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As a group, the Chinese miners on the Waranga goldfields were probably more spiritual and active in remaining connected to their religion than the European miners. They obviously had a spiritual connection to their homes in China which meant that many of them returned home as the returns from alluvial
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Gambling by Chinese immigrants was usually described in negative terms by the press of the goldrush era. Terminology included phrases such as “gambling dens”, “unlawful games” and “gang of Chinese gamblers”. The reality was that people of virtually all ethnic backgrounds engaged in gambling on the goldfields, of one form
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Some of the Chinese immigrants in the Waranga area were opium users. One of the many stereotypes trotted out by the press of the day referred to “opium dens” and the number of “depredations” attached thereto. At the same time, the writers tended to overlook the excessive use of alcohol
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Many of the Chinese men who came to the Waranga area during the gold rush era were members of fraternal societies. Westerners who did not understand the nature of the groups tended to refer to them as “secret” societies and hinted at links to organised crime. Even today, the Chinese
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Generally, the Chinese in the Waranga area were good citizens in that they only came up before the courts on a relatively small number of occasions. When they did, it was for a variety of misdemeanours and crimes, including non-payment of taxes and theft. One of the Chinese shepherds working
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Contemporary accounts suggest that the Chinese on the goldfields were generally law-abiding citizens. With the numbers involved, there were always going to be some offenders and disputes arising between various parties. Probably the most common offence was not paying the various taxes that applied only to Chinese miners, such as
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Calvin Chong, one of the sons of “Tommy” and Emma Ah Chong of Moora who were mentioned in an earlier story, was lucky to survive an incident that took place on New Year’s Day, 1888. It was every parent’s worst nightmare scenario. As a four-year-old, Calvin had wandered
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In Chinese culture, most people wished to eventually return, or at least have their bodily remains returned to their home village. Of course, when you were nearly 6000 nautical miles from home, this was not always going to be possible. As a result, some of the Chinese immigrants to the
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Many Chinese people were buried in local cemeteries in the latter part of the 19th century. Where there was a large Chinese population, in places such as Beechworth, White Hills, Bendigo and Castlemaine, the sections containing Chinese burials are extensive. There are a large number of footstones, and sometimes infrastructure
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Like Rushworth, Murchison cemetery has only one Chinese footstone. The only word recorded in the cemetery trust records is Toylock. This is problematic, because it could be interpreted in a number of ways e.g. one word (Toylock) being the name, or two words (Toy Lock) or the prefix Ah
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In Australia at present, there is a wide range of choices about what happens to you when you die. The actual rituals that take place can vary widely. Across China in the 19th century, there were also many variations, given that there was a much larger population, with broad ethnic
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Various sources record major life events such as births, marriages and deaths. These include the office of Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria, originally set up after Victoria became a separate colony in 1851. Records established in the early years of the gold rush were not always comprehensive but using things