Hawkers
Date Published
Hawking of vegetables was a common occupation.
In addition to market gardening, the hawking of vegetables was a common occupation for Chinese men in the 19th and early 2oth centuries. Often but not always this was undertaken by the same person who grew the vegetables, partucualry in smaller towns. By horse drawn cart or on foot with two baskets susupended on a bamboo shoulder pole this is how many people came into face to face contact with Chinese men.
As with market gardeners in general these men were often simply labeled "Chinamen" or if their name was know little else was known about them, at least as far as non-Chinese Australians were concerned.
When Jimmy Ah Hing died at Coolamon in 1904 the coroner's inquest revealed something of his life as a "bachelor" vegetable hawker:
"He was lying on his back, with one hand across his chest, and the other by his side ; his eyes were closed and lips partly open, showing the teeth in his top jaw. Witness found no signs of violence. He searched him and found a cheque for £1 11s 4d, signed by G. Webb, Marrar, 4 £1 notes, 3 sovereigns, and 13s 6d in silver also a note for 120 Mexican dollars on a Bank in Hong Kong, China; a pot of opium, an opium pipe. In the cart he found some vegetables, eggs and rabbit skins, also some bacon and food." "The deceased came from Wagga and hawked vegetables round the district."
