Research Rabbit Holes

The ‘problem’ with writing about one person is that I come across so many other interesting people along the way. Many of them could warrant a book of their own, but will likely end up only with a pertinent line or two in Louisa Lawson’s biography.

Two such people have recently led me down some wondrous research rabbit holes.

The first is Sun Tong Lee, who in the 1870s operated a general store serving the goldfields of Gulgong – where Louisa Lawson was then living her gold-prospector husband (Niels ‘Peter’ Larsen) and their two young boys. The discovery in 1871 of a rich gold seam meant that by December 1872 the population of sleepy Gulgong had exploded to around 20,000 people.

Like most Australian goldfields, the diggers formed a multicultural society of Greeks, Italians, Americans, English, Irish, Bulgarians, Scottish, so-called ‘native-born’ Australians and Chinese.

Louisa’s husband was a case in point – he was Norwegian sailor who in 1854 left his ship in Melbourne to go digging for gold too. Despite eventually settling his young family on a farm at Eurunderee (and anglicising his name to Lawson), Peter never shook off the gold fever, and spent much of his married life away from home, unsuccessfully prospecting for gold.

Sun Tong Lee established his ‘Sydney Branch Store’ almost as soon as word about the Gulgong gold got out. His was therefore a welcome – and lucrative – enterprise.  He advertised his new store in the local paper:

GLORIOUS NEWS. SUN TONG LEE, General Storekeeper, Begs to inform the Housekeepers, Hotelkeepers, Miners and others that he has opened a Branch of his Sydney Store in Herbert Street, with a choice and well-assorted Stock of Groceries, Drapery, Ironmongery, Hardware, Boots, Rope Tinware at such LOW PRICES as will enable everybody to patronise him and get full value for their money. His goods are ALL NEW and of the best description. Remember—–SUN TONG LEE — Herbert Street

Mercantile Advertiser, August 24 1871

Despite regular vicious and overt racism towards Chinese people (popular Sydney journal The Bulletin infamously proclaimed “Australia for the White Man” on its front page masthead for years), at the individual level white Australians could be sometimes be more generous.

Louisa’s eldest son Henry certainly had fond memories of Sun Tong Lee, “a Chinaman with strange and delicious sweets that melted in our mouths, and rum toys and Chinese dolls for the children.” (See Henry Lawson’s short story ‘The Ghosts of Many Christmases’.)

Sun Tong Lee’s other kindnesses did not go unnoticed.

A few days ago, during the heavy rain and piercing winds, a poor woman might have been observed passing up Herbert Street, with an infant in her arms and another unfortunate child clinging to her skirt. Heavens knows where she was straying but her appearance was that of object poverty. A few persons were looking on with pity when a Celestial was observed to hurry from his place of business with a large parcel which he gave to the woman, and at once returned to his store. The parcel proved to be a pair of superior blankets. The gift was made in a quiet manner without the slightest ostentation, that it took those who witnessed it by surprise. The donor was Sun Tong Lee, a Chinese merchant in this town, and this generous action is in the highest degree creditable to his humanity.

Gulgong Advertiser, Wednesday, June 25, 1873

Sun Tong Lee did not stay long in Gulgong. With other stores to manage across the state, he left town after four years and returned to Sydney.

We understand that Mr Lee, the manager of Messrs Sun Tong Lee’s Gulgong business, leaves here for Sydney during the week and that he will not again return to Gulgong. Since his arrival in Gulgong—now some four or five years ago—he has earned the respect of all classes of the community and we feel sure that many will regret his departure, especially those who have in their time of need received many act of kindness from him.

Gulgong Evening Argus September 18 1875

And then no more seems to be known – at least publicly – of Sun Tong Lee. The local museum in Gulgong does record a visit from Mr Lee’s great-great-grandson in 2022, so perhaps there’s a family history waiting to be written.

The second person to distract me has been Moy Quong Tart (1850-1903), about whom quite a lot more is known. Try the Australian Dictionary of Biography and Wikipedia for more details.

In the 1880s Quong Tart operated a chain of successful and popular tea rooms in Sydney. He offered a regular meeting space to Louisa Lawson and her feminist colleagues, so that they could discuss (among other things) how best to agitate to gain the vote for women. As well, or perhaps in return, his tea rooms were advertised in Louisa’s monthly journal The Dawn.

Quong Tart was only nine years old when he arrived in New South Wales from China, accompanying his uncle. By the age of eighteen he was wealthy, Christian and a fluent speaker of English.

As an adult he was widely involved in sporting, cultural and religious affairs. He campaigned against the importation of opium, offered sick leave with pay to his employees, and provided a series of free feasts for the inmates of destitute asylums.

In 1886 Quong Tart married a young Englishwoman, Margaret Scarlett and together they had two sons and four daughters. In 1902 he was savagely assaulted by an intruder in his office at the Queen Victoria Markets. Not everyone believed the police when they said it was simply a burglary gone wrong. After a partial recovery Quong Tart died at his home in Ashfield, on 26 July 1903.

It’s a shame that many people don’t realise Australian history is full of fascinating characters and stories like these. More and more, however, such stories are being lifted up into light. Long may it continue.