MOY LING James

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Biographical informationReverend James Moy Ling was living and working as a Wesleyan minister in Victoria in 1896 (There are many newspaper articles about James Moy Ling's life and work in Victoria but these have not been examined.)

In April 1896, he travelled from Victoria to Perth and Fremantle to, "to meet the Chinese residents and advise the chairman of the district as to the best steps to take for the evangelisation of the Chinese in the colony". (West Australian, 11 April 1896, p. 2.)

Rev Moy Ling travelled to Bunbury and York while in Western Australia to deliver various lectures and sermons.

He was succeeded by Paul Soong Quong to work at the Wesleyan Chinese Mission in Perth in June 1896. Moy Ling inducted Rev Soong Quong before returning to Victoria. "Among the Chinese he trained for missionary work was John Young Wai, who later became a very successful Presbyterian minister in Sydney. He also arranged for Paul Ng Soong Quong to become a missionary in Perth. Another man, Daniel Lem Sheok Kee, was sent to work in the Otago mission in New Zealand." (Chinese-Australian Historical Images website.)

He was granted a certificate to return to the colony in 1899 having been appointed Foreign Mission Deputation for Western Australia. He arrived in Albany at the end of August 1899 (West Australian, 26 August 1899). He visited Perth and Fremantle extending his visit to Geraldton (West Australian, 9 September 1899, p. 4) and Bunbury (Bunbury Herald, 21 September 1899, p. 3).

At the end of September 1899, Rev Moy Ling visited the goldfields giving services and lectures in several goldfields towns including Coolgardie, Kalgoorlie, Boulder and Menzies. At this time, immigration restrictions and public sentiment meant that there were virtually no Chinese people on the goldfields.

Rev Moy Ling returned to Perth in mid-November 1899 (West Australian, 14 October 1899, p. 4) for several weeks before returning home to Victoria.

Rev. Moy Ling devoted 45 years service to the Chinese Mission in Little Bourke St, Melbourne. (The Age, 10 November 1954, p. 8)
He died in February 1911: "The Rev. James Moy Ling, Chinese Methodist minister, died at the residence of his daughter, Mrs S. Sue, Rathdown street, North Carlton, on Feb. 2., aged 79 years. The deceased gentleman arrived in Victoria in the early sixties, and shortly afterwards was appointed superintendent of the Victoian Methodist Chinese Missions. He held that position till his death. His name was a household word. He loaves a widow, three daughters and two sons." (Weekly Times, 11 February 1911, p. 26)Date of birth1832Date of death2nd February 1911

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