Skip to content

Correspondence to Pacific Administration

Author Published Type File
Gabriel Chow Ying 12-Jul-1954 Letter View

Gabriel Chow Ying recounts events between 1901 to the Japanese invasion in 1942 for C.D. Rowley at the Australian School of Pacific Administration.

THE AUSTRALIAN SCHOOL OF PACIFIC ADMINISTRATION. MOSMAN, N.S.W.
In reply quote No. 20/4/Admin. (94)
12th July, 1954

Mr. Gabriel Chow Ying,

RABAUL.

Dear Sir:

I have been advised by Mr. Bernard Chan that you would remember the sort of business conducted by the Chinese Community during the first world war.

The impression I have gained is that the late Mr. Ah Tam was something of a patron of other Chinese business men at Rabaul at that time.

I am doing some historical research on that period and any information you can give me in this connection would be very valuable.

Yours sincerely,
(C.D. Rowley)
Principal.

The following is a summary of events happened since my arrival here in 1901 till the Japanese landed in 1942.

In 1901 about February I left Singapore for Rabaul by a German boat called the Si-jardin. I arrived Matupi in March. On arrival I saw anchored at Matupi a big 2000 tonner German wooden ship with three masts. The ship was propelled by engine and manned with a captain, a doctor, engineers and crews. All of them were German nationals. On this ship there was a wealthy German tourist. One day he went on a tour to New Ireland near Kavieng with some Police boys. They stayed ashore in a Kunai hut. After spending time there he told his boys to dismantle their guns or maskets in order to clean them. 'While they were so doing the natives of the island took the opportunity rushed in and killed them all.

When I arrived Matupi I was first met by the late Ah Tam. He was quite well established then. He owned a house and lived with his family there. He also owned a store, a bar house to sell beer and a boat yard. These were all at Matupi of course as there was no Rabaul yet at that time. Ah Tam had five Chinese employees working for him and also one cook. They all came from Singapore. Ah Tam had three children then and the eldest was about 10 years old. He told me that he came here 28 years ago, so it must be in 1873. I think it must be true as his eldest half caste daughter was then about 10 years old. I was employed by the late Ah Tam and worked in his boat yard. The salary was 60 marks a month, equivalent to now £3 Australian money. Later on I left him and worked for Ralung Store as carpenter in Toma. At that time things were very cheap. Ah Tam had also three other Chinese working for him on various out stations to trade and buy copra from natives. The German were kind and considerate to the Chinese and they looked after us well. The natives were still naked then. There were also other Chinese carpenters. Four were employed by the German Administration, two employed by New Guinea Company, two employed by Vunapope Catholic Mission, two by Mr. Otta and one employed by Kokopo Ralung Store. The Chinese were allowed to go home to bring their families along too. No entry permits were required at that time.

At Duke of York there were also two Chinese carpenters and one cook. They were all employed by a German planter. There was also a Chinese trader - John Ah Chai who ran a store of his own to trade and buy copra from natives there. The above cook was Ah Lock and he was the eldest brother to John Ah Chai. The late Ah Lock worked as cook to a German planter during the day and helped his brother in the store at night.

Ah Chai employed three Hainan Island Chinese as traders to New Ireland. They sailed by Dingies to New Ireland to trade and buy copra from natives there. But two of these traders were killed by natives in a village called Miai near Kalili Pltn New Ireland. The German were prompt in avenging the murderers. The German boat Si-jardin called from Singapore to Rabaul enroute to Australia every three months.

In 1903 the German Administration started the Rabaul wharf and later moved from Kokopo to Rabaul. The German then hired more and more carpenters from Singapore for building the wharf and to put up the township of Rabaul.

