Show pageOld revisionsBacklinksBack to top This page is read only. You can view the source, but not change it. Ask your administrator if you think this is wrong. ====== Chinese identured labourers employed by TLM-P ====== Source: Maxine Darnell, {{https://arrow.latrobe.edu.au/store/3/4/5/5/1/public/pdf/indentured.pdf}}) Note that I have edited this list slightly from the original to make it consistent with the other pages and added other comments in square brackets. |**Date |Name of Employee | Locality | Notes**|\\ 1. 11-12-1848 **Tinko** //Bugrooperia// \\ [Tinko and Eunti were hired from the ship //Nimrod// which suggests that they were among one of the early large groups of Chinese migrants who came from Amoy (Xiamen), docking in Sydney in October 1848, where about half of the 121 Chinese passengers disembarked. The intention was that they would work as indentured labourers on rural holdings for five years. Some remained in Sydney and others escaped the isolation of the bush and returned to town. A five-year indenture meant very little once gold was discovered, and the Chinese, like everyone else who caught gold fever, deserted their posts for the diggings.((Shirley Fitzgerald, //Chinese// in the Dictionary of Sydney, 2008, https://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/chinese#:~:text=The%20first%20large%20group%20arrived,more%20than%201500%20had%20arrived.)) TLM-P paid a £1.12.0 advance to the //Nimrod// presumably as part payment of Tinko's passage to Australia. Tinko was contracted for 5 years at the extraordinary low wage of £6 pa] \\ \\ footnote: Tinko is also to be found interpreting in a court case (see 15-11-1851) and on a charge of assault (see below), and remained with TLM-P at //Hawkwood// station until at least January 1856 even though his contract would have expired in December 1853.(see April 1854). TLM-P, Ledger for Bromelton Station, Logan River, 1850-51 and Hawkwood Station, 1854-58, ML MSS 3117/7x CY Reel 1248.) 17-6-1852 Tinko Logan River Assault £20 sureties to keep peace for 12 months. April 1854 Tinko //Hawkwood// Footnote: It is not mentioned in what capacity Tinko was employed by TLM-P, nor the wages he was receiving although most of the other labourers duties and wage rate are listed. TLM-P, Ledger for Bromelton Station, Logan River, 1850-51 and Hawkwood Station, Station, 1854-58, ML MSS 3117/7x.\\ \\ I have found another reference to Tinko in a later reminiscence when TLM-P referred to 'a chinaman (Tinko) on the station, a very fine fellow.' Sadly there were no other details.((Rosa Praed papers, 8370/Box 3, packet 3/1/1/.))\\ \\ 2. 11-12-48 **Eunti** //Bugrooperia// Footnote: Eunti and Tinko were "purchased" by TLM-P from the //Nimrod// for £21.4.0. [there is no use of 'purchased' in the ledger entry nor can I find the reference to a payment of £21.4.0. The entry is 'pr. Nimrod' and there was a payment of £1.12.0 for each man recorded as an advance to the //Nimrod// presumably as part payment of their passage to Australia. perhaps pr is an abbreviation of purchased but equally likely it is 'per Nimrod' "Bugrooperia Station, Logan River Queensland 1848-49, TLM-P ML MSS3117/6, Item 5. More information on Tinko and a number of other Chinese labourers is available in Ledger for Bromelton Station, Logan River, 1850-51 and Hawkwood Station, Hawkwood, 1854-58, TLM-P ML MSS 3117/7x). \\ \\ 3. 5-11-1851 **Isim ** Logan River Interpreter (employer given as T S.M. Prior, presumably mistake for TLM-P). \\ \\ 4. 15-4-1852 **Kang** Logan River Absconded 3 months hard labour Footnote: Within the evidence it was stated that Kang had contracted with TLM-P on the 5th November 1851 to serve for a period of 3 years and 6 months at a rate of 12s. per month. During that time Kang had acquired goods to the cost of £2 18s. 2d. and, unable to repay the debt or accumulate savings, absconded. He was sentenced to hard labour on the Newcastle breakwater. Keneally outlines how Kang had threatened to shoot TlLM-P and a magistrate had consequently sentenced Kang to three months hard labour in Newcastle as well as entering sureties of £80 or be imprisoned for 12 months.((Thomas Keneally, //Australians//, Vol. 1, Allen & Unwin,2009, p.488-89)) The last penalty was overturned by the Attorney-General presumably because it was laughable that a Chinese labourer could afford £80 and that the Attorney-General was not part of what we would now call 'the mates network' of Queensland squatters. Keneally also notes that the men had to return to their masters (who kept the contract) after their period of hard labour.\\ \\ 5. 17-6-1852 **Teeam** Logan River Assault As above Footnote: A third unnamed Chinese labourer had been charged with assault but did not appear at the Court due to illness. TLM-P declined to prosecute this third employee and paid the sureties for the other two Chinese).\\ \\ 6. 