Perth Voice Interactive

THE bustling streets of Fremantle in the late 19th century were a crossroads of ambition, opportunity, and adversity. 

Among the mix of merchants, sailors, and settlers who shaped the port town was Hee Kee, a draper whose life and business became emblematic of the challenges and resilience of early Chinese immigrants in Western Australia.

Born in China in the early 1870s, Hee Kee’s arrival in Fremantle is shrouded in mystery. 

By the 1890s, however, he had established himself as the manager of Hee Kee & Co, a drapery and grocery shop at 10 South Terrace, his shop no doubt standing out in a town dominated by European businesses. 

But it was not just Hee Kee’s trade that drew attention—it was his persistence in navigating the intricate web of Australian immigration laws and societal biases of the time that found him at odds with authorities and making headlines in newspapers.

In December 1897, Hee Kee arranged for three young men from Hong Kong—Ah Ton, Ah Gay, and Wah Ton—to join his business in Fremantle. 

They departed unaware of changes to the Immigration Restriction Act, a new law designed to curtail Chinese migration. 

By the time their ship docked in Albany on January 20, 1898, the law required Chinese immigrants to carry Certificates of Exemption from the Dictation Test . Lacking these documents, the men were promptly detained.

Hee Kee, undeterred, enlisted solicitors Stone and Burt to appeal to the colonial secretary. 

In their letter, they argued that the men’s journey had begun before the law’s enactment, making their detention unfair.

Despite these efforts, the government refused leniency, and the three were deported. 

Hee Kee & Co initially thrived, formally registered as a drapery and grocery business by 1898 and employing several Chinese men. 

It’s also possible that he’d branched out and had a premises in Wellington Street, Perth, as the name Hee Kee & Co appeared in the Daily News in April 1898 when an employee was accused and later acquitted of stealing a case of opium valued at £30. Often Chinese migrants used the same or similar names, so the connection can’t be proven at this stage.

The outbreak of World War I brought rising prices and economic strain to the company. In addition, the pervasive discrimination against Chinese Australians created constant hurdles, from navigating complex immigration laws to combating prejudice in the marketplace.

Then in 1915 tragedy struck. Ah You, one of his employees, was found dead in the shop. 

Authorities labelled the death a suicide, but Ah You’s colleagues disagreed, pointing to £1,000 in gold untouched in the safe. 

They believed he was murdered. 

His death captured public attention, with newspapers dubbing it “A Fremantle mystery”. Hee Kee & Co offered a reward of £400 for information leading to a conviction, but the case remained unsolved.

By 1916, the strain of war and economic hardship began to take its toll. 

Hee Kee & Co announced a sale to clear out its stock, citing “high prices caused by the war”. The shop’s shelves, once brimming with fine drapery and millinery, were gradually emptied. By June, the remainder was sold at public auction.

The business may have lingered on under a slightly altered name, S and Y Hee Kee & Co, but trouble persisted. In 1918, manager Dar Turn faced 21 charges of customs fraud for presenting falsified invoices. 

The court fined him £210 and sentenced him to imprisonment until the fine was paid, a scandal to tarnish the company’s name.

Despite these challenges, Hee Kee’s story didn’t end with the closure of his shop. By the late 1930s, the name Hee Kee resurfaced in a new context. At 4 South Terrace, Hee Kee & Co became a collection point for clothing donations for the Perth Chinese Relief Committee, supporting those affected by turmoil in China.
Hee Kee’s journey is a microcosm of the broader Chinese immigrant experience in Australia—a tale of perseverance in the face of systemic obstacles. From his fight against unjust immigration laws to the creation of a thriving business, and finally to his contributions to relief efforts, Hee Kee exemplified the resilience and resourcefulness that shaped the multicultural fabric of Fremantle’s history.