Hunter Robert George Poon
by Terry Foenander.
Hunter Robert George Poon, the son of William and Elizabeth Poon, was born May 14, 1894, at Pimlico, near Ballina, New South Wales. [1] He was actually three quarters Chinese and at an early age had moved to Queensland, attending the Toowoomba Grammar School as a student between 1908 and 1912. In 1913 his name, together with those of his parents and his six brothers and one sister, was included on a list of Asians who resided in the south eastern part of Queensland. [2] On September 5, 1916, he enlisted in the Australian Army, and was accepted as a soldier, later serving in the 15th Battalion. This is notable, as the policies of the period were quite anti Asian, but it does indicate his loyalty to the country of his birth, in spite of the ramblings of people such as Henry Parkes, who had helped enforce the very racist White Australia policy. It had been only a quarter of a century since the enforcement of a tax of ten pounds on Chinese entering Australia. This tax which was levied only on that unfortunate race was brought in as an attempt to prevent the entry of the hard working Chinese who, like many others throughout the world, had heard of the gold to be found on the eastern goldfields of Australia.
Hunter Poon, in his Australian Army uniform.
(from page 5, Toowoomba Chronicle of February 10, 1917.)
Poon served honorably on the battlefields of Europe, attaining the rank of lance corporal, and being wounded by shrapnel, in the right hand, and his lower back at Ypres. [3] He was hospitalised at Salisbury, England for several months before returning to Australia on April 6, 1919.
Not much is currently known about his post war life, but he did participate in first grade cricket for the state, and at one time helped steer his team to victory against New South Wales during the season's play of 1923/24. There is a mention in the Toowoomba Chronicle that Poon was brilliant in the fields of education and athletics. [4] He was one of the foundation teachers of the Toowoomba High School at Mount Lofty.
On January 3, 1925 he married Ethel Beatrice Baird, in Toowoomba. They continued residing in that city for at least two more decades. Poon taught at the Toowoomba High School, making quite a few contributions in the field of sport, and also composing the school song, which is still sung to this day, although with some minor changes. At a later stage they moved to Coolum Beach, and eventually Brisbane (after his wife's death), where he was a member of a couple of local groups, including the Coolum Beach Bowls Club, of which he was a life member. He died at Greenslopes on January 25, 1980, leaving three children and several grandchildren. [5]
Reference Sources:
[1] See the web site showing details of the birth of Poon, and some of his cricket scores for the 1923-24 season at http://www.cricket.org/link_to_database/PLAYERS/AUS/P/POON_HRG_02016832/
[2] Hunter Poon is listed, together with several other persons of that surname, including his mother, Elizabeth Poon, as residing in the Toowoomba and Roma Police Districts, on an Index of Coloured Labour & Asiatic Aliens in Queensland, in 1913 - see the Queensland State Archives collection, PRE/A436, 1913/7131.
[3] Information provided by Janelle Briggs (in an e-mail dated Sepltember 3, 2001), granddaughter of Hunter Poon. Janelle was very attached to her grandfather, and describes him as lovable and intelligent, but stubborn. She has named her son Hunter, as a sign of her deep respect for him. Her grandfather spent the last ten years of his life living with Janelle and her parents.
[4] See page 5 of the Chronicle, issue of Saturday, February 10, 1917, for the image of Hunter Poon and a brief sketch.
[5] Some biographical information was provided by Ellen Morosini, archivist of the Toowoomba Grammar School, and Mrs. Joyce Briggs, of St. Lucia, the daughter of Hunter Poon.
Additional Sites, by this author:
Deaths in the Melbourne Hospital - Index, 1867-1880.
Deaths at the Alfred Hospital and the Melbourne Benevolent Asylum - Index, 1872-1879.
Index of Nineteenth Century Photographic Portraits.
Descriptive Index of Great War Soldiers (from the Toowoomba Chronicle).
List of Qualified Jurors, Singapore, 1904, Names, A - L.
The Eurasian Company of the Singapore Volunteer Corps. The Singapore Volunteer Corps was a militia unit formed in this British island colony in the 19th Century. At a later stage, island residents were permitted to enlist in the unit, resulting in the formation of Chinese, Malay and Eurasian Companies. This particular site relates to one of those Companies.
© Terry Foenander.
June, 2001.