On Monday, 22 April 1901, Maldon’s Chinese community gave a concert at the Temperance Hall (now the Community Centre) to help raise funds for the Maldon Hospital. Most of the performers had been part of the Chinese display in the Easter Parade two weeks earlier.
Photo courtesy Tarrangower Times.
Before the concert, the Maldon Brass Band and Fire Brigade joined the Chinese and their dragon in a torchlight procession through the town’s streets. Large crowds gathered to watch the procession, despite the cold and wet weather.
At the Temperance Hall, the editor of the Tarrangower Times, John Gaynor, acted as master of ceremonies and introduced the performers, who were all dressed in gorgeous costumes. The entertainment then opened with George Ah Mi giving a brilliant exhibition of club swinging, accompanied by John Hannaford on the piano.
A highlight of the evening was the Chinese dragon, worked by Tow Yin, Ah Chong and George Ah Mi. The dragon performed an elaborate dance before miming the actions of eating a meal and bathing and then settling down and going to sleep. The performance was greeted with loud applause.
Among the vocal performances were renditions of popular English tunes in Cantonese and selections from Chinese opera. George Ying Chung sang ‘Home Sweet Home’, and Ah Hoon caused much merriment with his comic version of ‘My Sweet Darling’. Ah Tow, with his exceptional falsetto, gave a fine imitation of a female opera singer followed by a plaintive ballad.
The Chinese Band, which comprised performers on kettledrum, clappers, gongs and banjos, accompanied all of these items. The Band also provided selections from well-known Chinese operas, and its leading banjo player, Ah Chee, was heartily applauded for his solos.
The entertainment concluded with a display of gymnastics and an encore from the Chinese dragon. John Gaynor then introduced John Somer, a member of the Hospital Committee, who proposed a vote of thanks to the performers. This was carried by loud applause. George Ah Mi responded on behalf of the cast and the evening ended with the Chinese Band playing ‘God save the King’.
This information was supplied by the Maldon Museum and Archives.
This article appeared in the Tarrangower Times, 20 May 2022.
