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way of life and contribute to society in various areas. In Darwin, one grandson Dr Ken Moo was a respected
ophthalmologist for many years at the Royal Darwin Hospital. A great grandson was an orthopaedic and hand
surgeon, while others were in the fields of law, accountants, teachers, pharmacists, engineering, the trades and as
successful business people. They were able to combine two cultures, appreciating and receiving the best of both.
Moo Yet For and Wong See as poor immigrants from China would not have foreseen the bright future they
were giving their descendants in having the courage in leaving their homeland. Their descendants had much to be
grateful for.
J Gittens, The Diggers from China, 1981; Personal information from L Ah Toy, M Hee, E Yuen and L Yuen.
GLENICE YEE, Vol 3.
MOREY, EDWARD HERBERT (TED) (1902–1982), policeman, cattleman and writer, was born at Mannum,
South Australia, on 5 March 1902, the fourth child of Sidney Edgar Morey and his wife Ellen, nee Sobey.
Sidney Morey was a businessman, painting contractor and Councillor—a civic-minded man. Ellen was a gentle,
active lady, of character and intellect.
Morey attended the little Mannum School until the family moved to Adelaide, where his education continued
at the Flinders Street State School. His parents instilled in all their children—there were nine—that no matter what
their chosen vocation may be, it did not matter to them so long as they strived and worked hard at it and brought
dignity to their profession.
In his itchy-footed knockabout years, Morey toiled variously at clearing mallee, grubbing yackas, working on
farms, cattle and sheep stations and in shearing sheds throughout South Australia. He handled and drove teams of
horses, bullocks, camels and donkeys in that state and in New South Wales. Then, for a number of years, he was a
professional colt-breaker. He grew into a strapping six-footer, lithe, agile and with a strong steady personality.
In 1924, Morey paid his own fare to England after being one of four roughriders selected in Australia to
compete in the First International Rodeo to be held at the Wembley exhibition. He was the only Australian to
compete in an open event. Morey rode well for the three weeks of the Exhibition and was invited to an afternoon
party in the gardens of Buckingham Palace. He had, regretfully, to decline, for he did not possess the required
morning dress’.
After returning to Australia, he joined the South Australian Mounted Police. He resigned after disagreeing
with the conduct of a fellow constable. Superintendent Lean asked Morey to reconsider his future with the force,
but Morey declined. When the superintendent mentioned the Northern Territory Mounted Police, Morey showed
interest and after a stint with the South Australian Fire Brigade, he applied to join that force in 1926, was accepted
and sailed for Darwin early in 1927. Mounted Constable Morey was soon seconded to the rough, temporary town
of Emungalan, the railhead on the north bank of the Katherine River, where massive bridgework was in progress.
The construction workers were rough hard men and, on occasions, downright dangerous. When a crew was having
a long session in a boozer, Morey would sit on a hitching-rail across the street to let them know that they were
under surveillance—they had little respect for the law at any time, even less when inebriated. It soon became
known that Morey could handle himself exceptionally well and his distant presence assured an orderly departure
from the pub at closing time.
He was successful in his application for the outpost police station at Borroloola in 1929 and he patrolled that
lonely and rugged area for two years, under Sergeant Bridgland.
Early in 1932 he was officer-in-charge of the Victoria River Police District, an area of 129 500 square kilometres.
The police station was situated on the western bank of Timber Creek.
In early July Morey received a directive from headquarters by the monthly packhorse mail to investigate the
alleged murders of three Japanese shark fishermen—Captain Nagata and crewmen Owashi and Yoshida—on the
coast between Port Keats and Treachery Bay. Members of the Chulamak tribe were responsible: Nemarluk,
Minmara, Maragin, Mankee and Lin. A rider to the directive stated that Mounted Constable Jack Mahony was
already en-route to Timber Creek to assist him.
The patrol left the lonely outpost with non-perishable rations for a month. Their native trackers were Charlie,
Splinter, Bogey and Mick. A month later, they were still on the lower reaches of the tidal Victoria, Morey and two
trackers having been ferried across the river in the tender of Maroubra to investigate more permanent Aboriginal
camps on the wide plains of Legune. After four days, they were back on the river with four prisoners, witnesses and
accomplices. There followed a perilous crossing by raft of the crocodile infested Victoria. More than four months
after leaving Timber Creek, the patrol reached the Daly River police outpost. All entrained at Brocks Creek siding
a few days later for Darwin. The patrol had covered an estimated 2 000 kilometres, 400 of which had been on
foot for surprise raids through the nights on bush camps. Although they did not get the leader Nemarluk (because
neither officer would shoot him in the back as he struggled through a boggy, open marsh, even though called on
repeatedly to stop) they returned with five Aborigines subsequently found guilty of murder, their accomplices and
witnesses.
Within two days of reaching Darwin, Morey and Mahony were ordered to sail with the Reverend T T Webb
on the mission boat Marie to Arnhem Bay and carry out a foot patrol across the large peninsula to Caledon Bay
where there were reports that the Balamumu people had murdered five Japanese trepang fishermen. The Marie
could wait only ten days for them at Arnhem Bay, which meant that the patrol could only do a brief reconnaissance
of Caledon Bay because of the distance and time factor involved. The terrain was parched and water was a real
problem with sweat pouring from them all even as they tried to sleep at night. No tracks of Aborigines were found.
On the return to Arnhem Bay Mahony’s ankle—an old injury—began to break down. Mahony with his always