Begonia Festival 2013

 

 

 

William (Bill) Moy interviewed by Ruth Hazleton

William MoyBorn in Ballarat in December 1932 William (Bill) Moy is a fourth generation Chinese descendant. His roots taking him back to the 1800's with the arrival of Dr. Lo Kwoi Sang as a ships surgeon whose son Joe Sang was a herbalist in Peel St. and his grandfather James Ahmoy of Haddon . 

Bill spent his entire working life with the Victorian Railways, marrying Verna and raising his three sons Gregory, Rodney and Gary in Ballarat. He has been very active within the Ballarat volunteer community throughout his years taking on many Committee and leadership positions across a wide range of organisations. For example within lawn bowls he played with Ballarat East, is a life member Ballarat Bowling Club, and is still a regular player every weekend. Also a Life Member of the former Ballarat East High Athletics Club. Bill was a keen footballer playing for Golden Point in his day, known as the Ballarat Rice-eaters, a Chinese football team. The Ballarat Trotting Trials Association was another of Bill's interests, not satisfied with the work of racing horses he rose through the ranks of the club's Committee holding down the Secretary/Treasurer's roles and continued to be involved with weekly trials an Sunday mornings for many years. 

His close connection to his cultural roots has played a key part in Bill's life being a foundation member of the Ballarat Chinese Community Association Inc, later becoming the first President and Life Member of the Chinese Australian Cultural Society Ballarat Inc in 2008. He has recently agreed to again take up a position on the Society's Committee. His significant contributions to the Ballarat community were recognised in 2014 when he was not only awarded one Senior Award by the City of Ballarat but was named as the Senior of the Year for his lifetime commitment to volunteering. Bill, or Uncle Bill, as he is known to the Chinese continues to play an integral role in the preservation and recording of Ballarat's rich Chinese history. We are blessed to have someone that is able to pass on almost a century of rich life experiences first hand.

Interview by Ruth Hazleton for the National Library of Australia’s Oral History interview program coming soon