In 1899, Poon Gooey applied to be naturalised in the colony of Victoria. More than a decade earlier, however, the Victorian government had decided to no longer naturalise Chinese and so his application was not granted.
The memorial he completed gives details of Poon Gooey's arrival in Australia, and his clear, neat signature suggests that he was may well have been literate in English before he came to Victoria at age 18. His application was made in the name 'John Poon Gooey', but in later years he no longer included 'John' in his name.
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