05/02/2022
""FAMILY BIOGRAPHY
BY HELEN ELLEMS (BING CHEW)
MY HALF FULL LATIONS
UNRAVELLING THE THREADS
Like many of the remnant families of
Croydon’s golden days the heritage of
the Bing Chew family exhibits rich
hybrid vigour. This project will follow
my family’s Chinese threads and in the
process will expose the alliances and
moral customs of earlier Croydon
times.
Rosie and Olfore, a couple from the
Clara River moved to Archer, just near
the Croydon airport, and had my great
grandmother Minnie who was a turning
point in the cultural structure of the
family. Minnie married Tommy Bing
Chew in 1909 and had an indefinite
number of kids with him including
Peter, Mary Susan (Sue Ping), Rosie,
Harry, Archie, Jack, Annie, Marjorie,
Edward and Norma Beatrice. Many
died young. They worked on Oakland
Park and Strathmore Stations where
Tommy was the cook.
Annie married Chin Foo Sue Ah Sam
linking us to other Chinese families.
When Chin Foo Sue died Annie had a
child called Walter Phillip Ah Sam with
Obadiah Phillip Lucas, also of mixed
Chinese heritage. Mary Sue Ing
married Vincent Dowling and Marjorie
married Ernie Diehm
It was always known that Tommy went
back to China when he was 70 and
that Minnie didn’t want to go. Some of
the later children may have been born
after Tommy’s departure because
Minnie then ‘married’ Albert Edward
(Boxer) Ah Foo, sixth child of Emily
Ann (Henley) and James Ah Foo,
consolidating the China connection
and revealing another extraordinary
dynasty.
Minnie had my grandmother Norma
Beatrice, and even though she was
named Bing Chew it was very possible
she was Boxer’s child. My
grandmother Norma had my dad
Wayne, who was also named Bing
Chew, and the story goes that my true
grandfather wanted to marry Norma
but his family wouldn’t allow it, so they
say.
It is the disclosure of this secret
fathering that has set me on the trail of
my family’s heritage through its
inscrutable Chinese connection.
This project will have several steps:
Family Tree – Helen is working with
the Heritage, Culture and Tourism Unit
of the Council, her family and
associated families to trace the family
ancestry through its Chinese threads.
1. Helen and Jana will present a
power point presentation at the
CHINA Inc conference of 11-12
February. They will network with
Chinese ancestry scholars,
experts and descendants for
further research direction.
2. They will organise Susan Gibson
of the Cairns Museum to provide
oral history training for Croydon
families – for Chinese and all
other cultural stories for the record
and to contribute to the research.
3. Helen will pursue the research
recommendations at the
conference – Dr Kevin Rains
(Chinese descendancy from
Croydon), Sandi Robb (finalising
Chinese in the North PhD thesis),
and other specialists.
4. The team will prepare a
photographic booklet with
information tracing the history of
the Bing Chew family and how it
interconnects with all of its threads
and provide a copy for all of the
families involved and the Croydon
Shire archives and library at a
presentation event.
If you have photographs or
information about the Bing Chew
family and relatives, please contact
Helen (07 47456169) or Jana (07
4748 7151). I will organise digitised
copies and return the originals to
you. At the end of the project I will
put a Photo Book together of the
family history and give associated
families a copy.""
Croydon Newsletter 2022
