Jimmy Ah Foo (Affoo)

Jimmy and Evaline Ah Foo

Image Courtesy of: Queensland Historical Atlas

Jimmy Ah Foo (Affoo) was a Chinese publican who operated boarding houses and hotels across central and northern Queensland. In 1866 he married English-born Evelina Vessey in Rockhampton. They subsequently ran hotels in Springsure and on the northern goldfields, including the Canton Hotel at Thornborough, where Jimmy was shot and wounded during a dispute over an unpaid account in 1876.

The family later operated hotels in Barcaldine and built the Federal Hotel in Longreach. After a brief venture in Rockhampton, Jimmy and Evelina retired to a small store and garden in Barcaldine. Their 13 children formed the musical Affoo Family Band, performing locally and on tour.

Jimmy died in Longreach in 1916 and Evelina in 1918; both are buried there. Jimmy is also credited in some accounts with supplying the recipe later marketed by Joseph Cornelius Marconi as Goanna Salve, although the attribution remains uncertain.