This past week CBC Radio host Mark Forsythe of BC Almanac, has been promoting his new book Almanac's 100 Greatest British Columbians. This is a BC Version of CBC television's The Greatest Canadian. The names are all listed by categories with no numerical value. BC's top ten literary writers include Joy Kogawa, George Bowering, Wayson Choy, Dorothy Livesay   more »

Organizers of the drive to preserve the childhood home of novelist and poet Joy Kogawa were jubilant after Vancouver City Council voted unanimously on November 3 to grant a 120-day demolition delay order to preserve the home and to recognize its historical and cultural heritage. The four month period will allow the Save Kogawa House Committee to raise funds to purchase the property and convert it into a major centre for Canadian and international writers.    more »

It is fitting that I bump into Colleen Hardwick Nystedt in Chinatown at the veterans ceremony on Rememberance Day. We discover a mutural love of Vancouver history and heritage. While checking out Colleen’s website I discover that she has been recognized by the Financial Post as “One of the 13 Most Important People in the B.C. Film Industry”, she received a “40 Under 40” Award for entrepreneurship from Business in Vancouver Magazine, as well as numerous other awards.   more »

Media   Advisory: November 7, 2005

Coalition marks 120th anniversary of completion of Canada's first transcontinental railway

TORONTO. The   Ontario Coalition of Chinese Head Tax Payers and Families (Ontario Coalition)   will host a commemoration of the 120th anniversary of the completion of the   Canadian Pacific Railway at 12:30 pm EST today at the Monument to the Chinese Railroad Workers in Canada in Toronto.

"November 7, 2005 is a significant date in the history of Canada," Doug Hum, Co-Vice Chair of the Ontario Coalition said today, "It’s the 120th anniversary   of the driving of the last spike in 1885 on November 7th at Craigellachie, British Columbia which completed the final railway link that joined Canada from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans."

At this event, the   Chinese Canadian National Council (CCNC) will present the “Last Spike”, a "commemorative iron spike" received from celebrated Canadian historian and author Pierre Berton before his passing.  

Through this precious gift to   the CCNC, Mr. Berton recognized the early Chinese contribution to the building   of Canada. “We are pleased to have the support of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference,” Victor Wong, Executive Director of CCNC said today. “The union shares a common history with
the Chinese men who helped Canada achieve its National Dream – a railway linking the country from the Atlantic to the   Pacific.”

To complete this final   link, the Government of Canada had to
recruit thousands of Chinese workers   mostly from Guangdong, China when almost no one else could be found or were willing to do the work. There was tremendous opposition to Chinese workers in British Columbia at the time which prompted the first Prime Minister of Canada, Sir John A. McDonald who being fearful that the completion of the railway might be jeopardized,
to lash out at opposition to Chinese workers saying that, "either you must have this labour or you can't have this railway."

"Immediately following   the last spike in 1885, the Government of Canada in pandering to racist elements at the time, slapped a head tax on all Chinese immigrants to Canada," said Susan Eng, Co-Chair of the Coalition.  "It began initially at $50, then was raised to $100 in 1900 and finally to $500 in 1903."  This "Chinese Head Tax" failed to deter Chinese immigration which led the Canadian Government to finally close the door on almost all Chinese immigration by enacting the "Chinese Exclusion Act" in 1923 which was not repealed until 1947.

To mark November 7th,   the Ontario Coalition of Chinese Head Tax Payers and Families is hosting a   commemoration of Chinese railroad workers in Canada and a press conference to   outline its plans for redress of the Head Tax and Chinese Exclusion Act.  In attendance will be direct descendents of the builders of the railway that helped to build Canada.

The Ontario Coalition   of Chinese Head Tax Payers and Families consists of head tax payers, their   surviving spouses and descendants.  They are joined in the campaign for   Head Tax redress by the Chinese Canadian National Council, the Association of Chinese Canadians for Equality and Solidarity Society, Metro Toronto Chinese   and South East Asian Legal
Clinic, BC Coalition of Head Tax Payers Spouses and   Descendants, and other equality-seeking groups.

DATE:            Monday, November 7, 2005
TIME:             12:30 p.m. EST*
LOCATION:  The Monument to the Chinese Railroad
Workers in Canada at Blue Jays Way and Navy Wharf Ct. west of the dome stadium (Rogers Centre)

*The last spike was driven at 9:30 a.m. PST.

