Central Stories invites you to an evening talk by author and researcher Nicky Won, who will share the remarkable story of her great-grandparents — Chinese storekeeper Sue Lee Him and his Eurasian wife Mary Jane — who made their home in Alexandra in the early 1900s. Wednesday 8 April 2026, 6:30pm | Central Stories Museum and Art Gallery
Central Stories invites you to an evening talk by author and researcher Nicky Won, who will share the remarkable story of her great-grandparents — Chinese storekeeper Sue Lee Him and his Eurasian wife Mary Jane — who made their home in Alexandra in the early 1900s.
Sue Him ran a Chinese store, boarding house and orchard in Alexandra, and when the family eventually returned to China, they left behind a collection of objects that have been held in the Central Stories collection ever since. Among them is a fascinating Chinese medical manual, filled with acupuncture diagrams and handwritten spells for ailments ranging from chills to difficult labour. Nicky has spent years carefully photographing pages of this book on her visits to Central Otago and working to have them translated — a labour of love that has brought a rich layer of meaning to these artefacts.
Nicky has published her family’s history in a two-volume work, Finding the Rosenbrock Women, with a particular focus on the women in her family. She will have a limited number of copies available to purchase on the night.
The talk will also be filmed as part of a documentary about the poll tax imposed on Chinese immigrants to New Zealand — a project supported by NZ on Air from the same team behind the documentary Farewell Guangdong.
RSVP is appreciated as spaces are limited. To register your attendance, email manager@centralstories.com , phone Central Stories on 03 4486230 or or pop in and let us know over the counter at Central Stories.
Entry is by donation/koha. Proceeds support Central Stories and our heritage events programme
