BEYOND A DREAM
意想不到
Peter N. N. Wong
2002
PREFACE
I was born in South China, the subtropical city of Hong Kong. Its climate is generally warm but has distinctive four seasons in the year. I never saw any snow until I arrived in Australia. I always wanted to experience living in a cold country, like Canada. Therefore, after I finished my tertiary study in Australia, I immigrated to Canada for a new adventure, which affected me deeply and eventually altered my life.
The following account records my experiences in Canada and the reason for bringing me back to Australia. It was like a dream or haze, but it was a wonderful dream that I would not exchange it for anything! I married Beverley (百莉) in December 1969 and settled in Melbourne before we started a family in 1971.
I would like to dedicate this writing to my lovely wife Beverley, for her dedication and encouragement, and help in raising our three beautiful daughters: Jenny (嘉敏), Angela (嘉蘭) and Fiona (嘉欣).
黃乃能
Peter N. N. Wong
Croydon, Victoria
Christmas 2002
Front cover: Our home in Croydon, Victoria, Australia (c.1992)
CONTENTS
PREFACE
BEYOND A DREAM
- SAILING HOME 1
Mixed Feeling 1
From Melbourne to Darwin 1
From Darwin to Hong Kong 3
- HOLIDAY IN HONG KONG 5
Reunion 5
Home Sweet Home 5
Friends, Fishpond and Banana Tree 6
Street Riots 8
“See you again!” 8
- SOAR ON WINGS LIKE EAGLES 10
From Hong Kong to Seattle 10
From Seattle to Vancouver 10
A Short Stay in Vancouver 11
Across Canada by Canadian Pacific Railway 13
- WHITE AS SNOW 17
Toronto – Place of Meeting 17
Working in Chinatown 18
Snowstorm 20
White Christmas 21
- CLIMB EVERY MOUNTAIN, FORD EVERY STREAM 23
Spring in High Park 23
Engagement 24
Annual Holiday 26
After Winter Comes Spring 27
Ottawa 28
Niagara Falls 30
- TRUST AND OBEY 32
Trust and Obey 32
Confusion and Test 33
My Brother Dennis 35
Return to Australia 35
- THE WEDDING AND HONEYMOON 38
Looking For A Job and Home 38
A Visit to Victor Harbor 38
The Wedding 39
Honeymoon at The Patch 40
Visiting Our Family in Hong Kong 40
- BEYOND A DREAM 44
Home in The Hills 44
Seasickness or Morning Sickness 45
Jennifer Was Born 47
I Thought It Was A Boy 48
Shall We Call Her Fiona 48
Beyond A Dream 50
ATTACHMENTS 52
Attachment 1 – Photographs 52
Attachment 2 – Citizenship 58
Map 1: Peter’s Walkabout (1967-1969) iv
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Map 1 – Peter’s Walkabout (1967-1969)
BEYOND A DREAM
意想不到
“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
Isaiah 40:29-31
1. SAILING HOME
Mixed Feeling
I woke up about midnight and couldn’t go back to sleep. It was peaceful in the cabin, with some dim light coming through the gap under the door and the gentle humming of the ship’s engine. I lay quietly in my bunk and tried hard not to wake my three travelling companions who shared the cabin with me. We would be in Hong Kong after one more sleep!
Following my graduation, I left Melbourne, Australia on the Saturday evening of 20 May 1967, sailing on the P&O ship “S.S. Oronsay” for Hong Kong. (Map 1) I had been away more than seven years without once going home to visit my family, because my parents could not afford my aeroplane tickets. I left Hong Kong as an unseasoned youth but came back with more maturity as a grown man.
It was hard to say goodbye to my friends in Melbourne, especially to my future wife Bev who I met in West Hawthorn Baptist Church. She was the only friend I could discuss my faith with and share my feelings. Bev had promised to write to me as frequently as possible. The ship would take about 15 days to travel from Melbourne to Hong Kong, via Sydney and Darwin. However, I was glad to see my family again; even though it was just a stay of a few weeks in Hong Kong, before I flew to Canada.
From Melbourne to Darwin
Under the cover of fading evening light the ship left Station Pier, Port Melbourne and sailed toward Bass Strait. It took just over one hour to travel from the Pier to the heads of Port Phillip Bay. I had my last glimpse of Melbourne on the deck before I went down to my cabin to get ready for dinner.
“Oronsay” was a beautiful, large passenger ship (30,000 gross tons), compared with the small passenger-cargo ship “ Changte” which I travelled on from Hong Kong to Australia many years ago. I shared the cabin with three other boys: David, Steven and a Japanese student who I hadn’t met before. David and Steven studied Civil Engineering and Electrical Engineering, respectively, at the same College as myself. They also came from Hong Kong. I had two more friends travelling on the same ship to Hong Kong. They were Joseph who studied Communication Engineering at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) and a Malaysian-Chinese student who studied Civil Engineering at my College (I can’t remember his name).
David, Steven and I agreed to have our own dining table for three in the restaurant on board and eat what we like without bothering other passengers. As we ate so much on this journey, I gained an approximate total of nine pounds in 15 days!
After the ship left Port Phillip Bay, it sailed northward to Sydney. It was wet and cold on the east coast of Australia. In this terrible weather, we couldn’t play any sports on the open deck for a few days. Sadly, I can’t remember any exciting things that had happened on board between Melbourne and Sydney!
The second day after leaving Melbourne, I sent a postcard to my family in Hong Kong telling them I was on my way home. I also wrote to Bev and thanked her and my church friends for coming to see me off. I attended my first Sunday service on board. The Chief Purser of the ship conducted the service with singing hymns and reading from the Sailors’ Prayer Book (but no sermon).
In the early morning of the third day of my journey (Tuesday, 22 May 1967), the ship passed through the Sydney Heads and sailed into the beautiful sunny Sydney Harbour. It was only a quick stop for us, as the ship was scheduled to leave Sydney in the evening the same day!
My old Bendigo flatmate Fred was waiting for us at the Overseas Passenger Shipping Terminal at The Rocks. He was going to show us his University and a few interesting places around Sydney City. Fred had completed his Applied Chemistry Diploma in Bendigo about the same time as I did, and was studying his Bachelor Degree at Sydney University. We were excited to see each other. We caught up with one another and also exchanged news of our friends. Fred took us to a new “hypermarket” in a Sydney inner suburb, which was the largest in the southern hemisphere! We had our lunch in its large food court. When we were eating, we talked about our future plans and wishes. After lunch we went to see the half-finished Sydney Opera House near Circular Quay. The sail-like Opera House is situated in a beautiful location in Sydney Harbour and is one of the most magnificent buildings in the world.
To thank him for showing us around, we invited Fred back to the ship to have tea with us. There were not many passengers having their tea in the ship’s restaurant that evening, because most of them were still sightseeing in Sydney. After tea we showed Fred around the ship and took a few photos on board with the beautiful backdrop of the Harbour. Reluctantly, we said farewell to Fred and departed Sydney for Darwin about 8:30 pm. I received Bev’s lovely letter sent to Sydney. She promised to pray for both of us.
The ship sailed continuously to the north in the Coral Sea outside the Great Barrier Reef. The further we sailed north, the more the temperature rose. After we passed Brisbane, all swimming pools on board were open to the passengers.
One pleasant evening before dinner, we dressed up to attend our first cocktail party hosted by the ship’s Captain. I was not an alcohol drinker, but I enjoyed the delicious finger foods and a glass of tomato juice flavoured with lemon and pepper (I think it was “Bloody Mary”). By this time, the ship was full of activities, such as game/sport competitions, various talks/demonstrations of interesting subjects, exercise and dance classes, etc. The weather was beautiful so that I walked a few times around the deck for exercise each morning. Sometimes I went to the ship’s cinema, if it was a good film.
After passing Cape York, the most northern part of mainland Australia, the ship turned west for Darwin. It sailed through Torres Strait into the calm Arafura Sea. On the Tuesday morning of 30 May 1967 the ship arrived in the tropical city of Darwin, the most northern city of Australia, for a one-day visit. It berthed at the Fort Hill Wharf, approximately a half kilometre from Government House.
