Page 67 - Tropic Magazine Issue 10

Industry
Regional History

Still standing

To mark Chinese New Year,
Tropic looks back to celebrate a
leading light of the city’s
formative years.

Chinese canegrowers on Hop Wah plantation,1878 Chinatown in Cairns, 1886

Asking a bank for a £2000 loan was a The temple began its long and central role
big deal back in 1886. Equivalent to more for the Chinese community in January
than $300,000 Australian dollars in 1887 but the temple building has been
today’s currency, it was a particularly gone since its sale in 1966. However, the
risky proposition for a property play in priceless Lit Sung Goong artefact
the frontier town of Cairns. The building collection remains under the
of the railway from Cairns over the range custodianship of Cairns and District
towards Herberton mines drove some Chinese Association. In fact during
astronomical property values at the time Chinese New Year this year there will be a
including the two properties Andrew special exhibition at the Cairns Museum Grafton St today
Leon mortgaged on Severin St for £1,000 featuring aspects of this collection.
each in January 1886. When Mr Leon subdivided Allotment 18 for this remarkable legacy to be formally
For this and other ventures, Chinese-born Section 27 in 1890, Subdivision 1 was recognised.
Mr Leon could easily be described as one already the site of the Lit Sung Goong As part of the Cairns Chinese New Year
of Cairns’ first major developers, temple and Subdivision 2 was occupied by
speculating on property that greatly Chinese businesses. His property Festival in 2013, Mayor Bob Manning was
joined by members of the local Chinese
assisted the development of Cairns. He development continued when he community to unveil a commemorative
was also instrumental in establishing the mortgaged Subdivision 2 in March 1892 plaque at Stockland Cairns to honour
Lit Sung Goong Temple and the Hap Wah for £200, but not for properties in Cairns ‘Chinese inspiration, businesses and
Plantation. this time. In 1892-93 he purchased market
gardens in Aramac and Biboohra and four agricultural enterprise’ and Mr Leon.
Lit sung goong temple lots in Mareeba, the last of his known 26
Keen to develop services for the large property acquisitions.
Chinese community, Leon purchased
Allotment 18 Section 27 on Sachs St (to be Agricultural innovator
renamed Grafton St) in October 1886, in According to the Cairns and District
part with funds provided for a temple site Chinese Association, Mr Leon was the
by the Chinese communities of Cairns “selector, manager and spokesman for the
and Innisfail. Showing great foresight, 1250-acre Hap Wah plantation” which
Mr Leon already owned two other researchers describe as the “spark that
properties on Sachs St, the current sites ignited the Cairns region’s sugar
of the popular Mainstreet Arcade and industry”. In 1882 the Hap Wah
Oceana Walk, purchased three years Company’s Pioneer Mill, located on Clarke
earlier. James Ah Ching also bought a Creek in today’s Earlville, manufactured
number of Sachs St properties and the region’s first cane sugar, Cairns’ first
Chinatown grew rapidly from that time. sugar export. It took more than a century