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Studying the rich history of Rabaul's Chinese

BY PETER CAHILL*

THE HISTORY of the Chinese in and around Rabaul goes back a long way, and if you have any information or photographs on this subject, you may be able to assist with research for a book I’m writing.

In the mid-19th century, Chinese visited New Guinea as crew members on trading vessels. Irregular though these visits were, an association developed.

Later, after Germany declared a Protectorate over the northern part of mainland New Guinea (Kaiser Wilhelmsland) and the major island groups in 1884, the New Guinea Kompagnie brought in Chinese as cooks and domestic servants, bringing a closer acquaintance with the territory.

Later still, indentured labourers (coolies) were recruited from Singapore and the Dutch East Indies to assist in developing and maintaining tobacco and cotton plantations. Skilled Malay and Javanese tobacco processors also came.

These plantations’ horrific death rate from malaria, beriberi and dysentery, together with appalling living and working conditions and ill-treatment by overseers, caused most of them to be closed by 1900. Most of the coolies were repatriated, but a few chose to remain.

During the same period, plantations were successfully operated at Herbertshohe (Kokopo) on the Gazelle Peninsula. The New Guinea Kompagnie was always short of labour and tried – with occasional success – to get Imperial German assistance to engage workers from Singapore, offering them much improved working conditions.

With the decision to build a new capital at Rabaul, trained artisans (employed as “free” Chinese) were needed to construct the main wharf and town buildings. Again some remained after the work was completed.

Australia imposed stringent restrictions on Chinese migration to New Guinea which encouraged their intermarriage with native women. The children were usually acknowledged and raised as Chinese.

There was also some intermarriage with mixed-race (German/Indigenous) residents of Rabaul.

The Chinese lived, as required, in Chinatown and concentrated on their businesses and families. How this was done and the way they lived peacefully with other races in Rabaul make them an interesting minority group to study.

* Dr Peter Cahill, a former resident of Rabaul, is an academic at the University of Queensland. He is gathering material for a book on the Chinese in Rabaul 1884–1960 and invites people with stories or experiences related to this to contact him. Photographs would be a bonus. Write to Dr Cahill at 7 Wynyard Street, Indooroopilly 4068 or email him at [email protected]

Comments

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Jarrin Lee

Hi, I'm a grandchild of John Lee from Rabaul. Does any reader know anything of my family history resulting to its conclusion.

Dr Peter Cahill

Erica Wing Seeto; Con Barrington; Dr Edward Lee -

Thanks for your comments. Sorry it's taken so long to get back to you - I've been away and have only just noticed your comments.

How do I contact you individually? Please email me at
[email protected]; telephone (Brisbane) 07.3371.4794; snail mail address 7 Wynyard Street, Indooroopilly, Queensland. 4068

I'm collecting information for volume 2 covering 1960 - 1975.

Erica Wing Seeto

Hi there my name is Erica Gabriella Wing Seeto, I'm trying to find out my Grandpas family tree. His name is Gabriel Wing Seeto and he was born in Rabual but later moved to New Hebrides in search for a better life. He worked as a heavy machinery operator but saddely died doing what he enjoyed doing when my father was 7. I would like to know more of his family tree but I don't know where to start.

Con Barrington

currently reading this lovely book. good stuff Peter. you've done well.
bit disappointed that the personae I was looking for are not named.
looking to complete some family history for dt in law
her grandfather- Fat Wai Szeto, possible variant Fatt Whye Seeto but not sure of this
and his wife Mei Fong Chow.
at page 135 reference to a "May Seeto"in 1951 attending Girl Guides camp at Narrabeen NSW. photo above may contain her in it???

Dr Edward lee

Please contact me regarding my family history in PNG from my family residing in Brisbane, Sydney and many others from PNG and Rabaul .

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