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LOW KEE of Cooktown was born in China in 1864. No information is known about him or his life in Queensland, with even less known about his Aboriginal partner. George William Ivy Lai Fook was born in China, c.1874. He travelled to Queensland with four brothers including Lai Foo, and the men settled in Cooktown in approx. 1893. While Lai Fook remained in Cooktown, his brother Lai Foo went to Thursday Island. Lai Fook set up business as a Merchant under the trading name Tommy Ah Kum. He diversified into the lucrative pearl shell industry and was part owner of a lugger fleet in partnership with his brother. In 1902 he took out his Oath of Allegiance and became a naturalised British Subject. Yong Leong, born in the 1880s, was sent to her husband in 1902. She became busy as a homemaker and mother to a family of seven children. In 1917 Lai Fook and Yong Leong made preparation to take all of their children to the village in China. After spending time in the village visiting family, they nearly all returned to Cooktown, including Yong Leong who gave birth to their seventh child, Ivy. Three girls, Ellie, Florrie and Lily, remained back in China and it is presumed they married local village men. On Lee Ada Cameron Image Image unavailable unavailable William On Lee / Ah Shay (Leong Hoong) and Ada Cameron, m. 17.09.1894 COOKTOWN Leong Hoong, also known as On Lee or Ah Shay, married White woman Ada Cameron in 1894 in Cooktown. They resided for a while in Cooktown before they moved to Geraldton, which was renamed Innisfail after 1910. When in Geraldton, Ah Shay was a banana grower and he also had commercial interests in storekeeping and sugar cane production. Ada Cameron (who may also have been known as Ada RACKSTRAW) and Ah Shay had at least 4 children together, two whom died at infancy. Together they lived on the river and accessed the town via canoe before the roads were formed. In 1908, at age 13 and a half, their eldest son William was sent to China. He made the journey unaccompanied. By 1926 Ada was a widow. She lived alone at Bamboo Creek near Innisfail in a little cottage located opposite her daughter and son in law, Mr. A. C. Eshek. Attached to the house block was 21 acres (8.5 hectares) of land. Ada rented this out to a Chinese market gardener as well as a little room in the cottage in exchange for part of the proceeds of the sale of vegetables. However, things took a turn for the worst in 1927 when a fire destroyed her property and she was forced to live with her daughter and son in law. MAYTOWN James Ah FUN and Mrs. Ah Fun, married c. 1877, CHINA, arrived 1878 MAYTOWN James Ah Fun arrived in Cooktown and proceeded to the Palmer River Goldfield where he purchased land and settled in Edwardstown, which later became Maytown. In 1878 a wife and child servant were sent to him and they became the first Chinese women to arrive on the field. By 1883 James and Mrs. Ah Fun had two children, Quong Chong and Melend/Melena. The Ah Funs were well known shopkeepers in the community but they were also known as cruel masters to their servant girl. This made the male Chinese community upset and in response they arranged for another storekeeper to marry the girl to break her bond. This he did in 1883. Melend Mr and Mrs. Ah Fun departed in 1885/6 taking their family of four children – two boys and two girls with them. It seems that Mr and Mrs. Fun did not return to Queensland but their children all returned over the following years. Melina Ah Fun arrived back in Queensland in 1904 and married prominent merchant Wah Poo of Cooktown. By 1905, her brothers had also returned and became residents of North Queensland. Wun Toong Yuan Image unavailable Tam Gee Kee William Henry John Albert Ellen May Family Ellen, Henry, Patrick, Willy, Jack. Albert, Lily, Hang Fann, Tam, Maud Tam Gee Kee (Tam Gaun Sit) and Wun Toong Yuan, married 28.07.1884, MAYTOWN WUYI / SZE YUP Tam Gaun Sit was born in the Sze Yup district of China to a poor peasant family. He fled his home due to the civil unrest in China and made his way to Hong Kong. From there he secured passage as a crewman on a boat which headed to Cooktown. When he landed, he worked for a merchant firm before making his way to the Palmer River goldfields. By 1880, he was established as a greengrocer and storekeeper in a business he called Gee Kee. He was well liked and respected in the community and the Chinese men turned to him when they saw Ah Fun’s mui tsai girl in distress. Born 1866 Doon Goon county in Guangdong province, China, Wun Toong Yuan, otherwise known as Ah Faun, Hoong Fong, Houng Faun, Won Hoong Font, Won Hung Faun, May Hung Faun and Hanny Fanny, migrated to North Queensland as a young bonded servant or Mui tsai to the Ah Fun storekeeping family from Maytown. Her family did not look after her very well and they abused her regularly. Often when she went for goods to Tam Gaun Sit’s shop, she would be in a distressed state. It was too much for the Chinese men in the community when Wun Toon Yuan arrived one day to Gee Kee’s Shop with a broken arm. The Chinese men implored Tam Gaun Sit to do something about the situation and suggested he marry her. Tam paid £100 to break the girl’s bond and the couple were married in August 1884. They had a splendid wedding, which cost over £250, attended by 200 Chinese and 50 European guests including the Mining Warden, Hodgkinson Goldfield. It was noted at the time, “The bride, Hung Fann, being escorted to the court house by one of the European lady residents, was very handsomely dressed after the style of a Chinese merchant's wife. A large fan however, carried in her right hand effectually hid every part of her face.” The couple had a boy, which was celebrated with an 8-course dinner, 100 guests and fireworks. Chinese miners matched the baby’s weight with gold a total of 6 pounds. They went on to have a large family of 9 children – six boys and three girls. The family moved to Cairns in 1898 and then to Innisfail in 1904. In 1906 Gee Kee (as he was now known) and Wun Toong Yuan took their family, all except the eldest, back to China. Ah TOY Jimmy Rooker Image ‘Topsy’ unavailable Image unavailable AH TOY and Jimmy Rooker aka ‘Topsy’, c. 1900, MAYTOWN / PALMER RIVER GOLDFIELD Tommy Ah Toy, born in China, 1855, arrived in Australia as a boy and made his way to Queensland in the late 19th century where he went to the Palmer River goldfields and took out a Market Garden lease. He gardened on the Palmer River Goldfield for at least 30 years. In 1916, as part of his Alien Registration, he was noted as a tall man at 5 ft 6 inches and was living at Mossman Creek. At some point in time, Ah Toy made an application to the Northern Protector of Aborigines, Walter Roth, to marry a local Aboriginal woman Jimmy Rooker, aka “Topsy”, but his application was denied. Instead, Roth instead offered to register the relationship in a “‘special’ register for such

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