Taam Sze Pui's father migrated from southern China to Far North Queensland with his two sons around 1876 in search of gold. They later moved to the Johnstone River to clear land. Taam set himself up as a store keeper and later founded a business, See Poy & Sons, a large department store that stayed in the family until the 1980s. He became quite successful and was naturalised in 1897 and again in 1901.
