Thursday, October 2, 2014

A Brief History of Time

Francis Ho

This is the best of times. This is the worst of times. 

This is a time of the past 60 years, of the brief history of CCWA (Chinese Canadian Welfare Association), and of a story of us Chinese Canadian, who travelled thousands of miles, across mountains and oceans, immigrated and settled down here, in our new homeland.

CCWA was founded in 1954, by a group of young patriots. Our purpose was to connect with all Chinese, to promote Chinese culture and to provide servicesto the welfare of our community. We wanted to learn about our motherland, the new China and to promote friendship between Canada and China. 

We published, for a while, a handwritten newsletter, the Weekend News, with a circulation of about 2000 copies each week.

And we helped in running the Great Wall Bookstore, selling books, newspapers and periodicals of China.

We also supported the local newspaper, 多倫多商報。

We organized and regularly ran movies from China in the neighbourhood schools and community centres.

We provided services to the Chinese community, to teach Chinese to our children, to teach English to our new immigrants, to help people to file their income tax and to translate documents.

Throughout the years, more and more people immigrated to Canada, and the Chinese population grows rapidly. Many associations and groups sprung up everywhere to provide services and cultural activities to the Chinese community. We have at least three China-towns in the Toronto area alone.

Nowadays as our members are getting on with age, CCWA is more focused on the social activities of its members, such as the quarterly lunch/dinner gatherings, weekly ping pong practice, karaoke, line dance and other social dances, harmonica performances, outings and picnics etc.

The wheel of time rolls on. As we aged, we are slowly turning into a senior club. We need new blood, to support , to promote our association and to pass on the torch.To our next generation, please take notice.
 
Chairman Mao once said, "The world is yours, as well as ours, but in the last analysis, it is yours. You young people, full of vigor and vitality, are in the bloom of life, like the sun at eight or nine in the morning. Our hope is placed on you. "   

 [ Talk at a meeting with Chinese students and trainees in Moscow (November 17, 1957). https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/mao/works/red-book/ch30.htm ]


世界是你們的,也是我們的,但是歸根結底是你們的。你們青年人朝氣蓬勃,正在興旺時期,好像早晨八、九點鐘的太陽。希望寄託在你們身上

Reference: 取材自黃才會長文章「悠悠五十載   一歲一峥嶸」。

 

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