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. Sir Robert Menzies practised with William in Selborne Chambers. On returning to Australia, he was threatened with deportation when he failed the dictation test that the law required "prohibited immigrants" to take. The legacy of Australia's #firstAsianlawyer, William Ah Ket, who battled #racism and achieved landmark victories, lives on. 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 at https://arrow.latrobe.edu.au/store/3/4/5/5/1/public/stories/wahket.htm. Fax: +61 3 9479 1880 William Ah Ket was chosen as delegate by the Chinese Chamber 7Citing Sir Robert Menzies, The Measure of the Years (Cassell Australia, 1970) at 249. Ah Ket was born in Wangaratta in 1876 and died in 1936. Maureen Bedford - Great-niece of William Ah Ket, Vivienne Davis- Great-niece of William Ah Ket, Reynah Tang- Lawyer and founding president of Asian Australian Lawyers Association, Toylaan Ah Ket- Daughter of William Ah Ket, Blossom Ah Ket- Great-granddaughter of William Ah Ket, The Chinese and the Factories Acts by William Ah Ket,1906, The Measure of the Years by Sir Robert Menzies, 1970. 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 played the game of affluence and gambling and carding and living it up," she recalled. But he added: "But do not ever be intimidated or pushed down or give into people who would harass you or tease you and laugh at you. to an end the legal career of a truly remarkable Chinese gentleman in Little Bourke Street or attending one of the city theatres 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 . for China in Melbourne in 1913-14 and again in 1917. 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 (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. Life. After completing his training as a lawyer in 1899, William won the Supreme Court Judges Prize in 1902, and was admitted to practice in 1903. 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. 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. 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. recital, a Gilbert & Sullivan production, a Franz Lehar William was born in the Victorian country town of Wangaratta in 1876, the son of Mah Ket, who arrived from Canton during the gold rush, and his wife Hing Ung. Neither of us will ever be made a judge, you because you are a woman. as one of Melbourne's most talented and adroit barristers. Ah Kets legal team successfully proved that he was not a prohibited immigrant. [12] William 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 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. He was a sound lawyer and a good advocate. Sir Robert Menzies, barrister and Australias longest-serving Prime Minister. Contact Us, Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 7. 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. I haven't yet established who exactly it was that organised James Minahan's legal representation; the Chinese consulate began its operations the following year. 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". On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. He On top of that work, William also had to deal with racism. First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we He was a sound lawyer and a good advocate". For the next twenty years he worked tirelessly for the The eldest daughter, Melaan, married Len He served his articles under Richard Cross of the firm then known as Maddock & Jamieson (now Maddocks) in 1903. of Germany's fascism and Japan's expanding military aggression William's personal interests were widely diversified. 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 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. He sold opium, among other supplies. He is also believed to be the first Chinese barrister to practise in Australia. "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. "And if nobody had stood up, like William Ah Ket, to protest against them then they might've passed.". Prior to completing his tertiary studies at Melbourne University, William received a full primary and secondary education in Wangaratta's public schools. William was particularly active in the fight against racial discrimination. In addition, he had the advantage Growing up, Toylaan was sometimes teased for her Chinese heritage, but said she rarely spoke to her father on how she should deal with racism. 1901. 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. In the 1900s William Ah Ket along with other leaders of the Historians say Mah Ket encouraged his son to study law to help the Chinese community, which was facing discriminatory laws at the end of the 19th century. Mah was born circa 1870, in China. He was a sound lawyer and a good advocate". His father Mah Ket had arrived in Australia in the 1850s, during the gold rush era, and his mother in the 1860s. "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. Guidelines for the Lectureship had been initially proposed Both William Ah Ket and his wife were music-lovers and regular His father had taken him to China when he was about five years old. Email: cha@latrobe.edu.au. 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. '14 Williams focus on reconciliation is reflected in the Second Morrison Lecture that he delivered in 1933. 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. [3] He was neither appointed Silk nor a judge. 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 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! We will never satisfy our ambitions. 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. William Ah Ket became a leading figure in the Chinese Australian Andrews new book is a compilation of China Business Law Journals popular Lexicon series, entitled China Lexicon: Defining and translating legal terms. which he moved. 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. He became the leading Chinese in the district and a respected member of the Wangaratta community.. barrister to practice in Melbourne. Tel: +61 3 9479 1315 Jamieson in 1903. 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. 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. His father had arrived in Victoria in 1855 and after some years on the goldfields established one of the earliest . He fought against the White Australia policy and racist laws targeting Chinese workers as Australia's first barrister of Chinese descent. As the first #ChineseAustralian to join the Victorian Bar, William was born. ways of thinking, with particular reference to Confucius'. 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. Chinese called by Dr. Sun Yat Sen to attend the first National The Asian Australian Lawyers in Wangaratta, William Ah Ket continued his regular attendance 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. Chinese under the umbrella of the White Australia Policy, in Chisholm Street. 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). and educators against racial discrimination in Australia. 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). William Ah Ket (, 20 June 1876 6 August 1936) was a noted Australian barrister. Williamwas born on June 20 1876, in Wangaratta, Victoria, Australia. at Saturday's race-meetings in Melbourne, never missing his [9] (1908) 7 CLR 277. of Fairfield Infectious Diseases Hospital. 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 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. 5 Law Students Society Dinner to Sir Harrison Moore, Farrago 5(5), April 23, 1929. He also appeared before Justice Lowe after he was appointed to the Supreme Court of Victoria. 