Lily ah toy biography
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Lily Ah Toy
second generation Chinese
Her philosophy in life was 'work hard, always be honest and give a helping hand'.
When Lily Ah Toy (born Wong Wu Len) came into the world in Darwin in October 1917, her father didn't even register her birth. 'Well the war's on, and another girl', he said. The prospect that she might be adopted out to a woman in Darwin desperate for a daughter, an idea momentarily entertained by her Chinese born father, received short shrift, however, from Lily's Australian born (of Chinese descent) mother. As Lily says, she was lucky. And even though he was initially disappointed that Lily wasn't a boy, her father was very good to her, as he was to all his children. Sadly, he died when she was nine. At age fourteen she left school to become a housemaid for a European family. She worked there for three years, leaving when she married.
Lily became engaged at eighteen and married Jimmy Ah Toy, a hawker with his own market garden, in 1936 at the age of nineteen. After marrying, the couple moved to Pine Creek to work in the store owned by Jimmy's parents. They were to have five children, Edward, Laurence, Joyce, Grace and Elaine. At various times, they took on the responsibility of looking after Jimmy's younger brothers and sisters.
After the bombing of
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Australian Biography Series - Lily Ah Toy (Study Guide)
Synopsis
Lily Ah-Toy was born in Darwin in 1917 of Chinese parents and schooled in all the old Chinese traditions. She became a housemaid for a European family after leaving Darwin Public School at 14. Then she met Jimmy, a hawker with his own market garden and truck. Lily and Jimmy married and moved to Pine Creek to set up a general store. Apart from supplying the Pine Creek population with provisions, Lily bore five children and raised another five adopted children. She and Jimmy were also responsible for rescuing many people stranded by floods or lost in the bush. When Darwin was bombed by the Japanese, the family was evacuated to Adelaide and did not move back to Pine Creek until 1945. Lily then ran the Pine Creek store while Jimmy opened a new shop in Darwin. That shop, like most of Darwin, was devastated by Cyclone Tracy in 1974. In her later years, Lily spent her time with her children and grandchildren, whom she describes as 'the lucky generation'. Her philosophy for a happy life was 'Work hard, always be honest and don't keep guilty secrets.'
Curriculum Links
Threads and activities developed in this study guide wil
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