William was particularly active in the fight against racial discrimination. In 1921, William and Gertrude or the editors of the website. ways of thinking, with particular reference to Confucius'. Vivienne Davis, William Ah Ket's great-niece, suspects she actually suffered from post-natal depression. He was a sound lawyer and a good advocate". 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. His witticisms were aimed less to disarm the witness than [1] Completing this course in 1899, William won the Supreme Court Judges Prize in 1902 and was admitted to practice in 1903. 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. in Little Bourke Street or attending one of the city theatres Last night, things came full circle when I attended the launch of the 2019 William Ah Ket Scholarship at the Chinese Museum in Melbourne. They had two sons (William and Stanley) and two daughters (Melaan and Toylaan). 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. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Victoria, and the increasing protests of influential clergymen '14 Williams focus on reconciliation is reflected in the Second Morrison Lecture that he delivered in 1933. 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This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced. William had 4 sisters: Alberta Young (born Ah Ket) and 3 other siblings. 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. 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 the state of Victoria.3. 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. Crossing Time: Australia's transgender historypart 1. Jamieson in 1903. We will never satisfy our ambitions. One case he was involved in successfully challenged the Immigration Restriction Act better known as the White Australia policy in 1908. 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. 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. Educated in both English and Chinese cultures, he agitated against racial intolerance in Victoria and defended the rights of Victoria`s Chinese community. 7Citing Sir Robert Menzies, The Measure of the Years (Cassell Australia, 1970) at 249. community, such as Quong Tart in Sydney and Cheok Hong. His mother, Hing Ung, had bound feet and spoke no English. The story of William Ah Ket, the first Chinese-Australian barrister. 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. 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. See the complete profile on LinkedIn and discover William's . of the AIF in World War II and was killed during the Allied he moved to Melbourne to study Law at Melbourne University. He was born on 20 June 1876 at Wangaratta, Victoria, the only son and fifth child of Mah Ket and Hing Ung. invited scholars from interstate and overseas to deliver the 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 . In 1931, William Ah Ket's dedication to foster increased understanding for its foundation. Victoria 3086 a story that is It's well worth telling and I feel privileged to be able to participate in that story-telling. Sir Robert Menzies wrote that he and Mr Ah Ket "were great friends". 1901. "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. 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. 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. West enabled him to become one of the few Chinese Australians Andrew and MLS would be delighted if any readers have information about William that they would like to share. William Ah Ket [] was born in Wangaratta in the state of Victoria, Australia, in 1876. The marginalised group has shifted but it's not that distant.". of 'building bridges between the East and West.'. 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. Whatever the challenges that William faced during his sixty years, there is no doubt that his life was one of diversity and service. William was particularly active in the fight against racial discrimination. Menzies, Owen Dixon, James Tait, and 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. including Carole Hinchcliff, helping me with my researchfor into William Ah Ket and also for promoting William's legacy and story generally. Felvons 1. 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. This Australian law-related biographical article is a stub. Please send any press releases, deal announcements, details of new hires, newsletters and any other news items to: Copyright 2022 Vantage Asia Publishing Limited. 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. 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. migrated from Canton in the 1850s, and when the Gold Rush With paternal ancestry from Taishan, southern China, Ah Ket was Australia's first barrister of Asian heritage or ethnicity.He was born on 20 June 1876 at Wangaratta, Victoria, the only son and fifth child of Mah Ket and Hing Ung.He was an alumnus of the University of Melbourne.On 16 November 1912 he married Gertrude Victoria Bullock at the . 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. For group subscribers, please click here to access.Interested in group subscription? 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 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. 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 also wrote articles and gave lectures in support At that time, people born in Australia were British citizens by right, regardless of their parents origins. 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. Dear Monument Australia visitors, we are a self-funded, non-profit organisation, dedicated to recording monuments throughout Australia. His mother, Hing Ung, had bound feet and spoke no English. [14] Karin Derkley, above n 6. Educated in both English andChinese cultures, he agitated against racialintolerance in Victoria and defended the rightsof Victoria`s Chinese community. 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. William Ah Ket did not ever sit on the Bench, though he would have been a very competent judge. Ah Kets colleagues remembered him with warmth and affection as an amiable and gregarious man, greatly respected for his ability and integrity. William was survived by his wife Gertrude Victoria (nee Bullock) and four children Dr. William, Stanley, Melaan and Toylaan. William Ah Ket (, 20 June 1876 - 6 August 1936) was a noted Australian barrister. 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. So begins the biography of William Ah Ket [] in the Australian Dictionary of Biography. James_Michael, Hm qua, lc 22:28. He acquired a considerable reputation as a negotiator of settlements. specifically exclude the Chinese from gaining a livelihood 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. the subject of 'Reconciliation between Eastern and Western Sir Robert Menzies wrote that he and Mr Ah Ket "were great friends". By Andrew GodwinAssociate Director (Asian Commercial Law), Asian Law Centre, Melbourne Law School. 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. Sir Robert Menzies practised with William in Selbourne Chambers. [10] (1908) 7 CLR 277 at 307. "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. [9] (1908) 7 CLR 277. I am proud to have been part of this fantastic initiative. "He played the game of affluence and gambling and carding and living it up," she recalled. 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