Chinese Garden Speaker Series - August 2012

[Brad Powe]

Darling Harbour is inviting Sydneysiders and visitors to its first ever speaker series at the Chinese Garden of Friendship.

Every Sunday in August a member from the Chinese Heritage Association of Australia will present stories about their family history on the theme, Chinese Australian Stories. Presented by Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority, the series will feature:

Sun 5 August, My family’s Chinese and Irish connections – Marilyn Dooley

Marilyn Dooley is an independent scholar whose professions have included teacher, theatre producer and historian-archivist. Here she talks about her quest to uncover details of her family’s past and explains how her Irish great-grandmother and Chinese great-grandfather found themselves in a landscape rich in Australian history.

In finding out about her own family’s past, Marilyn has uncovered previously unknown stories about Chinese miners, market gardeners, fruit hawkers, shopkeepers and merchants who passed through the history of the local community.

Sun 12 August, The life of a Chinese Australian family living in The Rocks – Cheryl Cumines

Retired secondary school teacher Cheryl Cumines details how her family and their George Street played a significant role in the Chinese community and The Rocks.

One of 55 great-grandchildren to descend from the first Cumines to arrive in Australia 135 years ago, Cheryl is proud of her family’s link to The Rocks, dating back to the early twentieth century when it was Sydney's original Chinatown.

Sun 19 August, From gold-seeker Gwok Ah Poo to market gardener George Harper – Brad Powe

Technical writer and keen amateur family historian Brad Powe recounts happy memories of time spent shopping with his grandmother. He details his ancestors’ journey from the Tambaroora goldfield, to Shoalhaven and then Parramatta where he was born and raised.

Brad is heir to both a mixed migrant heritage and a substantial collection of original documents and photographs bequeathed by his Chinese-born ancestors.

Sun 26 August, My father's passion, penjing – Sally Pang Rippingale

Sally Pang Rippingale, triple-certified nurse and member of Toastmasters International speaks about her father’s penjing collection which was displayed in the popular Modern China Cafe in the 1950s. Sally will bring along photos of the collection she inherited, talk about Chinese Penjing vs. Japanese Bonsai and explain how her father connected with penjing technician Barrington Chee.

What: Chinese Garden Speaker Series

When: 2pm–3pm, every Sunday in August

Where: Chinese Garden of Friendship, Darling Harbour

Cost: Free of charge with admission ($6 adult/$3 child)

Bookings preferred, visit www.darlingharbour.com

[helen]

Geoff or Douglas Lam - if you are going - Can you get me some information on King Nam Jang - The place that all the Chinese stayed, before coming on to New Zealand.


Sun 12 August, The life of a Chinese Australian family living in The Rocks Cheryl Cumines

Retired secondary school teacher Cheryl Cumines details how her family and their George Street played a significant role in the Chinese community and The Rocks.

One of 55 great-grandchildren to descend from the first Cumines to arrive in Australia 135 years ago, Cheryl is proud of her family�s link to The Rocks, dating back to the early twentieth century when it was Sydney's original Chinatown.

Read more: siyigenealogy.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=shared&action=display&thread=1702#ixzz21Fuma67O

[geoff]

Hi Helen,

Sorry. I'm not going to any of the talks as I've heard most of them before.

Click on "read more" of the Unwin Stores....especially the "history" section on King Nam Jang of the following ...
www.visit.heritage.nsw.gov.au/16_subnav_09_2.cfm?item_id=&itemid=5053230&sort_by=&item_name=&suburb_name=&product_category=&state_theme=&product_region=

[geoff]

Douglas,

Do you remember the Golden Fleece service station on the south western corner of Dixon & Liverpool Streets, diagonally opposite Trades Hall building, which was operated by Lionel & Eric Cumines back in 1950's to 70's? Lionel died in Sydney in June 2012, aged 80, & was one of Cheryl's uncles.

[helen]

Jul 21, 2012 16:48:45 GMT -5 geoff said:

Click on "read more" of the Unwin Stores....especially the "history" section on King Nam Jang of the following ...
www.visit.heritage.nsw.gov.au/16_subnav_09_2.cfm?item_id=&itemid=5053230&sort_by=&item_name=&suburb_name=&product_category=&state_theme=&product_region=

Thanks Geoff Haven't seen that link before

[douglaslam]

Helen,

I'll be going to at least one if not more of the talks, which one would depend on my work roster which is yet to come out. I'll try to take notes on the date.

Geoff,

I remember the servo but I don't know the connections. I think you meant Dixon and Goulburn, not Liverpool. I've been in Sydney long enough to witness the changes over the years. I feel detached to Chinatown now. It is becoming so impersonal.

Douglas

[helen]

Thanks Douglas. Just need notes on King Nam Jang, but th link thay Geoff posted seems adequate.