15-7-1852 ** Chiop** Logan River Absconded Dismissed Footnote: Chiop had originally been brought to the court on a charge of being an '... idle and disorderly person ...' which charge was dismissed. TLM-P then claimed that Chiop had previously absented himself from his employment, to which the defendant agreed. The case was dismissed however due to the lack of an interpreter. The report on this case also states that Ganson (Gan Som) who had been employed as an interpreter at the court '... now declines to do so, being deterred, as is supposed, by the threats of his countrymen'.\\ \\ 7. 4-1-1853 **Anon** Logan River Drowned\\ \\ 8. 10-2-1856 **Lye** //Hawkwood// Shepherd Footnote: From this total [missing?] Lye's store account for the period of £5.4.8 was deducted, as was a cash payment of £9 on the Bank of NSW and a credit to Gim of £2, leaving Lye with £3.2.4 paid to him per Bank of NSW cheque on 14 August 1856. TLM-P, Ledger for Bromelton Station, Logan River, 1850-51 and Hawkwood Station, Station, 1854-58, ML MSS 3117/7x CY Reel 1248; Folio No.46. \\ \\ 9. 1-2-1856 **Boom** //Hawkwood// Hutkeeper-Shepherd Footnote: Boon re-hired with TLM-P in September 1856 as a shepherd for £35 per annum, however it is noted that "Boon went to Gayndah as he said to the Doctor having been laid up some time with Rhuematism but I heard of him washing sheep a few days after he left, he did not return"- he left behind a stores account of £3.4.2½. TLM-P, Ledger for Bromelton Station, Logan River, 1850-51 and Hawkwood Station, Station, 1854-58, ML MSS 3117/7x).\\ \\ 10. 26-5-1856 **Gim** //Hawkwood// Cook Footnote: Gim was employed for one year at £35 per annum. Gim's account is interesting as he appears to have acted as a money lender - at the end of his term he was also paid £2 by Boon, 4s by Dagan, 50s by Yung, 20s by Yagar, 40s by Kimbracken, 20s by Shibgleton and 3s to his benefit was deducted from Dagan account giving him a total of £46 17 0 from which his store account of £19.2.3 and a cheque on P.J. Piggott of £3.3.8 was deducted leaving him with a cheque on the Bank of NSW for £24.10.10 1/2. TLM-P, Ledger for Bromelton Station, Logan River, 1850-51 and Hawkwood Station, Station, 1854-58, ML MSS 3117/7x CY Reel 1248; Folio No.87.\\ \\ 11. 25-7-1856 **Dampé** //Hawkwood// Hutkeeper Footnote: Dampé had been employed by TLM-P in 1855 and then worked for another 9 months shepherding and hutkeeping for which he received £18.15.0. Once his store account was settled Dampé received on 8th August cheques totalling £39 and 2s5 1/2p in cash. TLM-P, Ledger for Bromelton Station, Logan River, 1850-51 and Hawkwood Station, Station, 1854-58, ML MSS 3117/7x CY Reel 1248; Folio No.98.\\ \\ 12. 13-8-1856 **Tam Ha** //Hawkwood// Hired for Lambing Footnote: Tam Ha was hired at a rate of 25s per week (the same as a European's wages) on 15 August until 8 October. When his store account of 14s 7p was deducted Tam Ha was paid by cheque on the Bank of NSW £9.5.5. TLM-P, Ledger for Bromelton Station, Logan River, 1850-51 and Hawkwood Station, Station, 1854-58, ML MSS 3117/7x CY Reel 1248; Folio No.84154.\\ \\ 13. 15-9-1855 **Ubi**(?) //Hawkwood// Angela Woollacott calls him 'Ubi Chinaman' which reflects her assumption that ethnic descriptions were surnames. Footnote: Ubi is noted as working for TLM-P from 25 May to 25 August at 12s per week- total wage was £7.16.0, cash and stores account was £5.5.4, leaving Ubi with £2.10.8 for which he was paid £2.10.6 by cheque on the Bank of NSW, with a note that the cheque was two pence too little. TLM-P, Ledger for Bromelton Station, Logan River, 1850-51 and Hawkwood Station, Station, 1854-58, ML MSS 3117/7x CY Reel 1248; Folio No.14. Ubi re-hired with TLM-P from 25 August 1855 to 16 December 1855: for the 7 weeks from 25 August to 12 October he was employed as a shepherd at a rate of £1.0.3 per week, a total of £8.9.0 and then as a hutkeeper from the 15 October to 16 December at 15s per week, totalling £7. When Ubi's store account of £5.6.5 was deducted from his total wage of £15.9.0 he received a cheque on the Bank of NSW for £10.2.7. TLM-P, Ledger for Bromelton Station, Logan River, 1850-51 and Hawkwood Station, Station, 1854-58, ML MSS 3117/7x CY Reel 1248; Folio ?[missing].\\ \\ 14. 3-11-1856 **Yung** //Hawkwood// Washer & Shearer (footnote:160 missing).\\ \\ 15. 4-2-1857 **Hock** //Hawkwood// Cook and Hutkeeper (footnote:161 missing). [Described as a 'Chinaman', he 'ran away' from Achows ((MLMSS3117/Box 7X))]\\ \\ 16. 28-2-18 57 **Achow** [or Achen?] //Hawkwood// Shepherd and Watchman (footnote:162 missing). [paid 15/- per week as a hutkeeper for 7 weeks.\\ \\ 17. 20-5-1857 **Tam Sing** //Hawkwood// Shepherd (Footnote: partly missing) Tam Sing was employed as a shepherd at the rate of £25 p.a. TLM-P, Ledger for Bromelton Station, Logan River, 1850-51 and Hawkwood Station, Station, 1854-58, ML MSS 3117/7x CY Reel 1248; Folio No 96. [An earlier entry for May-August 1855 indicates that Tan Sing was employed for two short periods first at £1 per week then later at 15/- per week. It is possible that they were the same man. (ff196,15] \\ darnell_list.txt Last modified: 2026/01/24 22:26by judith