- Born
- 1831
- Died
- 4 April 1905
Carlton, Victoria, Australia - Alternative Names
- Hodges, Charles Powell (full English name)
- Leong Ho (full Chinese)
Details
According to his decendants, Charles Powell Hodges was born in Gloucester, England circa 1832 and arrived in Victoria in 1853. However an obtiuary in the Age newspaper states that he was born in China, learning Chinese from infancy. Information from his family suggests he learnt Chinese while in Bendigo. According to one newspaper article he was proficient in a number of Chinese dialects.
During his time in Australia he played an important role as an intermediatory between the Chinese and broader community in his role as an interpreter. He worked on many cases as a police interpreter in country Victoria, particularly in the goldfields area. In 1880 he was asked by the government to report to the Legislative Council on the Chinese in Victoria and was also called upon to give evidence on his views of the Chinese in the furniture-making industry before the 1895 Factories Act Inquiry Board.
As a result of his work as an interpreter and adviser to the Chinese he was decorated with the Mandarin Orders of the 'Orange Blossom' and the 'Crystal Button' by the Chinese emperor in 1890. He also participated in the 1901 Chinese procession to welcome the Duke and Duchess of York to Melbourne and celebrate the opening of the first Federal parliament.
In 1856 he married Marion Dick and on 4 April 1905 died aged 74 at Dr Stirling's Private Hospital in Carlton, Melbourne.
Sources used to compile this entry: Bendigo Advertiser, no. 1 March, 1895; Argus, 5 April 1905, p. 8; Age, no. 1 March, 1905; McLaren, Ian, The Chinese in Victoria: Official Reports and Documents, Red Rooster Press, Victoria, 1985; Tsiatsias, Manuel, 'A celestial parade: The Chinese celebration of Australian nationhood, Melbourne, May 1901', BA (hons) Thesis, Department of History, La Trobe University, 1999; Museum of Chinese Australian History files. Bendigo Golden Dragon Museum files.
Prepared by: Sophie Couchman, La Trobe University
Related Subjects
Published Resources
Books
- McLaren, Ian, The Chinese in Victoria: Official Reports and Documents, Red Rooster Press, Victoria, 1985. Details
Newspaper Articles
- Bendigo Advertiser, no. 1 March, 1895. Details
- Age, no. 1 March, 1905. Details
- Argus, 5 April 1905, p. 8. Details
Theses
- Tsiatsias, Manuel, 'A celestial parade: The Chinese celebration of Australian nationhood, Melbourne, May 1901', BA (hons) Thesis, Department of History, La Trobe University, 1999. Details
Images
-
-
- Title
- Charles Powell Hodges with groom
- Type
- Photograph
- Date
- c. 1890
- Place
- Australia - Victoria - Bendigo (Sandhurst)
- Details
Created: 11 July 2001, Last modified: 27 September 2005
