By Juanita Kwok, 13 November 2025
This Chinese Masonic Badge belonged to Charles Yow Senior (b. China 1862, d. Bathurst 1927). Charles Yow Sr was a member of the Chinese Masonic Lodge in Bathurst. The front of the medal has the Chinese character for “award”. The character on the back means “company” or “society” and is the same term for society used in the name of the Yee Hing Society [an earlier name for the Chinese Masonic Society].[1]
Chinese Masonic Badge that belonged to Charles Yow Senior. Photos by Juanita Kwok
Charles Yow Senior
Charles Yow Senior came out from China when he was 14 and married Carcoar-born Mary Mook San in 1907.[2] Their first child Charles was Charles Yow Junior (Chinese name Loong Ah Yow, b. 1908 Wallerawang, d. 1985 Bathurst). The Yows had a market garden at White Rock before moving to Brewongle and then Morrisset Street, Bathurst. Charles Yow Senior died in Bathurst in 1927 and is buried in the Chinese section of the Bathurst General Cemetery.
Charles Yow Senior’s gravestone in Bathurst Cemetery (photo by Juanita Kwok). Charles Yow Junior, circa 1950s. Photo courtesy of Dawn Brownlow
Charles Yow Jr
According to his daughter Dawn Brownlow, Charles Yow Junior served in the 6th division of the Australian Infantry, the first to go to the front in World War II.
Around 1952, Charles Yow Jr and his young family moved to Morrisset Street where he grew onions, kohlrabi, kale, eggplant, bitter melon corn, pumpkin, snake beans, carrots, gooseberries and fruit of all kinds. Dawn, who was about 4 years old at the time, recalls:
Dad was one of the first to grow celery – we ran tar paper around to keep it white… My father was a great fisherman, he’d cook fish in black bean sauce. Once every so often we would go to Dixon Street to Say Tin Fong which burnt down. We would always eat at little cafes with shared tables… The Bouffler’s owned the butcher shop, they would let Reg [Yow] go in on Sunday and use the sausage machine. He used to make sausages a bit like lap chong. They would also dry fruit to make dried sweets.[3]
Charles Yow Junior’s brother Reg Yow had about ten acres of land on Edgell’s Lane where he grew white asparagus for Edgells and sold surplus out of a Bedford truck at the Haymarket. Reg also had gardens at Kurrajong and Napoleon Reef. Both Reg and Charles were in high demand as pruners. For many years Reg supplied vegetables for the Western District Exhibit at the Royal Easter Show.
A photograph of Reg Yow and niece Dawn Brownlow with pumpkins grown by Reg was published in the Australian Women’s Weekly in 1952.
‘The End Of Weeks Of Preparation- All this goes to make the Royal Show’, The Australian Women’s Weekly (1933 – 1982), 9 April 1952, 34.
The Chinese Masonic Lodge in Bathurst which had opened in 1921, was demolished in 1953. For many years previous, members of the Lodge fought to retain it under pressure from Council for it to be demolished.[4]
With thanks to Dawn Brownlow for sharing her family story.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
The content in this post is the intellectual property of Juanita Kwok and should not be republished without her permission.
[1] Ely Finch, pers. comm., 21 May 2019.
[2] Nell O’Rourke, interview by Juanita Kwok, 5 July 2016; NSW Marriage Register 2671/1907.
[3] Dawn Brownlow, interview by Juanita Kwok, 5 July 2016.
[4] Juanita Kwok, ‘The Chinese in Bathurst’, PhD thesis, Charles Sturt University Bathurst, 2019, 268-276, https://researchoutput.csu.edu.au/en/publications/the-chinese-in-bathurst-recovering-forgotten-histories