 9 and 10 pm at night ironing a shirt, apparently in breach of the after-hours work prohibition. William Ah Ket made history when he signed the bar roll. "In the mid-1880s the colonies decided they were no longer going to naturalise Chinese, and then in 1903 that was enshrined in federal legislation. 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. So begins the biography of William Ah Ket [] in the Australian Dictionary of Biography. William has 1 job listed on their profile. Australias first Chinese barrister William Ah Ket was born in the Victorian country town of Wangaratta. 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. 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. He also appeared before Justice Lowe after he was appointed to the Supreme Court of Victoria. 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. Association in Australia held at Macquarie University on 5 July 1995. Please contact us. He 1John Lack, Ah Ket, William (1876 1936),Australian Dictionary of Biography, available athttp://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/ah-ket-william-4979. William's father, Mah Ket, was one of Australia's earliest tobacco farmers. well as a tobacco-grower, store-keeper, and property owner. such a reputation for his canny tactics as a cross-examiner. During his career Ah Ket battled the harsh effects of the White Australia Policy in 1908. Chinese called by Dr. Sun Yat Sen to attend the first National 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. [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). Prior to completing his tertiary studies at Melbourne University, William received a full primary and secondary education in Wangaratta's public schools. William Ah Ket also wrote articles and gave lectures in support 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. schools. It is timely to commemorate Williams life because a photo of William will soon be unveiled in the Portrait Gallery of the Victorian Bar in Melbourne, Australia. Despite this, between 1905 and 1928, he appeared before the High Court on at least 12 occasions. [14] Karin Derkley, above n 6. In the 1970 book The Measure of the Years by Australia's longest-serving prime minister, Robert Menzies, he referred to his colleague and friend Ah Ket as "a phenomenon at the Victorian Bar" but that "a certain prejudice among clients against having a Chinese barrister to an extent limited his practice . [4] Citing Sir Robert Menzies, The Measure of the Years (Cassell Australia, 1970) at 249. William Ah Ket (1876-1936), lawyer and campaigner for Chinese rights, was born in Wangaratta, Victoria. Andrew can be contacted ona.godwin@unimelb.edu.au. He was in the front rank of pleaders and became renowned as a fine cross-examiner quietly spoken, courteous and shrewd and as an outstanding jury man. 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. 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. William's client, James Minahan, was born in Australia to an Anglo-Australian mother and Chinese father. 1901. William Ah Ket was educated at Wangaratta High School and was also taught at home by a Chinese tutor. 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. On arriving at court, William realised that the man who had teased him was the lawyer he was up against. for China in Melbourne in 1913-14 and again in 1917. 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. place in The Stand during the season of The Oaks, the Caulfield Published: TueTue 28 Feb 2023 at 12:00am/with Kirsti Melville, Published: 21 Feb 2023Tue 21 Feb 2023 at 12:00am/with Kirsti Melville, Published: 14 Feb 2023Tue 14 Feb 2023 at 12:00am/with Kirsti Melville, Published: 7 Feb 2023Tue 7 Feb 2023 at 12:00am/with Kirsti Melville. 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. The first barrister of Chinese descent practising at the Victorian Bar was William Ah Ket. In the 1930s world peace began to waver under the threat He fought against the requirements of the 1907 Factories (Employment of Chinese) Act, which discriminated against . His mother, Hing Ung, had bound feet and spoke no English. of Fairfield Infectious Diseases Hospital. In 1931, William Ah Ket's dedication to foster increased understanding Ah Kets legal team successfully proved that he was not a prohibited immigrant. 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]. There is little doubt that William Ah Ket's West enabled him to become one of the few Chinese Australians a keen if not always successful punter. 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). in Chisholm Street. of growing up in a traditional Chinese household where his 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. 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 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 was an alumnus of the University of Melbourne. He was a sound lawyer and a good advocate. Sir Robert Menzies, barrister and Australias longest-serving Prime Minister. [9] (1908) 7 CLR 277. Guineas and the Melbourne Cup, where he was recognised as Sir Colin envisaged a lectureship that "There was definitely a fresh wave of discrimination that was being put in place," she says. In his more-than 30-year career, William was never promoted to the rank of senior barrister or appointed judge. in Little Bourke Street or attending one of the city theatres [1] Helen Penrose, To Build a Firm: The Maddocks Story (Maddocks, 2010), 11[2] See 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. He joined the ranks of barristers 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 the state of Victoria. Sir Robert Menzies practised with William in Selbourne Chambers. all born in Australia to his Chinese parents. As the first #ChineseAustralian to join the Victorian Bar, William was born. 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. 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. [10] (1908) 7 CLR 277 at 307. "That's even before we have female lawyers coming into the profession.". the subject of 'Reconciliation between Eastern and Western He was a leading activist in the campaigns for equal rights for Chinese-Australians at a time when anti-Chinese sentiment ran deep. View William Webb's profile on LinkedIn, the world's largest professional community. 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. 