Wing Hing Long & Co. Store facts for kids

Wing Hing Long & Co. Store
Heritage boundaries
Location	10 Ruby Street, Tingha, Inverell Shire, New South Wales, Australia
Built	1881–1895
Owner	Inverell Shire Council
New South Wales Heritage Register
Official name: Wing Hing Long & Co. Store
Type	state heritage (built)
Designated	29 October 1999
Reference no.	1307
Type	Retail & Wholesale Objects (movable)
Category	Retail and Wholesale
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The Wing Hing Long & Co. Store is a very old shop in Tingha, Australia. It is now a museum. This special building is located at 10 Ruby Street. It was built between 1881 and 1895 by Chen Quin Jack. Today, the Inverell Shire Council owns it. The store is listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register. This means it is an important part of history.

A Look Back: The Store's History

The land where Wing Hing Long stands was first owned by a few people in 1879. In 1881, a storekeeper named Ah Lin bought it. He was from Inverell. From that time until 1998, Chinese immigrants and their families owned the store.

Chinese Owners and Their Families

Many Chinese owners ran the store over the years.

• Ah Lin bought it in 1881.
• Ding Chee, a butcher, owned it from 1883.
• Jock Sing took over in 1883.
• Ah Bow, a miner, owned it from 1877 to 1899.
• Charles Hing, a storekeeper, owned it from 1899 to 1918.

In 1918, Jack Joe Lowe became the owner. He managed the store until 1939. Then, his oldest son, Edgar Lowe, took over. In 1951, J.J. Lowe's daughter, Mavis Pratt, bought the store. She ran the business until 1998. This long history shows how Chinese-Australians helped build towns like Tingha. They ran many general stores in New South Wales.

Tingha's Tin Mining Boom

The town of Tingha started in the early 1870s. This was because a lot of tin was found there. Many people moved to Tingha for the mining. By the 1880s, about 4,000 people lived in the area. Around 900 of them were Chinese. Most came to mine tin.

Some Chinese people opened businesses to help the miners. These stores often sold special Chinese ingredients. They also offered services like writing letters or banking. As fewer Chinese miners stayed, the stores started serving everyone in the town.

What the Store Sold

The main part of the Wing Hing Long store was built in the 1880s or early 1890s. Old photos from 1900 show it was a busy place. Newspaper ads from that time said it sold "Groceries, drapery, ironmongery, tobacco, pipes and everything." They promised low prices.

The store kept selling many different things for a long time. Mavis Pratt remembered what it sold in the 1920s and 1930s. It had groceries, fabrics, hats, kids' clothes, shoes, wallpaper, furniture, and even explosives for mining. The owner, J.J. Lowe, was also known as a "Chinese Herbalist." He could help with different health problems.

How the Store Worked

The store had different sections for different items. You can still see old signs and shelves today. There was even a special system for payments. A cashier's pulley system carried money from the counters to the cashier's office. This system still works!

At its busiest, the store had 10 to 15 staff members. Some were Chinese people from other countries. Others were local residents. Chinese traditions meant helping family members find work. So, the store often hired Chinese immigrants. They lived in sheds behind the store.

Changes Over Time

After World War II, the store was still busy into the 1960s. Mrs. Pratt's sons helped pack goods and deliver orders. But over time, Tingha's population got smaller. People had fewer jobs. Better roads meant people could easily go to bigger supermarkets in Inverell. So, the store sold fewer things. By the 1980s, it was mostly just a grocery store.

In 1997, Mavis Pratt decided to retire. In 1998, the local council bought the store and most of its contents. It became a museum managed by the community. This was done with help from many groups and people.

Since then, the building has been repaired. Its old items and records are being organized. Wing Hing Long opened as a museum in January 1999. In 2019, the Inverell Shire Council became the owner.

Exploring the Store: What You See

The Wing Hing Long Co Store is made up of several buildings.

The Main Store Building

The main part of the complex holds the store itself. It has four sections side-by-side. The middle two sections have pointed roofs (gabled roofs). The two side sections have slanted roofs (skillion roofs). A cover (awning) stretches over the footpath in front.

Back Courtyard and Sheds

Behind the store is a courtyard. At the back of the courtyard are two large storage sheds. Above one of the sheds is a living area on the second floor. Stairs outside lead up to a porch (verandah). This porch looks down on the courtyard. It shows that people lived and worked in the same place.

In the courtyard, there is a water tank and an old outdoor toilet.

Inside the Store

The main store and two showrooms have wooden floors. The walls are made of different materials. These include wood, metal panels, and corrugated iron. The roofs are also made of corrugated iron.

Above the main store is a storage area in the roof. You can reach it by a steep wooden ladder. This space has skylights.

In the northern showroom, there are parts of the old office. There's even an old safe that is now rusted shut. Old signs from before World War II are still on the walls. One sign says "Use our lay-by system." Another simply says "Showroom."

Original Items and Collections

All around the store, you can see old wooden counters, display units, and shelves. Many of these were made locally. There are large counters, glass display cases, and shelves with small compartments. Some still have labels, like for different sizes of bolts.

The special cashier's pulley system is still there and works! Wires stretch to two different spots in the store.

The museum also displays many old items that were sold in the store. These include groceries, toys, clothes, shoes, and hardware. Some items are from the 1920s and 30s. Most of the grocery items are from the 1960s to the 1990s. These items came with the store when it became a museum.

The kitchen and dining room are behind the southern showroom. They have an old wood stove and simple cupboards.

The Residence Above the Sheds

The living area above the storage shed is very interesting. It's covered in corrugated iron and has a steep, pointed roof. The porch faces inwards towards the courtyard. This gives it a unique look. Inside, there is one large room, two bedrooms, a small storage room, and a bathroom on the porch.

Besides the items on display, there are also many old records. These include store ledgers and letters from the early 1900s. These records are still being organized.

The building was in fair condition in 1999. Some repairs had been done before it opened as a museum. The store and its contents have been kept mostly as they were in 1998.

Why This Store is Special

The Wing Hing Long store is in the middle of Tingha's main street. Its buildings, old items, and records tell a unique story. They show how Chinese-Australians helped with shopping in New South Wales. They also show the rise and fall of the tin mining town of Tingha.

The Wing Hing Long & Co. Store was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register in 1999. It met several important rules to be listed.

Important History

Wing Hing Long helps us understand the history of Chinese-Australians in Australia. It also shows the history of Tingha, a tin mining town. The store and its collections are a rare example of an old country general store. It operated from the late 1800s until the end of the 1900s.

Unique Look and Feel

The store's beauty comes from its mix of materials and styles. It shows how the store and town changed over 100 years. It's an old commercial building with many additions from a century of business. It stands out on Tingha's main street.

Valued by the Community

The people of Tingha value Wing Hing Long. It is one of the oldest general stores on the main street. It has strong ties to the Chinese people who lived in the town. Now, as a museum, it helps people learn about Tingha's history.

Learning from the Past

Wing Hing Long can teach us a lot. We can learn about how country general stores were organized. We can also see how they were affected by local and national events. The old records and items make this learning even better. Many local people also have memories of the store.

The old cashier's pulley system is still there and works. This is a cool example of old technology.

A Rare Find

Wing Hing Long is a rare example of a Chinese-owned country general store that has been used continuously. It's also a rare old store from the late 1800s that is still mostly original.

Many Chinese-owned general stores existed in New South Wales. But only about four are still around today. Wing Hing Long is special because it still has its original parts. Few changes have been made since World War II. It might be the only store of its kind left.

A Great Example

Wing Hing Long is an important example of a country general store. It shows how these stores worked in the late 1800s and 1900s.