Our Story: Aboriginal Chinese People in Australia

Celebrate the launch of Our Story: Aboriginal Chinese People in Australia with a reflective discussion featuring personal stories and family histories. 

Our Story: Aboriginal Chinese People in Australia is the outcome of a research project that focuses on the period since the gold rushes of the 1850s, when First Nations people increasingly came into contact with Chinese arrivals. Both groups largely lived on the margins of White Settler society and were subject to much disdain and discrimination.

The historical material in this book unfolds across two levels: documented accounts of people, places and events, and family stories that add a personal touch to the broader history. It also includes contemporary views by eight artists — seven Aboriginal Chinese and one Chinese-Australian — exploring how descendants identify themselves and what they think of their family history. 

This book launch includes presentations by Stephen Loo and Barbara Peek on their respective family histories, and Zhou Xiaoping, book editor and project lead of the Our Story exhibition at the National Museum of Australia.

The book will be formally launched by Alec Coles, CEO of the Western Australian Museum and Professor Jacqueline Lo, Director of the Indo-Pacific Research Centre.

Presented by the Western Australian Museum and Murdoch University Indo-pacific Research Centre

Barbara Peek nee Yu AKA Dolby, born in Broome. Ancestry – Aboriginal, Chinese, Indonesian and Scottish. Barbara's Mother was Margaret Dolby and her Father Yu Hong Tai  (YAU) AKA Johnny Hong. Barbara has eight siblings, five continue to live in Broome. The family remains connected to both dominant cultures.

Stephen Loo is Noongar man with maternal connections through Ballardong/Yued and paternal family connections through Wudjari/Minang. Stephen's Chinese ancestry is through his father’s side. He is one of six siblings, and has been married for 29 years. Stephen has been an Aboriginal Practice Leader for the Department of Communities - Child Protection and Family Support for the last 15 years.

Zhou Xiaoping is a Melbourne-based artist and curator, born and educated in China. Since 1988 he has been actively engaged with Aboriginal communities in Arnhem Land and the Kimberley. His collaboration with the late Jimmy Pike resulted in the first exhibition of Aboriginal artwork in China in 1996. In 2018, he collaborated with the Australian Consulate in Chengdu to host the first NAIDOC Week in China. He is the leader of research project entitled “Our Story: Aboriginal Chinese in Australia” and exhibition curator. The exhibition is currently on display at the National Museum of Australia until 27 January 2026.