Smyth takes Alloo story back to China

JOHN Smyth has presented a paper on his research into goldrush restaurateur Johnny Alloo at the 2024 Confucius Academy Civilisation Forum in Guiyang, China.

The Ballarat-based sociologist-turned-historian was invited to the conference as the author of Johnny Alloo of Ballarat notoriety, and as a board member of the local Xin Jin Shan Chinese Library.

“The conference was held up in the mountains in a purpose-built retreat on a site bigger than our university in Mount Helen,” he said.

“The Confucius Academy brought together several hundred people, most of them Chinese but a lot from western countries too. I was the only Australian there.

“They were trying to both hear from the rest of the world about things, as well as tell the rest of the world what they were up to.”

Sharing the Johnny Alloo story at the podium, Smyth said the reaction from the crowd was one of surprise and pride.

“What I gave them was… that the National Museum of Australia calls him a defining moment,” he said. “That’s how significant he is, but it’s not understood in Ballarat

“By opening a restaurant and serving the diggers, he unwittingly created a totally new context for handling racism, bigotry and racial intolerance. He did that for the very first time in the western world.

“In China, they hadn’t heard about this stuff, and when we went to migration museums, it was very clear they knew very little about Chinese migrating to Australia.

“There was curiosity, interest, puzzlement and pride; all that mixed up. They were keento hear more.”

Smyth was also interviewed by members of the Confucius Academy on video who were interested in receiving feedback on their movement and forum.

“They have a reverence for scholarship, ideas and thinking,” he said.