Sue Wah Chin

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Sue Wah Chin (21 July 1900 – 27 March 2000) was a Chinese entrepreneur who lived and worked in Darwin, in Australia’s Northern Territory. The Stonehouse building in central Darwin is named after her and is one of the city’s heritage sites.

She was born in Guangdong Province, China, to Chiu Hing Foy and Chiu Wu See, and had a brother named Chiu Goon Pak. She studied in Canton and trained as a teacher. In 1920 she married Chin Ack Sam, the son of a wealthy Darwin tailor, Chin Toy. They had 11 children together: Eric, Raymond, Darwina, Oswald, Wellington, John, Florence, Norma, Gordon, Sylvia, and Victor. The family moved to Australia in 1928 and lived near Chin Toy’s store in Darwin. Sue Wah Chin worked as a seamstress while her family settled.

The family briefly returned to China in 1933 to educate the two eldest sons, but their ship, the SS Taiping, hit rough seas and capsized during a typhoon near Hong Kong. They stayed in China until 1938 when Japan invaded, then returned to Darwin via Thursday Island. They lived on Woods Street, where Sue Wah Chin helped with tailoring.

Back in Darwin, they had three more children: John, Florence, and Norma. The family were evacuated to Adelaide before the bombing of Darwin in February 1942, where they opened a restaurant on Rundle Street. They later had three more children: Gordon, Sylvia, and Victor.

In 1949 they returned to Darwin and opened a Chinese restaurant in the Don Hotel, moving into the old stone houses on Cavenagh Street. They also ran a store there, known for its salty plums. The building became known as the Sue Wah Chin building and survived Cyclone Tracy; it is now heritage protected. The Chin family owned it until 2008.

Sue Wah Chin was naturalised as an Australian in 1956. Her husband died in 1968, leaving her to care for their large family. She passed away on 27 March 2000 in Darwin at the age of 99.