Melbourne, 8 June 2025 – The Museum of Chinese Australian History hosted a moving public lecture entitled “Threads of Memory – Telling Tyon Gee’s Story Through Her Unworn Clothes”, taking audiences deep into one woman’s migration, resilience and cultural identity.

The event featured 15 exquisite garments and accessories from the 1930s that all belonged to Tyon Gee (Szeto Tsau Yung). The collection was discovered by her daughter Lava Gee in 2024 in a locked wooden box that had been quietly stored in her Sydney home for more than 80 years.

Relatives of the donor, including Debbra Yee and Joanne Weewan, attended the event and expressed their deep gratitude for the opportunity to share in their family legacy. They saw it as a meaningful and mutually beneficial cultural contribution.

Tyon Gee was born in southern China and married William Yocksui Gee, an Australian-born Chinese man, in the late 1920s. After living in Hong Kong and Guangzhou, the couple moved to Australia in 1937 to escape the war, settling in Croydon, Sydney. William founded the fruit and vegetable distribution company Yocksui Bros. and was active in community support during World War II. After William's death in 1942, Tyon continued to run the company and raise their two children.

Although she brought with her a collection of beautiful traditional clothing, Tyon ultimately chose Western clothing and never wore it. Today, these preserved artifacts provide a rare insight into Chinese fashion and craftsmanship in the 1930s.

Tyon Gee's Collection - Exquisite Garments

Tyon Gee's Collection - Accessories from the 1930s

Aimee Li, our Collections Manager, giving an in-depth explanation of the featured items.

Donor from Tyon Gee's Family