In 1904 two steamers running regularly direct from Hong Kong to Rabaul and then to Sydney, returning to Hong Kong via Rabaul. So more and more Chinese were coming directly from Hong Kong. Permit of entry was not required then. The new Comers went with an old comer to a German Firm and ask for work. They were given work promptly. Some were engaged as carpenters others were engaged as traders. The German Firm gave credit to any amount to the traders and demanded no interest. They could later on pay off their account by selling the copra to the firm and on goods sold. So the late Ah Tam was not exactly the patron of the business men then. Actually the German Firm who gave credit to the traders was their patron. The wages for carpenters were then also a little higher than before when I first came. The Rabaul wharf was completed in 1905. In coming steamers were berth there and all cargoes discharged directly onto the wharf stores.

In 1907 the Administration gave four allotments to the late Ah Tam so that he could build a Chinatown. I was given one of these allotment 30x75 Metres and the rent was 10 marks per annum. Ah Tam collected the rent and handed in to the Administration who cave him back half of this money 80 collected. Ah Tam built a house on one of these as a house for worshipping.

In 1905 the German Administration gave South West coast of New Ireland to Chinese who wished to make their own plantations.

In 1914 war came and alI the German went up to Toma leaving the town as it was. The Chinese stores kept on their work as usual as if nothing had happened. Every one was afraid only of a shortage of food. The Ralung store had only 1000 bags of 40 lbs rice left. The manager of the store allowed each person to buy only one bag a week. The German later on sent a wooden ship called the Matupi to Java and brought in move supplies. The German were very considerate and looked after the Chinese well even to their very last day. I was then in New Ireland working in my own plantation. I had a very big garden of sweet Poatoes and I supplied this to Vunapope Mission, to the Matupi farm and also to Ralung Store to help in relieving the shortage of food. Later on when Australian soldiers landed and took over B.P. Stores came in also and the shortage of supplies was no more of a problem. The Chinese were allowed to carry on their work as usual with their general stores business and their various out stations trading business. All trade copra were then sold to B.P. Store at £40 per ton. A week later the price went down to £38 per ton.

In 1918 a school was set up by Chinese parents to educate their children. Each pupil had to pay a fee of 10/- per month for the teacher's salary. Seeto Man Shiu was the first teacher who himself was educated in Hong Kong Wong Yan College. All Chinese stores were previously opened for business also at night, but this was not allowed after 1918. Seeing that store keepers had no where to go at night I and Akun set up a library at the back of my store so that every one could come and read newspapers and books at night. The school was called "Oversea Chinese School". It went on smoothly for only two years when the school was split up between Catholic and Methodist.

A Catholic school was then set up by Catholic parents and called it "The Yang Ching School". Apart from school fees collected from each student the Bishop of Vunapope donated £12 a month to the expenses.

The first teacher was Chan Park Fun. Later on he was relieved by Wu Sam Ching who came from Hong Kong as teacher in 1921. Two more teachers were brought from Hong Kong in 1924 to relieved Mr. Wu. They were Wong Kee Kwong and Chu Shi Nam. The same year His honour the Bishop of Vunapope sent three Australian Nuns to help in the teaching. After collecting school fees and a donation of £12 a month from the Bishop the school expenses were still in arear. This was made up every month by some of the parents. In 1927 the two teachers went back to China and a Catholic priest was then invited from Canton to take over the school. In 1932 the priest left and Mr. Au came to relieved him. In 1935 a young student who was just graduated from Hong Kong Wah Yan College came and relieved Mr Au. He stayed on until 1937 when he left Rabaul and went back for his studies in Hong Kong University. After graduation war came and Hong Kong fell to the Japanese. He then led a group of British officers into the interior of China to escape the Japanese and later on joined the British troop in Burma. When war ended he was decorated and sent to Oxford University London for further studies by the Hong Kong Government. He is now a magistrate in the new territory of the British Colony of Hong Kong. His name is Chui Ka Cheong. When Mr. Chui left two other teachers were hired from Hong Kong. They were Chan Ka Hui and Lau Pak Shin both were graduated in Ling Nam University Canton. The old Yang Ching School was then too small to accommodate the 200 children so a new school was erected near the present Queen Elizabeth Park. The school was two stories and was completed in 1940. The new school had opened only for two years when the Japs came, The whole construction was destroyed completely by Allied bombing during the first month of the Japanese occupation.