On 19 April, 1929 the Chinese baker and storekeeper, Quan Hong – known to locals as ‘Charlie’ – was viciously attacked in his rooms at the back of his store.
He died a few hours later in Dr Caselberg’s Private Hospital.
This was the third assault made on Charlie. Some 18 months prior he received a severe beating at the hands of some local larrikins who were charged and fined for the assault.
The Western Champion reported that ‘Charlie Hong was a most inoffensive, reserved and good-natured middle-aged business man, and was held in repute, and his tragic death is viewed with much regret’.
Charlie lived alone on the premises in Oak Street, his store situated next to the lane way that ran beside the Federal Hotel, with Colman’s butchery on his eastern side.
He was reported to have a wife and family in China, who he had visited periodically during the 39 years he had lived in Queensland.
The 1920 extract from the Immigration Department (shown on the right) shows Charlie did visit Hong Kong when he was 49 years old so he may have been visiting his family on that trip. It gives his birthplace as Canton.
He had a brother in Rockhampton who visited Barcaldine the week of Charlie’s death.
Charlie was buried in the Barcaldine Cemetery by the Rev. V. Burrows, followed by a ceremony conducted by one of Charlie’s own countrymen, who recited a service in Chinese.
What I've found out
How did Charlie get his English name?
‘Charlie’ probably got his local name from the pronunciation of his Chinese name, Quan.
In 1929, the Chinese wrote their surname first, so Quan would have been Charlie’s surname.
Quan has a very high level of difficulty in pronunciation for English speakers. Quan was and still is pronounced ‘chew – ah – n’ in Chinese.
So it is most likely that the locals heard ‘Charlie’ when Quan was said, or just decided to call him ‘Charlie’ to make it easier.
