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Hen Fook "Harry" Chan (14 June 1918 – 5 August 1969) was an Australian businessman and politician who was mayor of Darwin.
Serving from 1966 to his death in 1969, he was the first ethnic Chinese mayor of Darwin.
Serving from 1966 to his death in 1969, he was the first ethnic Chinese mayor of Darwin.
Early life
Chan was born in Darwin on 14 June 1918, son of Chan Fong Yuen, a Cantonese migrant and mother, Wong Quee. Chan married Lilyan Yuen, 18 January 1941. They had three sons and a daughter, the eldest and Lilyan were evacuated on the SS ''Zealandia'' in late 1941.Businessman
Chan and his wife opened a store in a Sidney Williams hut in Smith Street, later leasing the land to Woolworths which was built on the corner of Smith and Knuckey streets.Politician
In 1959, a Darwin City Council by-election for the Fannie Bay Ward gave Chan his first chance at politics, he won by a large margin. After working hard for the ward, the ward system was abolished in 1962. He decided to run for the Fannie Bay Electorate in 1962 for the 8th Legislative Council defeating four other candidates in an electorate of few Chinese voters thus establishing a great advertisement for the racial tolerance that was a feature of Darwin in those days. Chan was first elected President of the 9th Northern Territory Legislative Council in 1965 which he held until his death. During his time as president he also held the role of Mayor of Darwin from 1966 to 1969. Chan presided over Darwin's centenary committee, established to commemorateGeorge Goyder
George Woodroffe Goyder (24 June 1826 – 2 November 1898) was a surveyor in the Colony of South Australia during the latter half of the nineteenth century.
He rose rapidly in the civil service, becoming Assistant Surveyor-General by 1856 ...
's landing at Port Darwin in 1869. In an interview with '' The Australian Women's Weekly'', he stated his hopes that a university could be established at East Point East Point is the name of several places:
In Australia
* East Point, Northern Territory
** East Point Military museum located in East Point, Northern Territory
In Canada
*East Point, Prince Edward Island
In Hong Kong:
*East Point, Hong Kong
In ...
. He also stated that he had received support from the city council for a meditation centre to be established on the site of Darwin's former Chinatown
A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Austra ...
.
References
Other links
Harry Chan. Territory Stories, Northern Territory Library. {{DEFAULTSORT:Chan, Harry 1918 births 1969 deaths Members of the Northern Territory Legislative Council Chinese-Australian history People from Darwin, Northern Territory Australian Anglicans Australian people of Chinese descent 20th-century Australian politicians Australian Officers of the Order of the British Empire Australian politicians of Asian descent