Post by nzbc on Oct 26, 2017 16:35:35 GMT 12
The Chinese have had a long history in Taranaki
GRAEME DUCKETT
Last updated 17:01, October 26 2017
Waitara Blacksmith Harold "Bunny" Abbott caused a stir with some of the Chinese businessmen in Waitara.
The Chinese community have had a long history in Taranaki.
The most notable was Chew Chong, of course, but many have settled here and established long term successful businesses. Hard working and industrious, I saw first hand what the Chinese were capable of when I was living in Hokitika in the early 1970s. The Hokitika River was diverted in the 1860s and mined of its gold and the river diverted back again by Chinese miners. You must remember this was done manually, quite a feat when you think about it.
Chinese were badly treated by the miners. In the 1860s there were no less than 150 hotels in Revell St in Hokitika. Chinese camped on the outskirts of town, and any wandering into town could be shot and nothing was done about it. Shocking. Here in Waitara in the early 1900s several steam laundrys were in operation in West Quay. Lock Shong and Timmy On Lee were there for some years working long hours for cheap rates.
An early fruiterer in Waitara was Dong Gee, who established in 1902 and was in business until 1914. A fire in 1907 gutted the block of shops he was in, but the shop complex was soon replaced and Dong Gee was in business again. In the 1920s Wong Koon opened for business in McLean St and survived there during the depression and through the 1932 Freezing Workers strike with his fruit and vege shop next to the butcher Mr Mutton, no less. Local blacksmith Bunny Abbot bought a bag of apples one day. On leaving Wong Koon's shop he noticed one of the apples was speckled. He let out a mighty roar and yelled at the top of his voice "I'll get you for this" and made for the little chinaman.
Little Wong rushed next door into Reynolds butcher shop and hid under the counter. Mr Reynolds Snr too was a short man like Wong and stood up to Bunny and roared back at him with Bunny shouting "I'll Murder him, I'll murder him".
At that moment there was a sound of woman's footsteps and Mrs La Pouple appeared in the shop. She was the wife of the local policeman. "Come now Bunny", she said, and that ended the stand off. He relaxed off and quietly followed her out of the shop.
Another in the street was Ah Jack Chong, starting in 1914. He was a rather tall slender Chinaman who rode his 1920s Harley Davidson with its sidecar attached for deliverys. He ran a successful business selling fruit and veges until 1936 when he left to open a shop in Karori.
Often local Blacksmith Bunny Abbott would walk past Ah Jack's shop and pinch a piece of fruit on his way, and Ah Jack was often seen chasing Abbot down Warre St towards his blacksmith shop wielding a large cabbage knife, cursing him loudly. Ah Jack had a market garden near where the present Rua Kiwi is on Waitara Rd.
In the 1940s we had Walter Mong in McLean St, from 1938-41, who was taken over by Yee Wah, from 1942-44, as fruiterers and green grocers. Then came N.Q. Ying's in 1945. They shifted to Whenuapai in 1959 and opened a market garden there. Kim Joe was also in this same shop from 1959-1969 and it was known as The Open Fruit Market.
Jimmy Ying also ran a fish shop in McLean St from 1950 known as the Shanghai Cafe. He then went into partnership, and the Shanghai Cafe became Ying and Tong's until 1959. This cafe became the very well known and patronised Rainbow Cafe fish shop so many will remember.
Today McLean St in Waitara is lined with a string of food outlets, each competing with the other. It's hard to imagine how they all survive, but they do, as they've always done, by working long hours as a family unit.
We could learn a lot from our Chinese community who now dominate our dairies, liquor stores,rest homes,and petrol stations. Our changing world.
- Stuff www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/98274059/The-Chinese-have-had-a-long-history-in-Taranaki?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
GRAEME DUCKETT
Last updated 17:01, October 26 2017
Waitara Blacksmith Harold "Bunny" Abbott caused a stir with some of the Chinese businessmen in Waitara.
The Chinese community have had a long history in Taranaki.
The most notable was Chew Chong, of course, but many have settled here and established long term successful businesses. Hard working and industrious, I saw first hand what the Chinese were capable of when I was living in Hokitika in the early 1970s. The Hokitika River was diverted in the 1860s and mined of its gold and the river diverted back again by Chinese miners. You must remember this was done manually, quite a feat when you think about it.
Chinese were badly treated by the miners. In the 1860s there were no less than 150 hotels in Revell St in Hokitika. Chinese camped on the outskirts of town, and any wandering into town could be shot and nothing was done about it. Shocking. Here in Waitara in the early 1900s several steam laundrys were in operation in West Quay. Lock Shong and Timmy On Lee were there for some years working long hours for cheap rates.
An early fruiterer in Waitara was Dong Gee, who established in 1902 and was in business until 1914. A fire in 1907 gutted the block of shops he was in, but the shop complex was soon replaced and Dong Gee was in business again. In the 1920s Wong Koon opened for business in McLean St and survived there during the depression and through the 1932 Freezing Workers strike with his fruit and vege shop next to the butcher Mr Mutton, no less. Local blacksmith Bunny Abbot bought a bag of apples one day. On leaving Wong Koon's shop he noticed one of the apples was speckled. He let out a mighty roar and yelled at the top of his voice "I'll get you for this" and made for the little chinaman.
Little Wong rushed next door into Reynolds butcher shop and hid under the counter. Mr Reynolds Snr too was a short man like Wong and stood up to Bunny and roared back at him with Bunny shouting "I'll Murder him, I'll murder him".
At that moment there was a sound of woman's footsteps and Mrs La Pouple appeared in the shop. She was the wife of the local policeman. "Come now Bunny", she said, and that ended the stand off. He relaxed off and quietly followed her out of the shop.
Another in the street was Ah Jack Chong, starting in 1914. He was a rather tall slender Chinaman who rode his 1920s Harley Davidson with its sidecar attached for deliverys. He ran a successful business selling fruit and veges until 1936 when he left to open a shop in Karori.
Often local Blacksmith Bunny Abbott would walk past Ah Jack's shop and pinch a piece of fruit on his way, and Ah Jack was often seen chasing Abbot down Warre St towards his blacksmith shop wielding a large cabbage knife, cursing him loudly. Ah Jack had a market garden near where the present Rua Kiwi is on Waitara Rd.
In the 1940s we had Walter Mong in McLean St, from 1938-41, who was taken over by Yee Wah, from 1942-44, as fruiterers and green grocers. Then came N.Q. Ying's in 1945. They shifted to Whenuapai in 1959 and opened a market garden there. Kim Joe was also in this same shop from 1959-1969 and it was known as The Open Fruit Market.
Jimmy Ying also ran a fish shop in McLean St from 1950 known as the Shanghai Cafe. He then went into partnership, and the Shanghai Cafe became Ying and Tong's until 1959. This cafe became the very well known and patronised Rainbow Cafe fish shop so many will remember.
Today McLean St in Waitara is lined with a string of food outlets, each competing with the other. It's hard to imagine how they all survive, but they do, as they've always done, by working long hours as a family unit.
We could learn a lot from our Chinese community who now dominate our dairies, liquor stores,rest homes,and petrol stations. Our changing world.
- Stuff www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/98274059/The-Chinese-have-had-a-long-history-in-Taranaki?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter