KONG LEE

Description

Biographical informationKong Lee (aka Kwong Lee) was born in January 1869 in Canton, China. He migrated to Melbourne, Victoria in 1896 and then moved to Western Australia in 1897. He was five feet eight inches in height.

He worked as a market gardener at Wanneroo from at least 1907 to 1909. Then he worked on Hea Sam's market garden, Osborne Park. In 1916 he worked at Guildford before moving to Leederville in 1917.

Kong Lee travelled overseas twice: October 1909 to November 1911; and March 1921 to September 1922

In 1939 he was living in Cemetery Road, Northam and working as a market gardener. He stated that he had been in Northam for 28 years (so probably since he returned from China in 1911). His 1939 photo matches the 1909 and 1921 CEDTs. By in 1948 he had retired. He left Western Australia and returned to China on 29th April 1949.Other nameKong Lee (differentiated name)KWONG LEE (also known as)Lee Kwong (also known as)Date of birth27th January 1869

Kong Lee pictured around the age of 40 on his Certificate Exempting him from the Dictation Test (source: National Archives, K1145, 1909/160).

Employment

Job titleGardenerDate employed[date unknown]

Connections

Subject (organisation)Hea Sam's Market Garden, Osborne ParkSubject (place)WannerooOsborne ParkGuildfordLeedervilleNorthamSubject (topic)Chinese heritage in Western AustraliaMarket gardeningRelated collectionAnne Atkinson CollectionRelated linkNAA CEDT File 1909NAA CEDT File 1920NAA War Registration File 1939-1948

Item information

ContributorSchool of Social SciencesSource of informationAsian immigrants to Western Australia, 1829-1901 (Atkinson, 1988)

Significant place

RelationPlace of birthPlaceCantonDate1869

Significant place

RelationImmigrated toPlaceAustraliaDate1896

UWA Collected

KONG LEE

THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA