Fong Ding and Fong Wong See from Canton China bought up six boys and three girls in Pine Creek, of which Myrtle was the youngest. After the death of her father the family moved to Emungalan (on the north bank of the Katherine River). Here Myrtle helped her brother George run his general store. At the age of 16, Myrtle moved to Darwin where she entered into an arranged marriage with Charlie Houng On Yee. They were married on 12 May 1930. 90 guests celebrated their wedding at the Kuo Ming Tang building in Cavanagh Street. The couple visited China for nine months after their wedding returning to Darwin when it was in the grip of the depression.
Myrtle began working in her sister's laundromat washing and ironing for people from the Army, the bank and private customers.
Myrtle and her four sons were evacuated from Darwin during the war years, they left on the last civilian ship out of Darwin the SS Montoro. They Travelled to Brisbane where they stayed with Myrtle's sister Ethel, before moving to Sydney where her husband later joined her. Through hard work and odd jobs Myrtle and Charlie eventually purchased and ran a fish and chip shop until they returned to Darwin in 1946.,
Once back in Darwin the Army returned the Darwin Aerated Water soft drink factory in Knuckey Street to the couple, as they had purchased it prior to the war. For 19 years, until all four of their sons were married Myrtle and Charlie did back breaking work to run the drink factory where everything was done by hand.
In 1992, they celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary with their sons and their families; they received a letter from the Queen, the Governor, the Administrator, Chief Minister and other dignitaries of the Northern Territory.
Charlie died on 24 January 1996 at the age of 91 years.,
Subject
Women,
Northern Territory,
Related materials
Northern Territory dictionary of biography. Darwin : Charles Darwin University Press, 2008.
NTC 920.9429 NORT,
Related links
http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/50815/20050628-0000/131.172.16.7/jca/issue01/07ONeil.html,
http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/50815/20050628-0000/131.172.16.7/jca/issue01/07ONeil.html ["Chinese workers and merchants in the Northern Territory, 1880 to 1920: A survey of Chinese workers' occupations and Chinese merchant's business interests and their relations with the European business community and government" Journal of Chinese Australia, Issue 1, May 2005.],
http://hdl.handle.net/10070/35560 [LANT : PH0497/0020, Group of Darwin ladies, Shu Ack Fong Collection.],
http://hdl.handle.net/10070/35954 [LANT : PH0553/0041, Charlie and Myrtle Houng On Yee's Home, Photographer : William Fong, Darwina & William Fong Collection.],