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 (, 20 June 1876 - 6 August 1936) was a noted Australian barrister. Parliament for the new Republic in 1912. On 16 November 1912 he married Gertrude Victoria Bullock at the Kew Methodist Church. He served his articles under Richard Cross of the firm then known as Maddock & Jamieson (now Maddocks) in 1903. Toylaan, the youngest daughter, died in 2015 at the age of 94. For group subscribers, please click here to access.Interested in group subscription? Ah Kets legal team successfully proved that the Chinese man was not an employee of the laundry but instead a boarder at the laundry and that he had simply been ironing his own shirt! On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. William was well regarded as a barrister. or the editors of the website. [2] William stayed involved with the University and was elected the President of the Law Students Society on 19 April 1907. Dear Monument Australia visitors, we are a self-funded, non-profit organisation, dedicated to recording monuments throughout Australia. William Ah Ket - A Life of Diversity and Service Andrew Godwin* 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 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. '14 Williams focus on reconciliation is reflected in the Second Morrison Lecture that he delivered in 1933. he moved to Melbourne to study Law at Melbourne University. Captain Stanley Ket (LLB) served with the Intelligence Unit He was a sound lawyer and a good advocate". of Commerce to represent Victoria at the Conference of Overseas Despite Ah Ket's legal nous, he still faced prejudice, often from his own clients. Andrew and MLS would be delighted if any readers have information about William that they would like to share. 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. William was a member of the Chinese Empire Reform Association of 1904 and the Anti-Opium League of Victoria, organisations which supported modernisation and social reform among Chinese at home and abroad. He was a co-founder of the Australian-Chinese Association and one of two delegates from the Chinese community in Australia to the opening of the Chinese national parliament of 1912. Defend yourself nobly but always in a dignified fashion.". Sir Robert Menzies practised with William in Selborne Chambers. He fought against the White Australia policy and racist laws targeting Chinese workers as Australia's first barrister of Chinese descent. of Germany's fascism and Japan's expanding military aggression 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. His father, Ah Ket, and mother, Hing Ung, had established one of the first tobacco farms on the King River. He advocated and promoted peaceful coexistence. William was educated in Wangaratta, and on gaining his matriculation Williamhad 3 siblings: Toylaan Margaret ALLEN (born AH-KET)and 2 other siblings. 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. New and compelling histories from Australia and around the world. Guidelines for the Lectureship had been initially proposed He built up a successful Educated in both English and Chinese cultures, he agitated against racial intolerance in Victoria and defended the rights of Victoria`s Chinese community. ways of thinking, with particular reference to Confucius'. '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. Asian Studies Program We will never satisfy our ambitions. "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. would increase friendship and understanding between the people William was particularly active in the fight against racial discrimination. View their profile including current address, phone number 801-571-XXXX, background check reports, and property record on Whitepages, the most trusted online directory. After reading with (Sir) Stewart McArthur, 10William Ah Ket Scholarship 2019, Program (9 October 2019). including Carole Hinchcliff, helping me with my researchfor into William Ah Ket and also for promoting William's legacy and story generally. Less is known about another person - Wu Ting Fang. At that time, people born in Australia were British citizens by right, regardless of their parents origins. 7Citing Sir Robert Menzies,The Measure of the Years (Cassell Australia, 1970) at 249. in the furniture-making trade. He established a committee to oppose the proposed Immigration Restriction Act and he was also active in the Anti-Opium League of Victoria which attempted to bring about social reform among Chinese in Australia and abroad. "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?'" Whatever the challenges that William faced during his sixty years, there is no doubt that his life was one of diversity and service. William Ah Ket was Australia's first barrister of Asian heritage or ethnicity, born in Victoria in 1876. Each data center building is the size of a modern day aircraft carrier, nearly four football fields long. Andrew can be contacted on a.godwin@unimelb.edu.au. Your help would be greatly appreciated. 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. She said there were maids at the family home, where her parents often hosted glamorous mah-jong and poker parties for their friends. 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. 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. At the age of 35, William was married at the Kew Methodist William Penrod Davis, age 80+, lives in Eagle Mountain, UT. Toylaan Margaret Allen,his last surviving child, passed away in New South Wales on 16th July 2015. William Ah Ket [] was born in Wangaratta in the state of Victoria, Australia, in 1876. invited scholars from interstate and overseas to deliver the He sold opium, among other supplies. that he could maintain his enthusiasm for cricket as a ball-to-ball and their only son, John Williams, has been acclaimed as one 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. youthful experience in 'bridging' the two worlds of East and William later married English-Australian typist Gertrude Bullock, courting her for four years before her father would accept him. 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. in 1982 and is currently writing the biography of her father. "It's about a person's right to identity and the place they were born, so it was pretty important," he says. 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. 10William Ah Ket Scholarship 2019, Program (9 October 2019). theatre-goers during the "Gay 20s" before the Depression. 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. 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. 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. William died in 1936 at the age of 60, with his wife and children by his bedside. in Melbourne, publicly opposed discriminatory laws against Blossom says her great grand-father's little-known story is still relevant to contemporary Australia. NOTE: The author, Toylaan Ah Ket, is the daughter of William Ah Ket. He is also believed to be the first Chinese barrister to practise in Australia. The views and 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. 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. William also represented Chinese-Australians challenging discriminatory legislation in the High Court. The story of William Ah Ket is a significant one in the history of the Australian legal profession. 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