As soon as the ship berthed in the harbour of Darwin, I received a telegram from the Canadian Embassy in Canberra. I was advised that my immigration application, which I submitted in late 1966, had been approved. They asked me to report to the Canadian Embassy as soon as I arrived in Hong Kong. I also received Bev’s beautiful postcard sent to Darwin.
We booked a Darwin Sightseeing Tour through the ship’s Entertainment Officer a few days before arriving in Darwin. We were keen to visit this tropical city of Darwin and its surrounds. Unfortunately, our tour had been overbooked and couldn’t fit all of us on the coach. A taxi was quickly arranged for three of us by the Darwin Tourist Bureau staff. Four lunch boxes (one for the driver) with nice chicken pieces, fruits, cakes, bread roll and drink were handed over to us for the trip! We didn’t mind as long as we had our own guide.
The taxi driver was a Greek who came to Darwin from Sydney for better wages about two years ago. He knew Darwin very well and showed us more interesting places than the coach tour. We visited the old disused World War II defence facilities at East Point, Darwin Botanical Gardens, the Jungle Nature Park outside Darwin and a few historic places in the City. It was a very hot day for sightseeing, hence we called into a pub near the waterfront for a cold drink in the late afternoon. We bought a beer for the taxi driver and sat around a table under a tree in front of the hotel. We discussed local issues with the driver and enjoyed the late afternoon sea breeze until the time came for returning to the ship.
From Darwin to Hong Kong
The ship departed Darwin in the evening of 30 May 1967 and sailed to Hong Kong without more stops. I do not know the exact route of our journey, but I am sure that the ship sailed through Moluccas into the Philippine Sea, then through Luzon Strait to Hong Kong. After the ship passed Moluccas, there was nothing for us to see, except the deep blue sea and cloudless sky!
When we crossed the Equator, a special celebration was held at the large swimming pool on board for the passengers. The passengers who were crossing the Equator for the first time were invited to take part in this act. The Captain presented the participants of the ceremony a certificate of equator crossing. After the ceremony, instead of having our tea in the usual dining room, a delicious Australian BBQ tea was served to the passengers by the poolside.
One warm evening after tea, we gathered on the stern deck of the ship to take part in a “singalong”. I selected a comfortable deckchair not too close to the stage but having a good view of the performers. The deck was decorated with coloured lights, and the stage was arranged for an Australian outback scene. We sang many songs, including folk songs, popular songs from films and musicals and, of course, famous Australian songs too. I enjoyed the singing very much; perhaps I began missing Australia.
During the journey, I attended a number of talks or presentations given by the special guests on board. One passenger gave a talk about his work in astronomy. His talk was interesting and eye opening, but the meeting room was too warm (without air conditioning) and the light in the room was dim. I dozed off when he showed his many colour slides! I also attended a presentation of Japanese traditional dress, given by a group of Japanese passengers. They showed us how to put on the “kimono” and perform the traditional “tea ceremony”. The presentation was very interesting and educational. I enjoyed life on board the “Oronsay”, but I also missed Bev to share my experiences and thoughts.
2. HOLIDAY IN HONG KONG
Reunion
When I woke up on the Sunday morning of 4 June 1967, I couldn’t get on deck quick enough to watch the ship sailing into Victoria Harbour through the narrow entrance Lei Yue Mun (鯉魚門). The sky was still dark but bright enough for me to see many new tall buildings on both sides of the harbour. Since I left home, my family had moved from an old suburb, Sham Shui Po (深水涉), to a new suburb, Kwun Tong (觀塘) near the Hong Kong Kai Tak Airport (啟德機場).
Hong Kong had changed so much that I couldn’t even recognise some of the familiar landmarks! I even wondered what my parents, brothers and sister would look like when I met them at the pier. Would they have trouble recognising me also? When I was in Australia, I always longed to come back. But now I was home, I felt lost and uneasy. Could I still call Hong Kong home after seven years absence?
The ship berthed at the Ocean Terminal on the Kowloon Peninsular about 10:00 am, and we were allowed to get off the ship a half hour later. When I was waiting to disembark, I looked down from the deck of the ship to the terminal and searched eagerly for my family in the waiting crowds. It was difficult to find anyone in a big crowd like this. Eventually I saw my family standing on the pier, not far from the gangway. I waved to them and rushed down the gangway to meet them.
We were glad to see each other. I shook hands with my father and two brothers, but gave a big hug each to my mother and sister. My parents, elder brother Nai-King (乃經) and only sister Winnie (慧儂) had not changed much since I left home, but my younger brother Dennis (乃波) had grown up from a little boy to a handsome teenager. (Photo 1) That morning Dad had got up very early in order to watch the ship from his window, sailing through the entrance into Victoria Harbour. Because my family wanted to welcome me personally at the pier, they rushed to the Terminal even didn’t have time to have their breakfast! After we had greeted each other, my elder brother took all of us to a Chinese restaurant in the Ocean Terminal. We had a nice breakfast/lunch and in the same time caught up with each other while I was waiting for the luggage.
I wrote to Bev the next day to inform her that I had arrived safely in Hong Kong. I also told her that I finalised the immigration formalities with the Canadian Embassy as soon as I had arrived in Hong Kong.
Home Sweet Home
After his retirement, my father bought a three-bedroom apartment in Kwun Tong and moved there around 1966. Kwun Tong, located north east of the old airport runway, was a quiet farming and fishing village in New Kowloon (新九龍). During the 1960s, Kwun Tong rapidly developed into a new industrial and residential modern suburb. My family’s new home was situated on the 7th floor of Kai King Mansion (佳景樓). The Mansion was one of the new multi-storey residential buildings at the foothills of Kwun Tong. Its location provided a good view of Kowloon Bay (九龍灣) to the south and a glimpse of a new public park in Yuet Wah Street (月華街) to the north.
My parents’ new apartment was a beautiful and comfortable home. Each bedroom of this apartment had its own small balcony. All balconies were decorated with beautiful flowers growing in pots. It was my mother’s daily task to water and look after the flowers. I liked the balcony of my room and used it frequently as my quiet retreat. The floor of the apartment was covered with beautiful parquet-wood but required constant polishing and waxing. It was the monthly duty of my younger brother, Dennis, to look after the floor.
My father was a busy and hard-working man before his retirement. Since my family moved from the bustling old suburb of Kowloon to this quiet new suburb Kwun Tong, my father was kind of lost in the new environment. He made some new friends in the Mansion, but he did not have a routine task to occupy himself everyday. My father became impatient and always looking for an argument. After discussing with other members of the family, Nai-King bought some tropical fish and a large fish tank for our father. Nai-King suggested to Dad that it would be nice for him to feed and look after the fish. My father was happy to take up his new hobby, and the others were happy too for having our father back in his old good mood again!
Since he finished tertiary study, Nai King was employed as an Assistant Welfare Officer of The Hong Kong Discharged Prisoners’ Aid Society (香港釋囚協助會). His office, Tung Tau Social Therapy Centre, was located in one of the resettlement estates in Kowloon. Nai-King travelled frequently between Kowloon and the New Territories (新界) for his prison visitation work.
Winnie was a teacher in a small primary school in Kwun Tong. She loved the children and her job. She made good friends with the parents of the students, and the staff in this school. Dennis was studying hard in an English high school in Kowloon and hoped to gain a good result for his further study in Canada.
During my short stay in Hong Kong, I found myself a local church for worshipping. Kwun Tong Baptist Church was only about 10 minutes walk from my home in Yuet Wah Street. I attended their service every Sunday and enjoyed the Christian fellowship.
Friends, Fishpond and Banana Tree
Since I arrived in Hong Kong I had been busy visiting relatives and friends. One week after my arrival, I went with Dennis to meet June Sutton, an Australian Missionary serving in the U.S. Southern Baptist Mission in Hong Kong. She came from Melbourne a few years earlier and knew one of my friends in West Hawthorn Baptist Church. June worked among the people of Chaozhou (潮州) in the Colony. She could speak the Chaozhou dialect and preached in their churches sometimes. I gave her the greetings from West Hawthorn Baptist Church and was pleased to meet her.