 -30-

For further   information and to arrange interviews, please contact:

Doug Hum, Chinese Head   Tax Payers and Families, Toronto, (416) 706-7886

Victor Wong, Chinese   Canadian National Council, Toronto, (416) 977-9871

Sid Tan, BC Coalition of Head Tax Payers Spouses and Descendants, Vancouver, (604)   433-6169

The Age of Opulence: Turning Point Ensemble + Heritage Vancouver create a musical afternoon of tea and heritage

Turning Point Ensemble
Heritage Vancouver

Sunday, November 6th, 2005
The Age of Opulence, Vancouver 1915-1930
Stanley Park Walking Tour, & Vancouver Historic Music w/ the Turning Point Ensemble
Location: Stanley Park Pavillion, The Rose Garden Tea Room
Time: 2pm to 4:30pm
Admission: By donation
2pm Walking tour with Heritage Vancouver President, Donald Luxton
3pm - 4:30pm Parlour performance by the Turning Point Ensemble

The idea was to "Take a journey back to Vancouver's age of opulence with Heritage Vancouver and the Turning Point Ensemble. Imagine... the date is 1915, the Stanley Park Pavilion is newly built, and you are joining us for tea and an afternoon performance of music and song in the Stanley Park Pavilion Rose Garden Tea Room."

"Meet at the tea room for a walking tour of the pavilion and Malkin Bowl, then relax to music featuring premiere arrangements of early BC parlour songs and concert music composed by Vancouver's first internationally trained composer, Jean Coulthard. Woven together with a sparkling narrative, the concert will include music by Ravel, Rachmaninoff, and Jelly Roll Morton - all featured guests in Vancouver in the 1920's."

So many people showed up for the tour that the guide kept saying "I can't believe so many people showed up!"  Meanwhile inside the Stanley Park Pavillion, at the Rose Garden Tea Room, the kitchen rushed to make up more sandwiches and the staff set up more seats creating a new row, so that the reserved seats formerly in the front row were now in the second row.

Guest performers Heather Pawsey and trumpeter/pianist Alan Matheson were all dressed in time period perfect costumes with the Turning Point Ensemble.  Pawsey opened the show with "Here's a Ho, Vancouver" credited to B.C. Hilliam and E. Pauline Johnson.  Her heel coquettishly raised, Heather flirted with the audience and bequiled them to enjoy themselves.  Her operatic soprano was perfect for the palour songs presented from 1915 to 1930. 

Throughout the performance the Turning Point ensemble took turns performing popular and classical arrangments in duos, trios and larger ensembles.  Rachmaninov's Vocalise was performed by Ariel Barnes on Cello and Jane Hayes on piano.  Narrator Alexander Browne spoke into an old microphone that perfectly duplicated the old microphone radio sound of the 1920's.  Looking around the Heritage Class "A" building of the Rose Garden Tea House, you could actually imagine that this was how high society used to enjoy music in the afternoon salons of Vancouver.  Organizer Lindsay McDonald and photographer Lindsey Donovan were both dressed up in period dresses, helping to create an atmosphere of glamour and fun.

The Turning Point Ensemble's mission is to increase the understanding and appreciation of concert music composed during the past hundred years, linking the music of earlier times to the music of today.  I particularly enjoyed the three songs by Vancouver born, Jean Coulthard, Spinning Song, Cradle Song and The of China's Daughter.  Francis Poulenc's Sonata for Horn Trumpet, and Trombone were beautiful, as Maurice Ravel's Chansons Madecasses were serious and imposing.

The afternoon of team and salon music ended on very exhuberant notes, as Pawsey and the full ensemble performed their encore numbers, S Nice by William Eckstine and Sam Howard.  Again, Pawsey posed and flirted with the audience proving what a dramatic performer she is.  The audience was asked to join in for the "stuttering song"K-K-K-Katy, and then the desserts came out.

Definitely a fun afternoon.  I will be that next year it will happen again, but maybe with advanced ticket sales.

This afternoon Vancouver City Council voted unanimously to grant an unprecedented 120-day delay of demolition for 1450 West 64th Avenue, the childhood home of author Joy Kogawa. The present home owner bought the house in 2003, unaware that the Save Kogawa Homestead committee was trying to raise funds to turn the house into a writers’ retreat. The owner has now decided to demolish and rebuild on the site, prompting the now renamed Save Kogawa House committee to action, soliciting support from writing and arts organizations across the country.   more »