Sym Choon Changing fortunes in white Australia
Many in Adelaide were thrilled and intrigued in late 1930 when Dorothy Sym Choon, the elder Miss Sym Choon of Rundle Street’s famous China Gift Store, married her fiancé Leslie Poy Hing Young in a lavish ceremony at St Paul’s Anglican Church. Announced by her mother in the society pages, the wedding blended Eastern tradition and up-to-the-minute Western fashions. Gongs were beaten and firecrackers exploded, as throngs of curious onlookers struggled to catch a glimpse of Dorothy as she left the church. What is the story behind this glamorous figure whose father started the family business from a handcart? We became fascinated by this tale of hard work and social mobility.
How it all began
The Sym
