A journey across the seas: from Island life to Community rights
The History of Chinese Immigration The first signs of Chinese immigration to the UK was in the late 18th to early 19th century when Chinese seamen established small communities in the port towns of Liverpool and London, working for the East India Company importing goods such as tea and ceramics. After WWI, the Aliens Restriction Act was extended, which led to a decline in the UK’s Chinese population. In WWII 20,000 Chinese seamen were asked to help crew British ships along with the 160,000 who came to dig trenches and clear bodies for the English. However, these 180,000 were repatriated by force after all their hard work. The largest wave of Chinese was in the 1950s and 1960s where the majority were from Hong Kong. At the time Hong Kong was still a British Colony and was under pressure from Chinese refugees escaping from the civil war.
Marion McQuoid (nee Uea) was born on 6th June 1924 in Alofi, the biggest village on the island of Niue. Her childhood was filled with singing songs to whales who would pass by the island and she won the coconut tree climbing competition. Shewas a great student, trained as a teacher and at the age of 17, her mother told her: “You’re too European to stay here, go to NewZealand.” She sent her on a boat with a suitcase to stay with an aunt in Auckland. When Marion arrived in Auckland in 1941 she had to find a job. She ended up working in the Fisher and Paykel factory where they made big appliances. Marion was then promoted to manager at a sewing factory. As the only non-white person it was all the more extraordinary that she was promoted at a time when there was a lot of racism still in New Zealand.
My Grandma’s Story:
My dad told me I should go to England to join my brother and his family in York. It was 1973. At the time, it was expected that China would reclaim Hong Kong in 1979. I didn’t want to go because I did not want to leave my parents and grandma. I arrived with one suitcase, mostly filled with salty fish and dried mushrooms. The first week was very exciting but I grew more and more homesick. I worked every day at the Chinese restaurant that your grandpa’s
The Histo Marion became involved in politics while she was working and raising a family. She joined the Labour Party and tried to get elected onto the Auckland City Council. She stood against politicians who later became party leaders and mayors. She did not win but instead set up her own women’s group called Pacifica. Her husband’s ancestor, JohnMcQuoid, had been one of the first European settlers to found Auckland in 1840. Marion wanted to bring together women from the different Polynesian Islands, making them more involved in making decisions for themselves and their families. Marion said in 1975 at a women’s conference: “We have some difficulty in trying to organise women because most Pacific women are shy. International Women’s Year is one of the ways we can bring some reason to the argument about men’s rights and women’s rights. Andwhy? Because in the simplest terms they are people’s rights and their responsibility is to their whole community.” Marion was awarded a Queen’s Service Medal in 1977 for her services to the Pacific Island community in New Zealand and for setting up Pacifica. She was given the medal by the Governor General in New Zealand, Sir Keith Holyoake, who was the Queen’s representative in the country. family owned. My wage was fifteen pounds a week and I sent most of it back home to my father. After I got married and had my first baby I was still so homesick that I cried every day. On my 21st birthday, your grandpa bought me a return ticket to Hong Kong. I was so surprised to realise that Hong Kong no longer felt like home and life was easier when I returned to York. My Grandpa’s Story: I was born in Darlington in 1945. My parents ran a laundry shop where they also sold toys they made from wood. My grandfather was one of the original seamen from China. He had two sons and a daughter. In Chinese tradition, the eldest son is favoured, so my grandad brought my dad over to England. Back then, it was very highly respected if you worked overseas so my dad stayed even though life was hard. My dad’s family arranged a marriage for him
in China so he went back to fetch his wife. The return journey by ship took several months. I worked in the family business before and after school. The only child who didn’t have to work was Richard, my brother. He studied hard and eventually became
I called Marion ‘T Mum?’. She got this name because my grandmother usually asked her “Would you like tea mum. T Mumwas an important person because she was dedicated to helping others. T Mum died last year at the age of 94 and is buried back in Niue.
a professor at Durham university. My family first lived in Hull. Then Middlesbrough, Liverpool and Darlington before finally settling in York.
By Zac McQuoid, Year 3
By Max Gregory, Year 4
62
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker