Main site navigation

Leong Cheong Tock

Gallery

  • Click to view this Print

    Leong Chuey Tock with children Poy and Joyce and an unidentified young man, c. 1896 - c. 1898, courtesy of Chinese Museum (Museum of Chinese Australian History).
    Details

Occupation
furniture maker
Alternative Names
  • Chewey Tock (also used)
  • Leong Cheong Tock (also used)
  • Leong Chuey Tock (also used)
  • Liang Zhu Zuo (pinyin)
  • 梁柱作 (Chinese characters)

Details

It is assumed that Leong Cheong Tock was born in China. It is not known when he arrived in Australia. A 'Chewey Tock' was naturalised in Victoria in 1883 and the same person also appears in Melbourne Citizens' Lists which means he was a 'lessee' and entitled to vote in local and state elections.

Leong Cheong Tock appears to have owned and managed Tock & Co, furniture factory at 136-138 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne. The factory began as Tock & Slin in 1884 and operated there until 1920. H. Lum & Co took it over the factory. The factory was a substantial three-level mechanised factory which also had a frontage onto Corrs Lane.

Leong Cheong Tock had two wives, Chun See/Chum Lee and Rose/Lee Chin/See Chin. He is believed to have had six surviving children with each wife.

Sources used to compile this entry: Couchman, Sophie, 'Tong Yun Gai (Street of the Chinese): Investigating patterns of work and social life in Melbourne's Chinatown 1900-1920', MA thesis, School of Historical Studies, Monash University, 2001; Couchman, Sophie, ''Oh, I would like to see Maggie Moore again': Selected women of Melbourne's Chinatown', After the Rush: Regulation, Partcipation, and Chinese Communities in Australia 1860-1840 (Otherland Literary Journal), vol. 9, 2004, pp. 171-190; NAA(ACT), A712, 1883/Y8231; Melbourne Citizens' Lists, 1900-1901, 1910-1911; Personal communication with Shirley Millard 27 November 2004; Bendigo Golden Dragon Museum collection; Chinese Museum collection. Thanks to Leonie Low and Shirley Millard for their invaluable assistance preparing this entry.

Prepared by: Sophie Couchman, La Trobe University

Associated with

Children

Wife

Published Resources

Journal Articles

  • Couchman, Sophie, ''Oh, I would like to see Maggie Moore again': Selected women of Melbourne's Chinatown', After the Rush: Regulation, Partcipation, and Chinese Communities in Australia 1860-1840 (Otherland Literary Journal), vol. 9, 2004, pp. 171-190. Details

Theses

  • Couchman, Sophie, 'Tong Yun Gai (Street of the Chinese): Investigating patterns of work and social life in Melbourne's Chinatown 1900-1920', MA thesis, School of Historical Studies, Monash University, 2001. Details

Images

Title
Leong Chuey Tock with children Poy and Joyce and an unidentified young man
Type
Photograph
Date
c. 1896 - c. 1898
Place
Australia - Victoria - Melbourne
Details

Created: 13 October 2005, Last modified: 15 May 2012