Tommy Ah Gow

Tommy Ah Gow

Image Courtesy of: NAA

Tommy Ah Gow was a long time resident of the Gulf country. He married locally and had a number of children. In the 1920s he made an attempt to be become naturalised but was denied due to the prevailing white Australia policy.

"Tommy Ah Gow was married to White woman Annie Gehlsen. Their first child Julius was born in 1881 followed by Alfred in 1883 and Lillie, 1884, Jimmy and George, Normanton. The children attended school in Normanton and remained in the district. Lillie later married another Chinese man, Jimmy Ah You, in 1901 and had a daughter Ivy."

See also: Sandi Robb, North Queensland's Chinese family landscape: 1860-1920. PhD Thesis, James Cook University. 2019, Appendix A.