Key Points
- In the mid-1800s, 300 Chinese villagers escaped famine in Xiamen to work as shepherds in Australia.
- The first memorial ceremony since the outbreak of COVID-19 was held to honour a cohort that may well have begun Chinese settlement in Australia.
- 'There's been a lack of recognition of the historical contribution of the Chinese in Australia for a long time': Brisbane's Chinese Consul-General.
An event honouring the memory of the migrants who left their hometown in Amoy, now known as Xiamen in southeast China, for Australia in the mid-1800s, was held in a Queensland town on 15 July.
For the first time since the pandemic interrupted public events, more than 40 people attended the memorial service in the rural town of St George, 500 kilometres west of Brisbane, which featured the Chinese and Western mourning traditions.
In addition to laying candles and wreaths, one of the organisers placed three glasses of alcohol in front of the memorial as part of Chinese tradition.
Three glasses signify honouring heaven, earth and ancestors.
In ancient Chinese sacrificial practice, alcohol was considered an indispensable tribute.
Cheryl Horneman (right) with her 88-year-old mother who is half-Chinese. Credit: Cheryl Horneman
A person of mixed ancestry – her father has German and British ancestry while her mother is half-Chinese – Ms Horneman feels the strongest connection with her Chinese identity.
I’m proud to have Chinese heritage … I’d say [to my children] we’re Chinese.Cheryl Horneman, Chinese-origin Queenslander
'Fairly wealthy' life in Australia
Ms Horneman told SBS Chinese that she spent a lot of time at her grandmother’s house when she was growing up. It was from her that she first learned about her Chinese heritage and family stories.
Her great-grandparents, the Long family, moved their family to Australia by boat in the early 1900s and then went to St George in search of gold like many others from China.
But later, when they didn’t strike gold, they opened a butcher shop and bought a block of land to raise sheep, cows and pigs.
At that time, many Chinese labourers started seeking work in farming and agriculture as the Gold Rush began to lose its sheen.
A picture of Ms Horneman's great-grandparents and their family who moved to Australia by boat in the early 1900s. Credit: Cheryl Horneman
“There were lots of Chinese descendants who came to St George. So, along the riverbank was all Chinese market gardens,” Ms Horneman says.
Unlike most Chinese labourers of that time who were working for meagre wages in Australia, Ms Horneman says her great-grandparents “lived a fairly wealthy life”.
As arranged marriages were the norm in the Chinese community back then, her great-grandmother boarded a ship to China with, gold bullion in her kitty, to find a wife for their son.
Tragically, that’s when World War II broke out, and the ship was bombed and sank.
Cheryl Horneman's grandparents celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in 1987. Credit: Cheryl Horneman
The untold story of Chinese shepherds
Nearly 200 years ago, 300 Chinese villagers arrived at St George as indentured labourers on five-year contracts, shepherding and tending to over 450,000 sheep.
They had escaped the famine in China and migrated to Australia.
The story of Chinese shepherds at St George remained untold until 2017.
The St George Chinese Community Memorial Committee was formed in that year and was dedicated to researching local Chinese history.
Lewis Lee from the committee, who attended the 15 July commemoration, tells SBS Chinese that while it has been confirmed that at least 300 people from the community were buried in St George, only one has been identified by name.
"If you look at the tombstones, almost all of them are unnamed."
The local council has no record of these Chinese migrants because they were at the bottom of the social ladder [due to racism].Lewis Lee, St George Chinese Community Memorial Committee
Local rumour has it that a nearby river served as a boundary for the Chinese migrants of the time, which prohibited them from crossing it at night.
A memorial to the Amoy shepherds
In March 2019, a granite monument was officially erected at St George’s cemetery to honour the unmarked graves, replacing a small marble headstone that was erected after a fire.
The granite monument is mounted with an artwork by Daisy Brown, a local Aboriginal schoolgirl, which depicts how her ancestors, the Kamilaroi, allowed the first Chinese settlers to enter their land along the Balonne River.
A memorial was established in the St George cemetery in 2019 to honour the Chinese shepherds from Xiamen, formerly known as Amoy. Credit: Monument Australia
“It means they’re coming together to be able to make peace when they meet in the middle,” the schoolgirl tells SBS Chinese.
Mr Lee further adds that the memorial’s orientation was also carefully considered when it was being established.
It faced north because that is the direction of China from Australia.Lewis Lee
A participant at the ceremony lays a wreath at the memorial. Source: SBS / Tianyuan Qu
A 1,300-year-old Tang dynasty poem describing homesickness is inscribed next to the artwork.
The Chinese Consul-General from Brisbane, Ruan Zongze, also attended the commemorative event and gave a speech.
I think there has been a lack of recognition of the historical contribution of the Chinese in Australia for a long time.Ruan Zongze, Chinese Consul-General in Brisbane
“Chinese people need to be active in telling their own stories, not only to their own community but to a wider group or to the whole country,” he said at the event.
