Chinese-Australians
1841
Nowadays there's no Chinatown in Cairns, but more than 100 years ago, the Chinese population proportion in that city reached 20 per cent, according to historians.
One of the earliest Chinese people to settle in north Queensland was Andrew Leon Chong.
Born in China and gaining his agricultural skills by working the sugarcane fields of Cuba, Chong moved to the Colony of Queensland in 1866.
According to official records, he married Irish-born woman Mary Piggott in 1869, and moved to Cairns in 1876, where he established one of the first Chinese businesses, Sun Chong Lee.
He pioneered the local sugarcane industry and gained great success, hiring around 200 Chinese workers at its peak.
although the drop in the international sugarcane price ruined his business, his investments kept him running shops in the town, where he built a Chinese temple to celebrate the Lunar New Year in 1887.
He didn't have an heir in Australia as his only son couldn't return from China due to the White Australia policy. His shops were sold and the temple was torn down in 1966.
1853
Darwin's Chinatown district is famous for the Stone House, which is the only 19th century-built buildings remaining.
The builder was Chinese businessman Kwong Sue Duk.
Kwong settled in Queensland in 1875, and moved to the Northern Territory during the Gold Rush years later.
Kwong Sue Duk Source: ABC Australia
Running a store and real estate enterprise, he became rich and influential.
Though a tropical cyclone in 1897 damaged much of Palmerston, including Kwong's group of rental properties and he turned his gaze to setting up herbal businesses in Townsville and Melbourne.
When he died in 1929, Kwong had four wives and 29 children.
1865
It was not so common for Chinese people to work as migration agents 100 years ago, especially in Tasmania.
But businessman Chin Kaw was one at the time.
He migrated to north-eastern Tasmania with his family in 1877, and opened a grocery store near a tin mine.
As Tasmania had far fewer restrictions on Chinese immigration, he organised the passage of Chinese labourers and helped them become naturalised as British subjects.
Chin later started a local tobacco trade and invested in a tin mine and banks. He had been a leader in the Chinese community for decades, before he moved to Melbourne in 1916, before dying in 1922.
1925
Established in 2005, the NSW Premier's Chinese Community Service Awards are given to Chinese Australians who made a mark, one of whom is Jack Wong Sue.
Born in Perth, Sue joined the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) at the age of 19. During his service in the Z Special Unit, he fought the Japanese army in Borneo and was awarded by Australia and the US governments after WWII.
Jack Wong Sue during his youth and decades later. Source: ABC Australia
Returning to civilian life, he opened a store selling diving equipment, which was the first such business in Western Australia. During his later years, he published his memoir, 'Blood on Borneo'
Now, he is remembered as one of the excellent Chinese Australian ex-service people.
1961
The author of 'Mao's Last Dancer', Li Cunxin, is one of the most famous Chinese Australians.
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Li Cunxin, known as Mao's last dancer Source: AAP
Born in a small village in China, Li was one of the very first students sponsored by the Chinese government to study in the US.
But his decision to remain in the West sparked a diplomatic dispute. Separated from his family and his former life, he became an international ballet dancer.
After migrating to Australia in 1995, he turned to stockbroking to earn a living. He became well-known throughout the world after publishing his memoir 'Mao's Last Dancer',which was made into a motion picture.
Now he is the artistic director of the Queensland Ballet.
1973
There are very few people of Chinese heritage in English broadcasting. Samuel Pang is one of them.
Pang played for Australian Rules club Collingwood during his teens, and moved into radio at the age of 28.
Julia Zemiro and Sam Pang co-hosting Eurovision 2013 in Denmark. (SBS) Source: SBS
Over the years, he has had a number of jobs at the ABC and SBS, including hosting during several Olympics and World Cups.
These days, he is one of the country's leading personalities in comedy.
1973
Poh Ling Yeow, the runner-up of the first season of MasterChef, is not only good at cooking but also a makeup artist, painter and designer.
Born in Malaysia, Yeow migrated to Adelaide with her family when she was nine.