When I was there, the weather in Hong Kong was getting warmer in June but not as humid as in May. Unfortunately, the Hong Kong water supply had been heavily reduced to four hours for every four days because of the serious drought in the Colony!
I was invited to visit my Bendigo College mates David and Steven in the New Territories. One early morning, I caught a bus from Kowloon and travelled to Yuen Long (元朗) to visit my two friends. When I left Kowloon, the weather was perfect but forecasted to be showers in the afternoon. The bus travelled to the New Territories on a new busy four-lane highway. I was shocked to see that many beautiful old country towns along the highway had been redeveloped into new urban concrete jungles!
When I arrived at Yuen Long, David and Steven were already waiting for me at the bus terminal. We had a quick look around in the town centre before we went to a Chinese restaurant for lunch. We talked about our experiences in and feelings about Hong Kong since we came back from Australia. We were amazed of the rapid changes in Hong Kong.
After lunch David suggested we visit a fish farm owned by his friend, located not far from Yuen Long. We walked approximately two kilometres along a narrow country path to the fish farm. It was not just a place for fish farming but also provided facilities for tourists. We moved around freely in the farm and admired the big variety of freshwater fish kept in the ponds. It was so pleasant and peaceful walking among the ponds. We stood quietly in front of a stand of banana trees and enjoyed (or was it dreaming?) the magnificent scenery of the farm.
In the late afternoon, the air in the fish farm became hotter and heavier. We were woken up suddenly from our “dreaming” by a heavy shower. We ran quickly for cover under the banana trees. Luckily it rained only for a few minutes, and the sun came out again high up in the sky. While we were still hiding under the tall banana trees and enjoying the coolness and freshness after the shower, there was sunlight streaming through the gaps of the large wet banana leaves and creating many beautiful patterns on the damp ground. It was so wonderful that I have never experienced anything like it before!
We were invited to have tea with Steven’s family in the evening. Steven’s father was a good cook and prepared a great meal for us to enjoy. After tea, he served us a small cup of strong Chinese tea, which was made in a special tea set traditionally used by the people of Chaozhou. I enjoyed the visit very much and didn’t go home until dark.
When I arrived home, I realised that my mother was upset because I didn’t ring and tell her to say, “I am alright in my friend’s place and will be late coming home.” She was worried about me when she saw a terrific traffic accident on the highway to Yuen Long on the television evening news. I was annoyed because she treated me like a schoolboy, especially I truly didn’t know there was a traffic accident on the highway. But I said “sorry” to her and thanked God that He gave me a mother who really loved and cared about me.
Street Riots
In 1966 Chairman Mao started his great proletarian “Cultural Revolution (文化大革命)” to regain control of the country. Young intellectuals took over the ancient Middle Kingdom, and traditionally revered elders were cast aside, some times with brute force. The chaos in China spilled over into Macau the same year then Hong Kong the following year. Meanwhile the British Embassy in Beijing was sacked and Red Guards (紅衛兵) took to Hong Kong’s streets. Homemade bombs were planted in public places. The Hong Kong Government fought back and banned selling or using fireworks, but just about all aspects of the economy of the Colony were paralysed. China did not want either Portugal or Britain to pull out of the Colonies at this point in time due to economic considerations. The Chinese Government responded vociferously when bigger street riots broke out and tension was mounting. The “disturbances” were quelled by the end of 1967. Hong Kong and Macau were still Western-run colonies until the Handovers in 1997 and 2000, respectively.
During my holiday in Hong Kong, I experienced street riots for the second time in my life. A few weeks before departure, I went with Dennis to buy a hi-fi set for shipping to Canada. While selecting the hi-fi equipment inside an electrical store in Kowloon, we heard a number of gunshots and much yelling from the street. The Riot Police ordered the shop owner to close his shop immediately and keep everyone inside for our own protection. We were trapped in the shop almost one hour and couldn’t get out until the Police told us it was safe to leave. The situation was tense and frightening in the streets. We didn’t get the hi-fi set from the shop but went home without hesitation, while there were buses still running at that moment.
“See you again!”
The second day after I arrived in Hong Kong, I went to book my passage on the P & O ship “S.S. Orsova” for Vancouver, leaving Hong Kong in early August. Unfortunately, a few weeks later I was told there was no vacancy on the ship due to the big demands caused by the riots in Hong Kong, and I had to look for other travelling means. When he heard about my transport problem, my friend Joseph invited me to fly with him to Vancouver via Seattle. I thought it would be a reasonable alternative if I sent my luggage to Vancouver on “Orsova” then flew on Northwest Orient Airline to Seattle with Joseph a few days later.
In order to say goodbye to me, Auntie Jok (祝姨) invited Nai-King and I to visit her little hut in Fanling (粉嶺), in the New Territories. Her husband had died many years ago, and her only teenage son in China had disappeared at the China-Hong Kong border when he tried to escape to Hong Kong a few years earlier. Auntie Jok worked as a live-in servant for a family in Kowloon and saved hard for many years to buy this little farmhouse (partnership with her friend) for her future retirement. Auntie Jok leased the house to a friend but kept a pig and a few chickens and ducks for herself. She also had a small vegetable garden and a few fruit trees on the property. On our way home, she took us to a restaurant specialising in BBQ pigeon in Sha Tin (沙田). We enjoyed the country scenery and the delicious dinner. Auntie Jok was one of my favourite aunts.
With the help of my uncle who worked in the office of Kowloon Wharf, I sent all large luggage to Vancouver on “Orsova” (as a transit passenger’s belongings) a few days before its departure. I also collected my aeroplane tickets for Seattle and Vancouver (a discounted immigrant ticket), leaving Hong Kong in early August 1967. I found that it could be cheaper travelling by air than by ship, even paying additional fee for transporting my luggage on the “Orsova”! It was wonderful that God had provided all my needs, in His time and way.
3. SOAR ON WINGS LIKE EAGLES
From Hong Kong to Seattle
It was sad for me to say goodbye to my family! They saw me off at the Hong Kong (Kai Tak) International Airport on the Sunday morning of 6th August 1967. I boarded a large jet aeroplane on the tarmac near the terminal, and looked back to my family through its windows with a mixed feeling. I loved to stay a little longer with them in Hong Kong, but I also couldn’t wait immigrating to Canada to start my new life. I would like to spread my wings in the big span and soared on wings like eagles.
It was the first time I had travelled a long distance on a large aeroplane! Everything on board the jet liner was new to me. The airhostesses were beautiful in their well-made uniforms, but also were efficient and helpful. Before the aeroplane took off from the runway, they gave us each a little packet with toiletries and some other useful items for travelling. Two of the airhostesses demonstrated the correct way to put on the lifejacket and indicated to us the nearest emergency exits on the aeroplane.
To ease my uncertainty and sad feelings, I prayed to God for His guidance and focused on the things that might be faced as soon as I landed in Canada. I quietly discussed my concerns with Joseph who travelled with me to Vancouver, and worked my way through them. Reluctantly I said farewell to Hong Kong, after having my last glimpse of the long runway from the blue sky.
There was nothing to see through the window after leaving Hong Kong, other than cloud and sea. Refreshments were served to the passengers immediately after takeoff. The Captain of the aeroplane announced that we would travel to Tokyo, capital of Japan, via Taiwan Strait (台灣海峽). (Map 1) After having my lunch on the aeroplane over Taipei (台北), capital of Taiwan, I settled down to read the travelling magazines provided for the passengers. I thought about my family and missed Bev who I could share my feelings with at this moment.
The aeroplane arrived at Tokyo International Airport in the late afternoon. It was only a one-hour stop in Tokyo then we took off again for Seattle, via the North Pacific Ocean. We crossed the International Date Line near the Bering Sea in the early morning. The night seemed very short on the aeroplane (about four hours darkness!) before the sun rose again from the east. The passengers were woken to have their breakfast and tidy themselves before arrival. We landed on the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in the late morning, same day (due to the time zone difference).
From Seattle to Vancouver
Seattle is the largest city in Washington State, USA, about 160 km south of Vancouver. The famous Boeing aeroplane factory is situated there. Joseph and I passed through the US immigration and custom checks without any problem. But we had to wait two hours before boarding the connecting flight to Canada.
We walked out of the airport terminal building and had a quick look around in the vicinity of the airport. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to visit this beautiful city; may be another time! We boarded an Air Canada aeroplane for Canada in the afternoon. It took us only 45 minutes to fly from Seattle to Vancouver, the largest city in British Columbia.
A Short Stay in Vancouver
We landed at Vancouver International Airport in the late afternoon of Sunday 6 August 1967, and travelled to downtown on an airport bus. Joseph and I booked into a budget hotel opposite to the Central Railway Station. The hotel was clean, not posh, but convenient.
British Columbia is the Province that advertises her “beauty” by putting the words “The Province of Beauty” on her motor vehicle registration plates. Captain James Cook staked Britain’s claim to British Columbia in 1778, and Captain George Vancouver took possession of it 14 years later. Victoria, at the south-east tip of rugged Vancouver Island and just off the coast of the United States, is the province’s capital. But Vancouver on the mainland is the province’s largest city, and the third largest in Canada. Victoria is only about two hours journey by ferry from Vancouver.
Vancouver is situated on Burrard Inlet with a magnificent backdrop of mountain peaks, and the blue waters of the Pacific are at its feet. The elegant Lion’s Gate Bridge (The First Narrows Bridge) spans a narrow of Burrard Inlet to the sprawling suburbs of the north shore and the Sunshine Coast of beaches and sheltered bays beyond. Vancouver has one of North America’s finest harbours and a 1,000 acre forested parkland paradise, Stanley Park, not far from downtown. Vancouver has the second largest Chinatown in North America, only next to San Francisco in USA. (There was a “Japantown” near the wharfs in Vancouver. It was small and old, compared with Chinatown.)
Besides Vancouver Island, Vancouver is the warmest place in Canada. It snows only one to two weeks at the most, per year. However, you can see the nearby snow-capped mountains from the city most of the year. The nice weather and beautiful scenery of British Columbia attracts many visitors from the United States every year.
The next day after my arrival, I went to have my chest X-ray in a Government clinic not far from our hotel. I had a few hiccups with an immigration officer when I passed through the checkpoint in the airport. He reckoned that I should produce my chest X-ray film at the first entry point of Canada if the immigration visa was issued in Hong Kong. However, my entry visa was approved in Canberra but issued in Hong Kong! I was told to have the X-ray again for their records.
Joseph stayed with me in Vancouver for only two days, and then travelled on the Canadian Pacific Railway to Montreal because he had to attend a pre-arranged job interview over there the following week. After I saw Joseph off to the east, I went to visit my high school and college mate David, who had migrated here with his brother a few weeks earlier. They had been looking for work but had not found one yet! I also visited my second cousin (黃桂英) in Vancouver, who migrated to Canada with her family about one and a half years ago.
My cousin lived in a rented small apartment in Keefer Street near Vancouver Chinatown. Her husband was an aeroplane mechanic in Hong Kong but couldn’t get a similar job in Vancouver. He worked temporarily as a shopkeeper in his uncle’s Chinese grocery shop in Chinatown. They had two young children, one boy and one girl. The boy went to a government primary school near their apartment, but the girl was not old enough to go to school yet!
In order to save money, I moved out of the hotel and rented a room in a two-storey apartment building in the eastern suburbs, about 20 minutes walking distance from Chinatown. It was a small bed-sitting room, with simple cooking facilities but no refrigerator. I had to share the bathroom and toilet with other tenants. I could see the fast-food shop car park next door from my first floor window. I wrote to my family about my safe arrival and asked them to send all mail to my cousin’s address. I also informed Bev of my new address. The P & O ship “Orsova” arrived in Vancouver with the luggage about 10 days after my arrival. I hired a taxi truck from Chinatown and collected my luggage from the wharf.
After I arrived in Vancouver, I tried very hard to get a civil engineering job. I searched the employment advertisements in the daily newspaper and wrote many job application letters to both government agencies and private companies, but had no luck. The problem was that I was not a Canadian citizen and had not been educated in North America, nor had I any North American work experience. To apply for any British Columbia provincial government job, the applicant must be a Canadian or British Subject! When I was not looking for work, I spent my time visiting the places of interest in Vancouver.
One morning after I routinely checked the employment section of the daily newspaper for work, I had no luck. Instead of feeling miserable in my small room, I caught a bus to Stanley Park near downtown. This beautiful park is located on the tip of a peninsular at the south end of Lion’s Gate Bridge, about 6.5 kilometres (4 miles) from downtown. The Park is very large with thick forest and attractive waterfront. You can imagine how big the park is if they could conduct a one-hour bus tour inside the park! Stanley Park is a popular public open space, combined with sports grounds, swimming beaches, zoo, picnic areas, hiking tracks, rose garden, original forests, outdoor café, Indian Totem Poles and Indian Culture Centre. Because of the large size of the park, no one would feel crowded or complain of lack of privacy! I walked leisurely along the tracks inside the park and enjoyed the wonderful vegetation and beautiful scenery. I lay down on the grass slope facing Burrard Inlet and bathed in the early autumn sun. I dreamed that I was an eagle, soaring on its wings in the sky.
Queen Elizabeth Garden is another beautiful park not far from downtown Vancouver. I visited the Garden one afternoon in early September. The famous part of this Garden is its Quarry Garden. It was created in an old stone quarry site with many beautiful flowers in the carefully developed flowerbeds, a man-made waterfall, and bridges over the crystal clear water pools. I hiked up the top of a small hill in the Garden, where the Quarry Garden was located. From Quarry Garden I could see Downtown Vancouver and North Vancouver on the other side of the Burrard Inlet. Also I could see Stanley Park and the Second Narrows Bridge over the Burrard Inlet. On a fine day, you could see the snow-capped Grouse Mountain in North Vancouver.
At that time there were two universities in Vancouver. The University of Vancouver is one of the oldest universities in Canada. It had more than 15,000 students enrolled in 1967. The campus, located at Point Grey (approximately 15 km from Downtown Vancouver), is a really beautiful place. If you walk in this campus, you may think that you are not inside a university but in a park! The second university in Vancouver is Simon Fraser University. It is fairly new and only opened in 1962. The campus is situated next to Burnaby Mountain Park, approximately 20 km from Downtown Vancouver. The beautiful architecture has gained the university a famous name in North America. The surroundings of the campus are attractive and peaceful!
Vancouver is a lovely city, which enjoys warmer weather than other parts of Canada. I would have liked to live there if I could have got a job in Vancouver. I stayed there over one month and applied for many positions without even getting a job interview! I was depressed and started missing my family and Bev. During this dark and testing time, I received a lovely letter from Bev —the first one since I left Hong Kong. She shared my concerns in prayer and encouraged me to know the power of God over loneliness, fear and other temptations (1 Corinthians 10:13). The only thing I could do was to trust the Lord (1 Peter 5:7). He brought me from Hong Kong to Australia to study, then sent me to Canada to live. I believed that God would guide me and provide all my needs.
I wrote to my college mate Ngan (顏) to find out the employment opportunities in Toronto. I thought that I might have a better chance to get a job in the second largest Canadian city than over in Vancouver. My friend Ngan wrote back immediately and encouraged me to join him in Toronto. He told me I could stay in his apartment until I got a job. I booked a sleeping berth on the Canadian Pacific Railway for Toronto, leaving Vancouver in mid September.
Across Canada by Canadian Pacific Railway
In the evening of 21 September 1967, I left Vancouver on a train across Canada for Toronto. (Map 1) The train was scheduled originally to depart from Central Railway Station near downtown at 6 pm. We waited and waited in the foyer of the Station for more than two hours, but nothing happened. Eventually we were told that there was a delay due to a goods train derailment approximately 160 km (100 miles) north east of Vancouver that afternoon. The station staff put all passengers on buses travelling to a small airport near Vancouver, and flew us to an unknown town close to the derailment section of the line. It was a small noisy old aeroplane; but a nice meal was served when we were on board. We then took a chartered bus to a nearby railway siding for our Canadian Pacific Railway train. At last, I boarded the connecting train and settled in my small but comfortable berth just after mid-night!
I fell asleep as soon as hitting the pillow, because I was very tired after all the troubles we had in the evening. The railway ticket cost me $90 but included my comfortable upper berth and three nice meals a day. The train was modern, air-conditioned, reasonably comfortable, fast and steady running on the endless rails. Beside the sleeping and dining cars, it also had two scenic domes for observation and two lounges for relaxation; all located at convenient points on the train. Of course you could buy drinks or snacks on the train if you want to, no matter whether day or night. News and music were broadcast through the loudspeaker system on the train a few times each day.
There are two transcontinental railways in Canada: the privately owned Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) and the government-owned Canadian National Railway (CNR). The CPR line located approximately north of the USA-Canada border, while the CNR line located generally north of the CPR line. Both lines start from Vancouver, British Columbia and finish at Montreal, Quebec, passing through the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario. The trains used to leave Montreal (or Toronto) for Vancouver every night in the year. In about three and a half days they travelled more than 4,500 km (2,800 miles), rushing through vast uninhabited areas, linking up big cities and little villages, and climbing through the high mountain passes in the Rockies within sight of snow-capped peaks. (Sadly, these excellent transcontinental passenger rail services have been discontinued since the 1980s.)
In the morning, after the train passed through Kicking Horse Pass (1,627 m) in the Rocky Mountains at the British Columbia-Alberta border, we stopped at the scenic town of Banff, Alberta. Banff (population 3,500) is one of the most famous resort towns in Canada and noted for its natural beauty. The town was named after Banff, Scotland. It lies about 1,412 metres (4,534 feet) above sea level on the eastern slope of the majestic Canadian Rockies, at the south-eastern end of Banff National Park. The town is about 129 km (80 miles) northwest of Calgary. Banff National Park is a paradise of sheer rock-faced mountain pinnacles, soaring nearly 3,700 metres (12,000 feet) into the sky. Many of them are mirrored in the shimmering blue-green waters of gorgeous lakes, such as Lake Louise. Thousands of tourists and sportsmen visit Banff every year. The Rockies attract mountain climbers and skiers, while other visitors enjoy golf, fishing, and the famous hot sulphur-water swimming pools in Banff.
We stopped at the picturesque Banff Railway Station just long enough for the passengers to get on and off the train. I got off the train and stood on the station platform looking at the surrounding snow-capped mountain peaks. The air outside the train carriages was cold but the scenery was breathtaking! I quickly took a few colour slides before the train moved away from the station. I was glad that I travelled on the CPR train, because only the CPR train passed through Banff whilst the CNR train would not. Banff certainly was the best place on the Canadian transcontinental railroad to get spectacular views of the Canadian Rockies. I didn’t visit Banff again until September 2002 (this time with my wife Bev).
The train’s next stop was Calgary, the second largest city in Alberta. Calgary is internationally famous for its rodeo, the Calgary Stampede. A feast of the skills and thrills of the old prairie, it is held every July and is attended by hundreds of spectators. Alberta started out as an agricultural land, and has, to a very great extent, remained one. The land in the south of the province produces sugar beet, canning vegetables and livestock forage. Cattle and sheep ranches in the foothills, along the Saskatchewan River, and in the south-east, cover thousands upon thousands of hectares. Fields of wheat, rye, barley, oats and livestock feed-grains ripen in the sun of the south and central regions, and in the Peace River country.
In the late evening the train crossed the Alberta border into Saskatchewan. Saskatchewan is the heartland of Canada’s prairies--a province of undulating grain fields, far distant horizons, and big skies. It is also the land of a great, empty northern wilderness of dense forests and solitary lakes. Saskatchewan is a land of the wheat farmer and cattle rancher, of the miner and the oilman.
The train stopped late in the night at Regina, the capital of Saskatchewan. I didn’t see much of this section of my journey because it was after sunset! Regina had been named after Victoria Regina, Queen Victoria in 1883. It was the headquarters of the original North West Mounted Police Force, founded over a hundred years ago. The barracks over there are still the training centre for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, as the Force is now known.
We crossed the Saskatchewan- Manitoba border at night and arrived in Winnipeg the next morning. Manitoba is a province of surprising diversity and beauty. It is said there are 100,000 lakes in Manitoba, including the great Lake Winnipeg. Although by no means mountainous, it has some beautiful ranges of hills in unspoiled parkland. The grain fields of southern and western Manitoba sweep to an uncluttered horizon, and vaults of blue sky that crown the scene. Such is the vastness and solitude of the Prairies. Manitoba’s grain-lands are dotted with tiny villages, halfway houses for the grain harvest stored in high elevators, awaiting shipment by rail to Europe via Winnipeg and the Great Lakes-St Lawrence Seaway.
Winnipeg is the capital of Manitoba and the great railway junction in the centre of Canada. It is situated in the midst of level prairie where the Red River meets the Assiniboine River. Winnipeg’s exposed position in the middle of a flat plain makes it one of Canada’s coldest cities in winter (may drop to -20°F or -29°C). The temperatures between Summer and Winter are very great. The freezing wind in the winter was the main reason for me not to apply for a job in Winnipeg. Besides being an administrative and communications centre, and a university city, Winnipeg is at the heart of one of Canada’s most important industrial areas; manufactures includes railway rolling stock, steel and petroleum products, and textiles.
After a short stop for loading and unloading in Winnipeg, and having a quick wash of the carriages through a series of water sprays at the railway yard, the train continued on its journey to the east in the afternoon.
The scenery changed significantly after we crossed the Manitoba-Ontario border. The maple leaves had changed into magnificent autumn colours. Ontario (it was called Upper Canada) is a land of breathless beauty. Northern Ontario, with its dense forests and countless lakes, is a naturalist’s paradise. The rugged Georgian Bay shoreline stirs the soul of anyone who sees a wind whip up waves on its waters. Ontario is a land of resorts, which are dotted all along the shores of its beautiful lakes (Muskoka, Huron, Simcoe); the Bruce Peninsula and Manitoulin Island.
When I woke up in the morning of my fourth day rail journey across the continent, I saw, through the train windows near Sudbury, my first snow in Canada! The virgin snow was so white, spotless and beautiful, and never disturbed by anyone, neither by human beings nor animals. It was freezing cold outside the train but was cosy in the carriages. Even though I had a thousand things on my mind, which I couldn’t solve until I arrived in Toronto, I put all of them to one side and admired the wonderful creation of our Lord!
Sudbury is an important CPR railway junction to Toronto or Montreal. Every train from west coast to east will branch out from it. Sudbury is a growing city, especially for industry and mining. The temperature was near to freezing point when I was there. But when the train headed south for Toronto, the temperature became warmer.
On 24 September 1967, the train pulled into Union Railway Station, Downtown Toronto about 7:30 pm. My friend Ngan was waiting at the Station platform. We were glad to see each other again, as we had not talked face to face since we left Bendigo more than two years ago. It was a long train trip from Vancouver to Toronto, but it was exciting and interesting. Without any notice or celebration, I spent my birthday on the CPR train crossing Canada!
Many a failure turns about,
When he might have won if he’d stuck it out;
So stick to your task, though the pace seems slow,
For you may succeed with one more blow.
You can never tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit—
It’s when things seem worst that you mustn’t quit!
(Unknown poet)
4. WHITE AS SNOW
Toronto – Place of Meeting
Toronto is the capital of the province of Ontario and is Canada’s leading industrial and trading centre. It is the most populated city in Canada, followed by Montreal. The name of Toronto comes from an American Indian word meaning “ place of meeting”. The Seneca, a tribe of the Iroquois, lived in a village on the site of Toronto during the 1600’s. In 1750 the French built a fort and a trading post there. In July 1793 the new Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada (Ontario), John Graves Simcoe, began clearing the site for a new town to be the capital of the province. This capital, which was called York, was occupied and burned by United States troops during the war of 1812. In 1834 it became a city and was renamed Toronto.
