The Citizenship status of Fred and the Wong Family:

Well naturalization of Chinese immigrants was a sporadic process in the late 1800s and obviously even more problematic following the white Australia policy in 1901, and from my research so far it seems the Wong family probably did not have citizenship. Although Freddy who was born five years after the implementation of the Whit Australia Policy was allowed to leave and re-enter Australia. This must have been on an exemption certificate which allowed Chinese immigrants already resident in Australia to leave and re-enter within 3 years without taking the otherwise compulsory dictation test.

Records of Chinese Naturalization are available, however none contained the exact name of Freddy's father Sing Foo Wong. The closest record in date and name to this was;


1885
385
05/08/85
85/6023
Name: AH WONG
Native Place:CANTON
Ship:NAME UNKNOWN
Arrival Year:1853
Date of Application:28/05/85
Age at Application:48
Sydney:N
City:NARRANDERA
Primary Occupation:gardener
Remarks:desirous of purchasing land which he has been leasing as a garden

Although this is close in name and date of application, and even states the correct profession and desire to purchase land; the age is not right. If he applied in 1885 age 48, he would have conceived Freddy age 63.......I think that is a little too old in those days...dont you!.

So that was really a failed quest: What it does tell me is that his family were probably effected by the restrictions placed on Chinese Immigrants as they were not naturalized despite a long settlement in NSW, and therefore they were no eligible to own land.

The limitations on applications for naturalization were guided by multiple restrictive acts:

Most Chinese became naturalised to acquire the rights of a British subject to vote and to hold land in NSW. Others already farmed land and desired to make their title legal. Some had business interests which were limited by their alien status. And some had Australian wives and families and desired to settle. The Database lists the names of those Chinese who were naturalised prior to the NSW Chinese Restriction Act of 1888. Earlier legislation prevented Chinese naturalisation from 1850 to 1856 and from 1859 to 1867