TWO Centuries of Chinese Heritage Project at UWA takes a biographical approach by weaving snippets from historical sources to uncover stories about Chinese people who came to Western Australia.
In addition to a publicly accessible research portal, the project will also involve a series of podcasts, an exhibition, events and a book.
This series of articles profiles many surprising stories being discovered and recorded as part of this history project.
This time we examine:
Stowaways on the SS Almkerk
by Lucy Hair
In October 1927, customs officers searched the SS Almkerk when it arrived in Fremantle. Based on a tip-off they received, diligent inspectors searched all areas of the ship including the water tanks. Fifty Chinese men were hiding in the empty water tanks above the ship’s keel.
The men were pulled out by customs inspectors. The cramped spaces in which the men were hiding meant many of them were in a weak and deteriorated condition. The tanks were not designed for human occupation and inspectors had to use gas masks in the confined spaces. Once removed from the tanks, inspectors hoisted the stowaways over the side of the ship in baskets and took them ashore. They men were each given a stimulant – weak whisky and water.
This attempt to smuggle the men through Perth and then on to Sydney had been foiled by customs inspectors and the media was quick to celebrate the success of the failed scheme and to praise the work of the officials.
The federal government was quick to respond to the situation arising from the discovery of SS
Almkerk’s human cargo. The Minister for Home and Territories remarked that: “these chaps will not be allowed to land, but will be deported immediately and any others we catch will suffer a like fate.”
The smuggling case was heard at the Fremantle Police Court. The SS
Almkerk’s captain was fined £5,000, the largest fine imposed by a court in Western Australia at the time.
The plan was to deliver the men from Hong Kong to Sydney. Many of the stowaways reported they did not know where they were being taken. Testimony such as: “Wong Yun Tin told us to go into the water-tank just before the ship came into port” were common.
Forty-nine of the Chinese stowaways eventually departed Australia in December 1927. The last stowaway remained in Sydney for medical treatment and was deported in March 1928. Wong Yun Tin, the leader of the smuggling operation, was sentenced to 12 months prison for his crimes. He was charged with being an illegal immigrant just one day before he was due to be released from Fremantle Prison. He was deported immediately.
The discovery of a large number of stowaways was unusual but just one of many accounts of Chinese stowaways during the 1920s. Just a few weeks prior, three Chinese stowaways had been found on the SS Arendskerk, a sister ship of the SS Almkerk.
With tough immigration restrictions, entering Australia illegally was an option taken by many.
Interested readers are encouraged to explore the UWA research database and other aspects of the project at: www.chinesewa.net/
As research material is being added constantly, the project team would love to hear from anyone with information about early Chinese
migrants.