Toronto has a fine natural harbour on Lake Ontario’s north-western shore. It is the busiest Canadian port on the Great Lakes. The towering skyscrapers of Downtown Toronto make an impressive skyline. Railway yards and several industrial sites line the lakefront. The Stock Exchange stands on Bay Street, the financial centre of the city. Most of the commercial establishments are situated around Young Street, which extends for miles and miles to the north, from the waterfront to Richmond Hill. The lake helps to keep Toronto’s climate moderate, and although the Winters are colder than New York or Washington DC, it is a much drier cold, and there is more sunshine and fewer periods of steady rain.
My friend Ngan lived in Beverley Street, Downtown Toronto. He shared the house with a Chinese family, Mr and Mrs Cheung, and their two little girls. The family occupied the ground floor and basement, while Ngan sublet the small first floor from them. The house was a pre World War II timber building in a tree lined residential street. It was conveniently located near Chinatown and all public transport. After he received his Mechanical Engineering Diploma from the Poly-technical College in Toronto, Ngan worked as a design draftsman in Canadian Atomic Energy Commission.
I stayed with Ngan in Beverley Street for only one month. Because the house was to be pulled down to make way for a new apartment building, we moved to a house in Grange Avenue (later renamed Grange Place) in late October 1967. We rented a double-bed room on the first floor of a two-storey house from a Chinese family, and shared a small kitchen at the basement with another Chinese tenant, our friend Albert. Albert was studying architecture in the Poly-technical College in Toronto. Our new room was brighter and better than the one in Beverley Street. It was cleaner and quieter with more space for both of us. I could see the beautiful elm trees on both sides of the avenue through our small attic window.
I diligently hunted for a job after my arrival in Toronto. I wrote numerous job application letters to various civil engineering companies and government departments, but had no satisfactory results. Thank God that I didn’t need to worry in regard to my accommodation and meals, as Ngan was so generously providing my requirements. However, I felt uneasy doing nothing while others went to work everyday. From time to time, I was lonely and longed for Christian fellowship. My only comfort was reading the Bible and Christian books every day when nobody was around, which gave me big encouragement and hope. I started worshipping in a local Baptist Church at the corner of Beverley Street and Sullivan Street on Sunday, until I got a job in a Chinese restaurant in Chinatown.
The weather in Toronto was quite cold with frost in mid-Autumn and would begin to snow from November to next April. I had decided if I couldn’t get an engineering job by mid November, then I should look for any other indoor job to keep me going until next Spring. The first place I would try for a temporary job was Chinatown. One day my friend Albert, who had worked as a waiter in a large Chinese restaurant in Chinatown during summer vacation, informed me there was a waiter ‘vacancy’ in a Chinese café in Dundas Street West. He encouraged me to go for it. I went for the interview with Albert and was accepted. I was asked to start work the following day.
Working in Chinatown
The Chinese café was located right in Chinatown, approximately behind the new Toronto City Hall. It opened for business from 11:30 am to next morning 3:00 am, seven days per week. I worked the day shift only, from 11:15 am to 8:15 pm without stops, except a short 15 minutes lunch break. I arrived home about 8:30 pm after a long working day. I was always tired and didn’t want to go anywhere after work. My wage was $110 per week (after tax) plus tips ($10-15 per day). I had my day off every Thursday. The restaurant provided our breakfast, lunch and dinner during workdays. We were given one-week annual leave and a few days of sick leave each year. The hours were long and we even worked all public holidays without extra pay!
The restaurant served a very basic yum-cha (about ten varieties only in the morning and lunchtime), and many tasty Chinese dishes. Our customers were mainly Chinese, together with some local Canadians and tourists. I worked in this restaurant almost two years (two winters to be exact). I saw and heard a lot of interesting things, which happened in Chinatown. Following are a few of them.
The restaurant was managed jointly by three partners. Two bosses were responsible for the dining room, one for day shift and the other for night shift. The third boss worked in the kitchen during daytime. A more experienced cook was employed for the night shift. In order to run the business properly, three teams of workers were employed. The first team was responsible for making dim-sums for yum-cha and worked between 7 am and 12 pm every day. The second team, which I belonged to, ran the restaurant from 11:15 am to 8:15 pm, while the third team managed the restaurant from 7:15 pm to 3:15 am next morning. It was a very busy restaurant but did not attract high-class customers! Therefore, we didn’t get good tips from our waiting services.
Talking about customers, I had served all sorts of people in this restaurant, including old Chinese pensioners living in Chinatown, gamblers from the illegal gambling joint on the first floor above the restaurant, Chinese and Canadian local gangsters, some working young people who never cooked at home, ordinary couples and families, tourists and prostitutes. Some of the Chinatown stories made me excited, while others made me sad.
I met a young Asian man who came for his dinner in the restaurant every day. He was quiet and polite, and always alone. One day, this young man appeared in the restaurant and wanted to talk to me after work. He told me he had no place to go for the night. A few days ago, he resigned from his job in Toronto and tried to join his sister in the U.S.A. Because he did not have a resident permit (the green card) of the States, the U.S. Immigration Officer at the border sent him back to Canada. I couldn’t help him much, except gave him all my tips which I received that day and advised him to catch another coach to cross into U.S.A. again that night. I wished him luck and went home. I never saw him again in Toronto. I assumed that he successfully crossed the border to join his sister!
Late one afternoon, I served a restaurant table with three attractive women. They were taller than average female, wide shoulders with heavy makeup. The women were polite and talked quietly among themselves. It was strange that only one of them talked to me, with slightly deep voice and French accent. I thought they might have come from the province of Quebec and didn’t speak good English. They stayed in the café only about a half hour then paid their bills promptly and went away. After they had gone, my boss told me they were men dressed in women’s clothes. They had come to the restaurant a few times!
Every morning before I went to work, I would read my Bible and any interesting articles. I often listened to the local, as well as U.S. radio programs, or played my favourite musical records to keep me occupied. I was lonely and there was nobody I could talk to. I longed for Christian fellowship. I had tried to play a guitar which I borrowed from my friend, but had no progress. It needed a lot of practice, patience and time, which I didn’t have. However, I enjoyed reading various Christian books, especially the Christian biography and witness. I received a copy of Christian magazine “Chinese Today (中信月刊)” every month, which was published by Chinese Christian Mission (中國信徒佈道會) and sent to anyone free.
Thursday was my day off from work each week. I usually went to Eaton’s or Walton’s, the two largest department stores in Toronto, for window-shopping in the late morning. If I found any bargains of good musical records then I would buy it. Sometimes, I might go to the Christian bookshop in downtown and hunt for a good book, which could encourage and comfort me when I was down and low. Usually, I enjoyed my light lunch in the café of one of these department stores before doing my shopping for the evening meal. I would spend almost the whole afternoon to tidy my room and do my washing in a laundrette. I put my weekly washing in a large paper bag together with a box of washing powder, etc. and walked to the coin-operated laundrette not far from our house. It would take me about two hours to wash and dry the clothes. I would read my book or magazine while I was waiting in the shop.
I enjoyed cooking the evening meal on my day off. I could talk and joke with Ngan when we were eating. I was hardly socialising with him because of our different working hours. However, we were good friends and understood each other.
Snowstorm
I saw my first snow in Toronto about mid November that year. I woke up in the morning and, as usual, looked through the double glazed attic window at the almost leafless old elm trees in front of our house. The front garden and the street were covered with fresh white snow overnight. It was so beautiful, undisturbed and peaceful. I realised that the weather would become cooler each day from now on!
To prepare for my first Winter in Canada, I took out my thick overcoat, woollen scarf and fur-lined gloves from my suitcases. Also, I went to buy a pair of waterproof snow-boots (a pair of over-sized rubber boots to be worn outside your normal shoes) for walking in the snow and a good woollen hat to protect my head and ears from the freezing cold wind. It was cold and slippery walking in the streets but warm and comfortable staying inside the buildings. In Canada, most of the buildings had central heating. The heating of residential building was heavily subsidised by the government. In Downtown Toronto, all big buildings were inter-connected with weatherproofed passages, either tunnels or enclosed footbridges.
