These carved wooden statues depict the 1859 arrest of Chinese miner Ah Woa for not having a residence ticket.
Officer Armstrong stands in the middle, with Ah Woa at the front and his distressed wife following behind.
A sign is set alongside the statues and displays the following text:
Chinese
It is October 14th 1859 and Officer W. Armstrong has just arrested Ah Woa, a forty year old Chinese miner, for being without a residence ticket. His distressed European wife follows close behind with their infant child. He will be ordered to purchase a ticket for 20 shillings and incur a fine of a further 20 shillings.
The Chinese were important miners on the Smythes Creek Goldfields. They extracted alluvial gold and provided labour for the quartz and deep lead mines around the district. They reworked old diggings and recovered gold from mullock heaps. They had camps situated near Haddon, Smythesdale and Browns. The Chinese were not only miners they were also successful market gardeners and store keepers. Many of the Chinese men married European women, hence many families have oriental heritage.
These statues are set at the front of the Smythesdale Historic Precinct, where you can explore a collection of fantastic historical buildings and relics - including a large bluestone lock up and the
gallows from the Ballarat Gaol!
BBQ
Smythesdale
