Introduction

Our Organisation had the good fortune of meeting Ray Langtip, a grandson of Chin Lang Tip, a well regarded market gardener who had a large farm located at Tarraville, not far from Port Albert.  

In his unpublished book "The Langtip Story" Ray recorded that "The originator of the name Langtip, in Australia, was a Chinese gentleman named Chin Lang Tip.  He was born in China about 1837 and come to Australia in 1856 at the age of 19 years.  He worked for the Customs Department in Melbourne as an interpreter for some years, then moved to Tarraville (Victoria) in about 1867.  He leased a house and 88 acres of land, part of the GreenHills, which is a few miles north of the Tarraville Township and there he started a large market garden."

Ray Langtip further recorded the achievements of his grandfather:

"The first Yarram Horticulture Show was in March 1882, where Lang Tip won 12 prizes in the produce section. (Gippsland Standard 1882).  The second Yarram Horticulture show was in March 1883, and he took another 12 prizes.  There were for carrots, red-beet, cauliflower, onions, tomatoes, melons, marrow, rhubarb, honey, desert apples, keeping apples and dried apples

"Langtip had two large orchards with apples, pears, plums, cherries, mulberries, figs and others. The orchard must have been of considerable size, because his prizes for apples consisted of 5 varieties of desert apples, 10 pounds of each variety and 5 varieties of keeping apples, 10 pounds of each variety. That meant that his orchards had to contain at least 10 different varieties of apples.   Records show that he continue to dominate the fruit and vegetable sections of the shows for the next 10 years.

"The gardens were irrigated from large deep wells, where water was winched up in barrels by horses"

Chin Lang Tip died in Palmerston, Victoria (now part of Port Albert) on 9th August 1901, aged 64 years.  He was buried in Alberton Cemetery.   According to Ray, to mark the passing of Chin Lang Tip, The Gippsland Standard 14th August 1901 issue had this to say:

"For although a stranger in a strange land, being an Asiatic by birth, Lang Tip adored the position and conducted the business of Farmer and Gardener in a capable and successful manner; and everyone had a good word and kindly nod for the now deceased Chinaman."