The temperature of Toronto could drop to about -15◦C in Winter. Once I put a saucer of water outside the kitchen window in order to find out how long it would take to freeze the water. It took just five minutes turning it from water to ice! I couldn’t walk in the street in this weather more than 15 minutes without covering my head and ears; it would make my ears very painful and eventually numb. During snow season, the city council workers would scatter sea salt on the roads to stop it freezing and reduce traffic hazard. After a snowstorm, the large snowploughs would come and clear the snow on the public roads; usually pushing the snow to either side of the road, or trucked it away and dumped it into Lake Ontario. However, it is the responsibility of the house occupant to clear the snow on the footpath in front of his or her house.
I experienced my first big snowstorm during the first Winter in Toronto. I was too tired after work and fell asleep immediately when I hit the pillow that night. I didn’t hear anything about the snowstorm until I woke up the next morning. The room was cold but the street was unusually quiet, no wind nor car noise. When I looked out from the attic window, there was nothing except plenty of white snow. I also realized that many branches of the old elm trees in our street were broken off and littered across the road and footpaths. When the sun eventually came out through the grey snow clouds, the scenery was beautiful, with undisturbed white powder-snow covering the buildings and street, and lovely crystal-like icicles hanging from the tree branches and the house guttering.
The snow was so thick that it made many streets very difficult for any vehicle driving in them, or for anyone walking on the footpaths. I turned my little transistor radio on and tried to get any local news about the big snowstorm. The newsreader announced that all schools in Toronto were closed for a day due to the heavy snow. He advised all listeners to stay indoors if possible and avoid using the main roads, until the snow and debris were removed from the affected areas. My friend Ngan didn’t go to work that morning and had a day off due to the snowstorm. However, I had to struggle in the snow-covered streets, dodge the broken branches and walk in the freezing cold air to the restaurant in Chinatown. It took the City Council workers a few days to clear the snow in the streets and reopen them to traffic after this big snowstorm.
White Christmas
During Winter the children in our neighbourhood enjoyed skating on a makeshift icerink in Grange Park, located at the corner of Grange Road and Beverley Street. When the temperature was cold enough in December and had plenty of snow on the ground, the park-keeper made an ice skating rink for the children by spraying water on the snow and letting it freeze overnight. They repeated this process a few times until it formed a thick layer of ice and was smooth enough for skating. I never skated in Canada because I was too busy working and had no time for any kind of sport or entertainment! However, during Winter I enjoyed watching other people skating in the large frozen reflecting pool in front of the new Toronto City Hall.
The modern twin-tower Toronto City Hall was designed by Viljo Revell of Finland and opened in 1965. It stands west of the old City Hall at Queen Street West. The central circular dome covers the executive offices and council chamber. The two curved buildings, which arch around it, contain offices for the hundreds of departmental employees. The City Hall faces a large plaza, Nathan Phillips Square, criss-crossed with walk ways, handsomely landscaped and adorned with sculptures, among them a huge bronze statue, titled The Archer, by Henry Moore. In the plaza is a reflecting pool, which freezes in Winter and is used as a skating rink. On the west side of the City Hall, there was a small park with nice trees, flowers and lawns for public use. (Photo 2)
The plaza was a centre for civic celebrations, for concerts, exhibitions and casual promenading. In the evening of 20 July 1969, a large screen was set up in the plaza to show the live TV broadcast of the first human beings landing on the moon. I went there with my friend Ngan after tea. We watched the landing of Apollo 11 on the Sea of Tranquillity, a large dark-coloured lava plain on the moon, and witnessed the first astronaut climbing down the spacecraft and eventually walking on the lifeless surface of the moon. Each year a few weeks before Christmas, a large pine tree was put in the plaza near the reflecting pool. It was decorated with hundreds of coloured lights and ornaments. Christmas carols were broadcast softly through the loudspeakers in the plaza.
Sometimes on my way home after work, I liked to walk through Grange Park by myself, especially under the moonlight after snowing. It was so beautiful and peaceful in the park. I could see fairly well around me with the help of the bright moonlight refected from the snow. I was not alone in the park because the squirrels were active; they came out from their hiding holes in the horse-chestnut trees and hunted for food. I remember especially it was a clear night without any clouds in the sky, and the air was cold and crisp in the park. The lights of the tall city buildings made an attractive backdrop for the Park. The atmosphere was so peaceful yet full of life, I even forgot my physical and mental tiredness and enjoyed the wonderful creations of my Lord.
One evening after work, I took my camera and wandered along Young Street hunting for a suitable scene for a few Christmas slides. It was a cold night but fine and not snowing. The air was so clear that it gave a very sharp image of the streetscape and the Christmas light decorations, which I had never experienced before! I took a few shots of the streetscape and buildings then went for a cup of hot coffee in a small café before heading home.
Our restaurant was open for business on Christmas Day. It was a very busy day and we all worked hard and long hours. However, we were given plenty of roast turkey, lobsters and other tasty foods for dinner. The snow started falling on my way home after work. I was tired but happy, especially when I saw the carefully decorated front windows of my neighbours - with the words “Merry Christmas” on the plain glass, together with the multi-colour Christmas lights hanging there. I could hear the cheerful voices and lovely carols and see the warm dim lights coming out from the houses when I walked pass their front gates. It was my first white Christmas in Canada!
5. CLIMB EVERY MOUNTAIN, FORD EVERY STREAM
Spring in High Park
Life wasn’t meant to be easy. We (Bev and I) had a lot of ups and downs since I left Melbourne. I came to a strange place in North America with high hopes and willingness to work hard in order to set up a place for myself, as well as for Bev. In regards to Bev, she tried very hard to seek God’s will and was willing to go where the Lord wanted her to go. She had a lot of worries in her family too! I knew in my heart it was God’s plan to bring me to Canada, but I didn’t know the reasons. I was lonely and longed for the company of Bev. I had to believe in Jesus and trust Him for strength, protection and comfort.
“Climb every mountain, ford every stream.
Follow every rainbow, until you find your dream.”
Mountains are made to climb; obstacles are challenges to the resourcefulness of individuals. The person who truly wants to find his or her dream will never rest until he or she has done so. And when this has been accomplished, the same person tells the news, which thrilled his or her own soul, to others. This was true in my life and was also true for others in finding Christ.
The snow in the streets of Toronto didn’t melt and disappear until March. The new young green leaves suddenly appeared again on the branches of the bare trees. Yes, Spring had eventually arrived in Toronto just before Easter. I loved the warmer Spring weather; there was no need to wear any hat and gloves when I went out-doors. Once again the open spaces and parks were full of life and activity.
One Thursday (my day off from work) in Spring, I decided to visit High Park about seven kilometres west of Downtown Toronto. I caught the Subway from downtown to High Park. It was one of the largest parks in Toronto, covering 400 acres of gardens, woods, ponds and picnic and sporting areas. The park was not crowded when I got there because it was a weekday. The sun was warm and the air was fresh. Most of the trees in the Park were now covered with new green leaves. Also, various colourful flowers were in bloom near Grenadier Pond. The birds flew low in the air near the water’s edge for insects, and the squirrels climbed up and down the trees to find food without fear of the visitors.
I bought a cup of coffee and a hotdog from the park kiosk and sat down beside an outdoor table next to the Pond. While I having my lunch, I bathed under the warm sun and enjoyed the gentle Spring breeze blowing across the water. There were four or five hired rowing boats on the Pond. I could hear the laughing and talking of the visitors from the boats. After the long cold dull Winter, it was nice to enjoy the beautiful flowers and trees, peaceful surroundings and full-of-life atmosphere in the park. However, I suddenly felt lonely because I missed Bev and couldn’t share these lovely things with her.
Engagement
I met Bev in Melbourne in 1966, and we started to go out together a short time before I left for Canada via Hong Kong. She had been laid on my heart for a reason, and I believed the Lord would show me in time if He would have us together. Through our letters, we shared our faith, ideals, hope, sadness and happiness. We prayed, encouraged and even cried for each other. One thing that brought us close to each other was Jesus; this bondage gave us the strength, comfort and will to carry on until we met again.