[douglaslam]

Helen, I went to the talk today. It was attended by about 30 people. The speaker Marilyn Dooley's Chinese great-grandfather died young at the age of 41. His bones were sent back to China. There is nothing whatever in Chinese for her to work on. She only knows him as Ah Yin from Hoiping.

Ah Yin ( in Toishanese) sounds very similar to Gin or Yan, which is a prominent clan in Hoiping. There must be records of the shipment of bones which escaped Mao's pillage. Clues are out there. I think I saw a slide showing a page from Henry's Tom Genealogy.

There was a great deal of information on early Chinese settlement in Rockhampton, Queensland, and her Irish side of the family from Northern Ireland. Douglas

[douglaslam]

Helen, I did not go to the garden talk today. Therefore, I can't enquire about King Nam Jang. I am rostered for work next Sunday, I'll have to wait until the last Sunday of the month in order to chase up on the story.

I went instead to a lunch meeting with Yvonne Foley siyigenealogy.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=names&action=display&thread=806 and her husband at their friends' place. We have met on quite a few occasions when they came to Sydney from Melbourne. A publisher in the UK is putting her story and those of other Liverpool Eurasians to print in a book to be released probably within the year. I am waiting eagerly for its first print run and I hope it will catch the public attention.

We had a very long lunch indoor. It was rather cold and windy to have a barbecue outside. One of the guests was a documentary maker among his many talents. He directed and wrote the script for the documentary " the Human Face of China". nfsa.gov.au/collection/film-australia-collection/program-sales/search-programs/program/?sn=1742 . This particular one was a landmark production filmed in 1979 when China was just coming out of its isolation. To me, it is a nostalgic look at the country ahead of the ensuing economic development which rendered the villages,towns, and cities unrecognisable. I watched all five episodes on a DVD after lunch.

[helen]

Thanks for trying Douglas - I've been away with my later Mother's 2 sisters, a brother in law and a grand neice, - 7 of us travelling around NZ for 9 days. They came specifically to pay respects to my Mother and Father. It was quite emotional at the graveside.

[douglaslam]

Helen, I attended the last of the August Chinese Garden Speaker series today. I caught up to Cheryl Cumines and her sister. I missed their talk in the second week, it was their family which operated King Nam Jang the lodging house for Chinese migrants in transit.

King Nam Jang started in 1911, so I was told, at its peak, the lodging quarters housed 25, and 126 long term and short boarders. Some on transit to Nauru for the phosphate mines. I could not glean much more because that was subject of the second talk I missed. Google King Nam Jang, there is a few entries. Douglas

[lolly]

Brad, the Chinese Garden Speaker Series of talks,  although already past, sounded very interesting.  I was particularly interested in the Marilyn Dooley "My Family's Chinese and Irish Connections" topic, as that is the combination of my grandfather and Australian born grandmother's background.  Do you think there would be any possibility of acquiring any notes from that presentation from the Chinese Heritage Association?  I live in Melbourne so would be unlikely to have access to any Association activities.  I would however be willing to join if interstate membership would be helpful to my pursuit of knowledge about my chinese grandfather.  I note from the website that there seems to be a strong interest in chinese theatre.  I have another thread going re pictures I have of my grandfather in chinese opera costume that I have been hoping to have identified. As you appear to be involved with the CHA,  I would be interested in your opinion re the benefits of also becoming associated with them.

[Brad Powe]

Sorry about the delay in getting back to you, Lolly.

I'm not sure CHAA would be very helpful for you. It's not a research organisation, more an advocacy one that provides an opportunity to get together at its historical talks in Sydney. There's no newsletter as such, and the website is not updated very often.

We have been talking about creating a Facebook page that would allow more interaction. Hitherto, I have put my family photos on either the Melbourne "Chinese Museum" and/or NZ-based "Chinese Family History and Stories" Facebook pages and sought comment thereon (and Douglas Lam is almost invariably the sole respondent!).

Have you shown your family photos to the staff at the Chinese Museum in Melbourne (22 Cohen Place, phone[phone])? Sophie Couchman and Emily Cheah Ah-Qune are both very approachable, and will surely be able to give you some tips.

I have sent you a separate message containing the synopsis of Marilyn Dooley's presentation to this year's 'Dragon Tails' conference in Wollongong. Her Sino-Irish heritage project is ongoing, but she should be able to send you something in the way of notes so send her an email at [e-mail]

Hope this is of assistance,

Brad

[lolly]

Thanks very much Brad.  I will certainly follow up with the Chinese Museum in Melbourne and appreciate the notes on Marilyn's talk.  Thanks also for the frank appraisal of the value to me of joining the CHAA from interstate.