Taam See Poy

Taam Sze Pui was a respected Queensland businessman who, like many others, arrived in Australia in search of gold and quickly learned how precarious that gamble could be. He recalled hearing rumours that gold had been discovered at Cooktown in inexhaustible quantities and, without verifying the claims, travelling with his father and brother, only to discover within weeks that the reports were unfounded and deeply disappointing. Like many failed miners, Taam Sze turned to whatever work was available, including vegetable gardening, domestic service—work he described as disrespectful and poorly paid—and restaurant labour. He and his brother, again like many others, found steadier income in scrub cutting, clearing land for European farming through frugal living. From there he moved into hawking and partnership-based business before eventually establishing himself as a sole proprietor. Throughout his years in north Queensland, Taam Sze Pui maintained close ties with his family in China, remitting money, contributing to funerals, assisting with family affairs, and arranging his brother’s return to China and marriage after their father had gone home. He later entered a partnership in a Hong Kong store, which proved vital for conducting business with southern China.

Taam Sze Pui is also remarkable in that he wrote and published a bi-lingual account of his life. This account reflects the classic sojourner’s dilemma of earning money in Australia while feeling compelled to return home, captured in the saying that amassing wealth without returning was like walking in fine clothes at night. Taam Sze Pui resolved this tension by remaining in Australia and having a wife sent to him, a choice made easier by the death of his parents. He established a family in Innisfail, where his business prospered, while continuing to send money to China, purchase property there, and send his children back to visit. He also assisted others to migrate and find work, playing an important role in the chain migration that sustained enduring links between Australia and southern China.

See Poy & Son Pty Ltd in Innisfail.

Image Courtesy of: Innisfail & District Historical Society

See also: May, Catherine. "Tom See Poy (1853–1926)". See Poy, Tom (1853–1926). Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University.