When the iconic family-run business, Rathmines Chinese Restaurant was due to change hands after 30 years of the same ownership, photographer Ella Paterson was inspired to document the shift.
Currently a participant in the Newcastle Art Space's mentorship program alongside mentor Hari Ho, Paterson was inspired to document the family's migrant story.
Her collection of images captures Kam and Francis Chen in their last days of ownership. Although deeply personal, their experiences resonate locally and more broadly. Ella writes "It was an honour to meet and spend time with them, and the emotions in the air were high. It was evident that this was something special."
Kam and Francis were first-generation migrants to Australia from Malaysia in the 1980s and '90s. When they arrived, they barely spoke English, and Francis' electrical trade qualification failed to transfer to Australian guidelines. Francis instead took up work in kitchens, and they lived above a shop on Newcastle's Beaumont Street.
When they had scraped together all their money, they committed to buying an existing business, a Chinese restaurant in Old Bar. But when this plan was blocked by legal issues, they had no choice but to return to Malaysia.
Although somewhat defeated, they didn't give up on their dream of a better life for themselves and their children and spent the next six months in Malaysia saving before finally returning to Australia to try one more time.
This time, they were meticulously careful about the business they bought, and after much research settled on the little no-frills Chinese restaurant in Lake Macquarie's west side suburb of Rathmines.
Over the next 30 years, through health struggles, family struggles and everything that comes along with adjusting to a new country, culture and community, they defied all odds and created something that has become a pillar of the local community. Ella writes: "They became integral to the community, a beacon of perseverance and hard work in suburban Australia that has not always been known to be welcoming to migrants".
This collection of documentary photography reflects their incredible journey and the indelible mark they left on the lives they touched. Perseverance is now showing at Newcastle Art Space as part of the mentorship exhibition Back & Forth curated by Wednesday Sutherland alongside mentor Peter Johnson from Newcastle Art Gallery.
Ella Paterson's comments add further perspective to her project:
How did you meet Kam and Francis Chen?
It was Kam and Francis' daughter who initially reached out to me to document her family's last day in their brick-and-mortar business. I attended high school with her at HSPA (Hunter School of Performing Arts) and although we have taken different paths, we continued following each other online and this is how she had seen my previous documentary photography work, and why she reached out to me in the first place.
What was it about them that grabbed your attention?
As a photographer, it's my passion to document stories of individual and community significance that may not be documented otherwise. I was drawn to sharing their story through the NAS mentorship program and in the Back & Forth exhibition because it is not only a staggering story of individual sacrifice and multiple leaps of faith in the interest of a better life for their family, but it is an often overlooked universal Australian story of the first-generation migrant population of Australia. The local, no-frills Chinese shop is also an iconic staple of suburban and regional Australia and has been for generations. To discover the rich interpersonal history of a business that has upheld community over the years is inspiring.
How much time did you spend shooting them?
There was a period before shooting where I was in conversations with their daughter, Lily, learning about their story and sacrifice, and why this opportunity to document them was important. I spent a morning with them shooting them. Although, in the grand scheme of their story I didn't know them for long, the significance of this morning was extremely emotional as their last moments in the building and an honour to bear witness to.
What was your "end goal" with this project?
I hope, in this project, I have done their story justice and shine some light onto the remarkable community and reputation they have established despite their momentous struggles. I also hope to create a conversation around what stories are worth telling, and the importance of introspection on everyday Australian stories and in turn their universal relevance.
Do you like Chinese food? What is your favourite dish?
Hmmm, favourite Chinese meal? can't go past a classic Hot Pot.
Madeleine Snow is the creative programs director at Newcastle Art Space.