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. Associate Professor Andrew Godwin is researching the life and times of MLS alum William Ah Ket and is working with the descendants of the Ah Ket family for this purpose. Ah Kets legal team successfully proved that he was not a prohibited immigrant. AUSTRALIA He fought against the requirements of the 1907 Factories (Employment of Chinese) Act, which discriminated against . Make a life-giving gesture 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. in Chisholm Street. This 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. Toylaan remembered his final words: "Unity is strength.". NOTE: The author, Toylaan Ah Ket, is the daughter of William Ah Ket. of their happy marriage with a small party at a Chinese banquet 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. 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. youthful experience in 'bridging' the two worlds of East and joint Trusteeship with Sir Colin MacKenzie in the founding 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. for reciting pithy quotations from either Shakespeare, Robby While there he won a prize of 40 pounds from the Supreme Court in 1902. He made several successful submissions opposing the Victorian Occasionally their William has 1 job listed on their profile. "Remembering William Ah Ket is about remembering these rights were fought for they weren't just given by the benevolent government," she says. of the massive petitions raised by the Anti-Opium League of respect, not only within his legal fraternity, but within His father, Ah Ket, and mother, Hing Ung, had established one of the first tobacco farms on the King River. [2] William stayed involved with the University and was elected the President of the Law Students Society on 19 April 1907. William married Gertrude Victoria Ah Ket (born Bullock) on month day 1912, at age 36 at marriage place. in China and towards the Pacific nations including Australia. 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. of Australia and the people of China - albeit at the academic Blossom says her great grand-father's little-known story is still relevant to contemporary Australia. Vivienne Davis, William Ah Ket's great-niece, suspects she actually suffered from post-natal depression. such as the Dictation Test and Limitation of Residence. View William Webb's profile on LinkedIn, the world's largest professional community. Mr Tang says it shows that, despite his talents, he suffered from a level of discrimination. Sir Robert Menzies wrote that he and Mr Ah Ket "were great friends". "They were about making sure Chinese were on view, they were really pretty abhorrent," she says. of his time who could mix with ease, and enjoy widespread 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. "That's why his story's so important to us.". [4] Citing Sir Robert Menzies, The Measure of the Years (Cassell Australia, 1970) at 249. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Fulfilling his father's wishes, William studied law at the University of Melbourne. He was also the acting consul-general for China in 1913-14 and in 1917. William was well regarded as a barrister. I am proud to have been part of this fantastic initiative. William moved to Melbourne in 1893 to study law at Melbourne University, and was formally admitted to the Victorian Bar in 1904. 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. 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. 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 also co-founder and Prior to completing Ben Dunn who all gained renown in that era as KCs, or Justices In addition, the gallery is currently hosting an exhibition of memorabilia about him. 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. We will never satisfy our ambitions. Special thanks to Jennifer Wood, Kate Bagnall, Pauline Rule and the National Library of Australia for helping with research. Th my scam n ni ng r xc phm g cu. His witticisms were aimed less to disarm the witness than "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. Maddocks also announced on Monday that CEO David Newman has been named to the judging panel for the 2021 William Ah Ket Scholarship, an initiative launched by the Asian Australian Lawyers Association (AALA) in honour of the first Asian-Australian barrister in the country. After his return His mother, Hing Ung, had bound feet and spoke no English. in Australia ended, he settled in Wangaratta to raise his By Andrew GodwinAssociate Director (Asian Commercial Law), Asian Law Centre, Melbourne Law School. 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. His father had taken him to China when he was about five years old. William's father, Mah Ket, was one of Australia's earliest tobacco farmers. 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. of Commerce to represent Victoria at the Conference of Overseas One case he was involved in successfully challenged the Immigration Restriction Act better known as the White Australia policy in 1908. Andrew and MLS would be delighted if any readers have information about William that they would like to share. Association in Australia held at Macquarie University on 5 July 1995. to win the reluctant approval of the bench with his propensity and Cambridge respectively. He was born on 20 June 1876 at Wangaratta, Victoria, the only son and fifth child of Mah Ket and Hing Ung. On 16 November 1912 he married Gertrude Victoria Bullock at the Kew Methodist Church. William's client, James Minahan, was born in Australia to an Anglo-Australian mother and Chinese father. 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. English-born forebears had migrated to Australia from Cheshire William Ah Ket did not ever sit on the Bench, though he would have been a very competent judge. "But we're living in days of the incarceration of refugees and asylum seekers. "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.". Chen, and in 1933 the kind of lectures at the Australian National University that Life [ edit] With paternal ancestry from Taishan, southern China, Ah Ket was Australia's first barrister of Asian heritage or ethnicity. of the George Ernest Morrison Memorial Lectureship in Ethnology father employed a resident tutor for his 'seven little Australians' 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. This article originally appeared on the Melbourne Law School website on May 20, 2020. William Ah Ket fought social prejudice in and out of court. or the editors of the website. Sir Robert Menzies wrote that he and Mr Ah Ket "were great friends". [13] Isabel Carter, Woman in a Wig: Joan Rosanove, QC (Lansdowne Press, 1970), 13. My father, William Ah Ket rose to prominence in the 1900s-1930s 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. [4], Despite, or perhaps because of, having himself been discriminated against, Mr Ah Ket devoted his life to fighting against unfair discrimination. William was born in 1876, in the north-east Victorian town of Wangaratta one of eight children. There is, however, evidence that William was resigned to the associated barriers and limitations that his life involved. 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. well as a tobacco-grower, store-keeper, and property owner. La Trobe University Three years later, the untimely death of William Ah Ket brought The couple had four children William, Stanley, Melaan and Toylaan. 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