Poh Ling Yeow Source: MALAYSIA KITCHEN
After university, she worked as a graphic designer, illustrator and makeup artist. She gradually developed her understanding of art and started holding exhibitions. She began appearing in the media, including on SBS cooking shows.
At 25, Yeow changed her first name from Sharon to Poh Ling, her Chinese name. You can find her love for Chinese culture in her artworks.
1973
Cathy Freeman is well known as the first-ever Australian Aboriginal person to win an Olympic gold medal.
But what many people don't know is that she has a Chinese link in her family.
She began athletics at the age of five and was chosen as a member of Australia Commonwealth Games team at age 16, and was a member of the victorious 4x100m relay team.
Over her career, she won gold medals at Olympic, World Championship and Commonwealth Game levels.
Freeman has Chinese heritage from her great-great-grandfather who migrated to Queensland for sugarcane work in the late 19th century.
Cathy Freeman after winning gold in the 400m in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Source: Getty
She also supported Beijing's bid to host the 2008 Olympic Games.
1985
If the name Ronny Chieng does not sound familiar, you may have to be reminded of the cousin in the movie Crazy Rich Asians.
But when he's not acting, he's a correspondent for the popular American talk show program The Daily Show.
Born in Malaysia, he studied in Singapore, America and Australia. He started his comedy career in Melbourne and quickly gained popularity within the Pacific region.
Ronny Chieng: You Don't Know What You're Talking About Source: SBS
In 2015, he was invited by The Daily Show to work as a correspondent. His humour and eloquence have earned him plenty of followers.
The Australians
1949
Singer Daryl Braithwaite was the lead vocalist of Sherbet, which was one of the most prominent and successful Australian rock bands.
Born in a working-class family in Melbourne, he sang in the primary school choir. His family moved to Sydney later and he participated in various local pop music groups. At the age of 20, he completed a trade apprenticeship set up by his father but decided to pursue a career in music instead.
He joined Sherbet in 1970, leading the group to become one of the top bands in Australia after winning a national competition final,
Australian music icon Daryl Braithwaite was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame. Source: AAP
Sherbet became popular across the country and achieved international success in Europe and the US. In the '70s and '80s, he released his own songs and gained great success as a solo singer.
Sherbet became an ARIA Hall of Fame inductee in 1990 and Braithwaite became an inductee in 2017.
1949
As one of the most famous Australian rock-pop singers, John Farnham's career has endured nearly half a century.
Born in Britain, he moved to Melbourne with his family in 1959. During high school, he joined a band as a vocal artist, which drew the attention of a talent manager.
John Farnham performs at a Bushfire relief concert in February. Source: AAP
He released his first song 'Sadie' in 1969, before embarking on a career where he became the only Australian artist to have a number-one record in five consecutive decades with singles or albums.
One of his famous songs 'You're the Voice' has been covered by a number of foreign artists.
Another song, 'Dare To Dream' was the official song of Sydney Olympics in 2000.
1961
The 27th prime minister of Australia, Julia Gillard, was the first-ever female to sit in that seat.
Born in Britain, she migrated to Adelaide with her family in 1966. She graduated from the University of Melbourne and became a lawyer at the age of 25.
She participated in Labor Party clubs as a student and was later appointed secretary of the Labor leader in Victoria.
In 1998, she won her parliamentary seat as a Labor candidate. From a backbencher, she progressed to become a shadow minister in three years.
Julia Gillard in Parliament House in 2013. Source: AAP
In 2007, she helped Kevin Rudd win the federal election, and became the first-ever female deputy prime minister of Australia. She later took over the reins of the country as the first-ever female PM from 2010 to 2013.
After retiring from parliament, she is involved in a number of endeavours, including campaigning for women's rights in politics.
1961
Television and film actress, comedian and writer Magda Szubanski was born in Britain and moved to Melbourne in 1966.
At the age of 19, while performing in a University of Melbourne Law Revue, she was spotted by producers, gaining the opportunity to join a television comedy show.
She has since gone onto become a successful writer, performer and producer in television, film and musical theatre.
Magda Szubanski is seen at a marriage equality rally in South Melbourne in Melbourne, Sunday, September 17, 2017. Source: AAP
