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Quong had imbued his children with a spirit of self-reliance, diligence and determination. According to Eddie,
his father’s most frequent advice had been: ‘Don’t do anybody a bad turn’; ‘Fight for what you believe in’; and,
most importantly, ‘Never be ashamed of your race’. This last piece of advice had its roots in the harsh treatment
Chin Shue Hong and other Chinese had experienced at the hands of Europeans in the early days of Northern
Territory settlement. At that time the Chinese had not dared to speak out, not from fear of white supremacy, but
from a desire to be left alone to carry on with their business. In fact, according to his children, Henry Quong
had very few nice things to say about whites. On the other hand, he spoke of the native Aborigines as his ‘good
mates’. On one occasion he took a full-blood Aborigine named Franky Cheeks to Queensland with him; and when
Quong died a group of eight Aborigines turned up at the Quong residence and, without entering the house, staged
a corroboree in front of it. They had walked at least 25 kilometres overnight to reach their destination, explaining
later to Quong’s surprised family that they had sensed that Quong’s spirit had left them.
Other tales of Quong’s affinity with Aborigines are told. They may have connections to one of his post-war
practices.
Once a week he would spend a night at a bush camp set up by Aborigines, with whom he would exchange items
like flour, sugar, tea and tinned food for the firewood that he needed in the bakery.
Quong would have been pleased had he lived to see his children, especially Eddie, become accepted, indeed
prominent, in Australian society. The legacy of racism still rankled with the Chinese of his generation. Today, his
son Eddie Quong sees himself as having succeeded in two worlds. This reality came to him when he and his wife
were invited to a dinner hosted by the Queen on board the royal yacht Britannia, during a royal visit to Darwin in
- This could not have happened in Henry Quong’s time. In addition, Eddie was awarded an Order of Australia
medal (OAM).
Family information.
MY-VAN TRAN, Vol 1.
CHIN, SUE WAH (1901– ), businesswoman and matriarch, was born in a village in Canton, China on 21 July 1901,
the only daughter of Chiu Hing Foy and Chiu Wu See of China. Her father was a well-to-do businessman who
operated a successful business in Baltimore in the United States of America as well as owning a considerable
amount of land in China. She had only one brother, Chiu Goon Pak, who had migrated to Baltimore to study
medicine.
As the only daughter of well-to-do parents, fortunate in having the opportunity to attend school, she then went
onto the Pui Hull Ladies College in Canton where she trained as a schoolteacher. This was quite a privilege as
it was not the custom to allow girls such a high standard of education. On completing her training at the age of
nineteen, it was arranged for her to marry Chin Ack Sam, son of a prominent merchant from Australia. Her future
father-in-law was Chin Toy who himself had travelled to Australia in 1883 a young man of 18, had married there
and had a large family. Chin Ack Sam was his second son.
The villages in China of the two families were 9 or 11 kilometres apart and, as was the custom, all the traditional
requirements were carried out with much pomp and ceremony. The bride was carried all the way in a bridal chair
held by bamboo poles with relatives taking turns. Large pieces of furniture including a sideboard and an array
of cakes were part of the procession also. This was an amazing feat as the terrain between the villages was
quite mountainous. This procession would not have been complete without musicians and Sue Wah as an only
daughter was accompanied all the way by three musicians. Her parents were determined that she would arrive at
her marriage in style. It was fortunate that the bride was of very small stature.
The marriage took place in 1920 in her husband’s village where Sue Wah was to give birth to her first two
children. Eric was born in 1921 and Ray in 1923. The family left China for Australia in 1928 travelling via
Singapore where they broke the journey, staying for one month at Raffles Hotel. On their arrival in Darwin they
were to live with Chin Toy and the rest of his family behind his store, known as ‘Fang Chong Loong’ in the top end
of Chinatown in Cavenagh Street. Three more children were born there, Darwina, Oswald and Wellington.
In 1933, it was decided that the family would return to China to allow the two elder sons a Chinese education.
The family sailed on SS Taiping, together with Chin Toy, on 12 September 1933, and they experienced the rough
seas of a major typhoon in Hong Kong. The boat carrying their luggage capsized so they lost four pieces out of the
25 pieces of luggage they were carrying. The remaining pieces of luggage that were salvaged were soaked with salt
water but it was washed free of charge by the hotel where they were also given free board and lodging.
Sue Wah Chin remained in China from 1933 to 1938. Her two elder sons Eric and Ray were sent to boarding
school approximately 160 kilometres away from Canton. The boys were at boarding school when the Japanese
invaded China. The family spent some months moving from village to village trying to secure visas to return
to Australia. They eventually travelled by train for a full day and then by riverboat overnight to Hong Kong to
secure a passage back to Australia via Thursday Island. Ray and Eric stayed three days on Thursday Island and
then they travelled to Darwin aboard Mangola on deck under canvas. Sue Wah and her younger children had to
spend a month there before being able to return to Darwin. On their return they lived in premises in Wood Street.
Sue Wah was able to help her father-in-law Chin Toy with tailoring doing piecework. Her daughter Darwina
helped by sewing on buttons and making buttonholes. Darwina recalls the cost of shorts was five shillings a pair.
Life for the large extended family entailed the meals being cooked by the women in a community kitchen
and these consisted of plain, simple and wholesome food. The men were always served first with the women and
children eating last. During this period Sue Wah gave birth to three more children, Johnny, Florrie and Norma.
Mrs Tye or a friend, Selina Hassan, delivered the children.