Bev was troubled and unsure if she would come to Canada to marry me. In one hand, she had come to realize just how many things she liked about me – yes, even love. But on the other hand, she worried about the difference in our nationalities and traditions. Also, the Lord had made it quite clear for some time that she was called to study in Adelaide Bible College for one year.
To seek an answer to this question, we had been much in prayer over it. “Hitherto hath the Lord helped us” (1 Samuel 7:12) Bev asked the Lord to speak to her concerning us from His Word on three successive days.
The first day, God gave her the reference in Isaiah 43:1-11 as part of a promise from God to his people, especially if we put our names in place of Israel in verse 1. The second day, God gave her the following text: “Hold that fast which thou hast” (Revelation 3:11). Bev had been brought to see there was no difference for the believers and followers of Jesus, because we were all one in Christ Jesus. What else could matter? For if we belonged to Him, we trusted in Him and surely He would keep us and bring His truth contained in His Word to pass. Neither nationalities nor traditions could separate us from the love of God and of each other! The Lord spoke to her heart to confirm the fact that we were one in Him when we believed in Jesus. The third day, Bev received no definite leading until she got off duty from hospital (from Bev’s letter of 13 March 1968):
“My, am I tired! I got down on my knees as soon as I got off duty, and asked the Lord to give me a definite answer. I felt led to continue my study in Ezra and after quite some time I came to this question in the I.V.F. study notes. ‘Do you realize that you already belong to, and yet are called to work for the completion of the Church of Christ?’ The answer from God’s Word:
‘For through Him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the Saints (all believers), and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord; In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.’ (Ephesians 2:18-22)
Peter, it really is clear and of course it should be, being God’s Holy Word given for our instruction. You have often said God’s Spirit would lead us – and is it not wonderful that we have the One and the Same Heavenly Father who leads us both.”
In my letter of 15 March 1968 (it was posted before I had received Bev’s letter dated 13 March), I told Bev there were no difference in nationalities and races if we believed in Jesus, the Son of God. And if He wanted Bev to go to Adelaide Bible College for one year, then the door to the College would be opened for her. Therefore, we had to wait patiently for God’s leading and instruction. We would keep in step with Him, and not run ahead. God’s ways are wonderful, and beyond knowing sometimes!
The Holy Spirit had wonderfully directed Bev and me to these conclusions. We wrote to each other in two separate places thousands of miles apart, and yet we received the same answer simultaneously from the Holy Spirit on about the same date! It was by Him we were both led, and kept us near to each other in prayer, by His Spirit.
Bev was born in Cranbourne on 19 September 1936, the first child of James and Elsie Close. Cranbourne was a typical small Australian country town, about 15 km south of Dandenong, Victoria. Her grandfather was a wealthy and well-known landowner in the district. After Bev finished her primary schooling in Cranbourne State School, she attended Dandenong High School until 16 and half years old. She began nursing in the Royal Children’s Hospital Convalescent Section in Hampton, Victoria. One year later, Bev was accepted for a three-year General Nursing course at the Alfred Hospital, Melbourne. After she graduated from Alfred Hospital, she did her one-year Obstetric training in Queen Victoria Hospital in Melbourne. In order to pursue her interest in mothers and babies, Bev went to Adelaide to do her Infant Welfare training. She had eventually found Jesus through a lovely Indian nurse before going to Adelaide. Bev worked for several hospitals, both in Victoria and South Australia. The last hospital she worked for was the Salvation Army hospital “Bethesda” in Richmond, Victoria.
Before our official engagement, I asked Bev to select a ring in Melbourne instead of getting one from Toronto. She found a nice ring from Proud’s in Collins Street, Melbourne with a reasonable price. The salesman of the shop told Bev the design of this ring was original, and he couldn’t understand why it was priced less than a half of the real value. The ring itself was gold with a plain white gold on the sides. The diamond was a square solitaire “brilliant cut” diamond, beautifully set and sparkled. She paid a deposit for the ring just as surety on 19 April 1968, and wrote to me about the ring the same night. Without knowing anything about her arrangement in Australia, I wrote to Bev on 22 April, and enclosed a cheque for the exact amount of the price of the ring! It was amazing that the Holy Spirit led us again in choosing a suitable engagement ring for Bev and directing me to send a cheque to Bev for the exact amount of the price of the ring without knowing it.
With the blessing of our families, we announced our engagement on Friday, 3 May 1968. Uncle Keith and auntie Lil gave Bev a lovely engagement party in their home two weeks after the announcement. Their home was larger and more suitable for 60 plus guests. In the party her uncles, aunties and cousins gave their full approval to our engagement. Also, dear Mrs Mary Pope and our friends of West Hawthorn Baptist Church and Bethesda Hospital rejoiced for this exciting news and congratulated us.
Bev sent me a lovely gift for our engagement. In the morning on my way to work, I picked up the small parcel from the custom office in the downtown post office. It was a gold ring with a handsome square black semi-precious stone, together with a newspaper cutting of our engagement notice. The custom officer didn’t charge me any import duty for the ring because it was a gift of engagement, but congratulated me and wished us well.
By this time, my family was busy preparing my sister Winnie’s wedding, which would be held in Hong Kong in May of the same year. They were surprised by our engagement announcement but were very happy for us. My family even gave Bev a Chinese name ‘百莉’ (it has a similar pronunciation in Cantonese as ‘Beverley’ in English), meaning “a hundred jasmine flowers”.
Annual Holiday
A few days after the engagement, my room mate Ngan and I moved again from Grange Avenue to a house in Phoebe Street, because we did not get along with the landlord’s mean wife. Our new place was a three-storey town house opposite a primary school, and only two streets from the old place. We rented the whole second floor of this house, occupying a large bedroom and a separated kitchen/living room. The owner of the house was an old Chinese couple, Mr and Mrs Wong. They were kind to us but did not interfere. We paid ten dollars more per month, but it was worth it for the additional space and comfort. There were not many big trees in the street. However, we could see the kids playing in the schoolyard from our window during weekdays.
Toronto Summer commences from June for three months. The Summer temperature can vary between 18○C and 32 ○C. Toronto has a higher humidity in Summer than in Melbourne; therefore, sometimes it is uncomfortable. Fortunately we had air conditioning in the dining room of the Café. It gave me some temporary relief from heat during working hours!
The second year of my daily life in Toronto was not very exciting. I worked long hours in the Chinese café and was isolated from Christian fellowship. However, I would use any opportunity on my day off to visit the nearby museum, zoo, art gallery and market. Toronto Museum was one of the largest museums in Canada. It had a good collection of Chinese arts and artefacts. I visited the old Toronto Zoo a few times until it was moved to a new location in an outer suburb, many miles east of Toronto. I loved to shop in the “Jewish Market” near my home. I could buy various fresh vegetables, meats and fish, and good priced groceries from there. In Canada, lamb and beef were expensive but chicken and pork were cheap. Therefore, I ate quite a lot of chicken and pork in Toronto.
Before the tourist season commenced properly in North America, I was asked to take my one-week annual holiday in June. It came just at the right time because I wanted the time to look for a new job, and needed a good rest from my work. I hadn’t had any holiday since I started work in the Chinese restaurant last November! I was pleased that I was able to attend the Beverley Street Baptist Church in my holiday, even only one Sunday service.
One morning in my holiday, I caught a ferry from the foot of Young Street to Toronto Island Park (Centre Island), situated on Toronto Islands in Lake Ontario. Toronto Islands are made up of seven small islands, and Centre Island is the largest island among them. It took the ferry about 15 minutes to cross the calm Inner Harbour to the beautiful Island Park. Most of the islands of this group are linked to the Centre Island by bridges. The two populated islands in this group are Algonquin Island and Wards Island. The only school specially provided for the residents of Toronto Islands is on the Centre Island, near the lighthouse.
The short ferry trip across the Inner Harbour to the Centre Island was very pleasant, and the cool breeze in the harbour was most welcome in Summer. On the ferry, I could see from a distance the small Island Airport on my right and the huge harbour facilities near the Outer Harbour on my left. In front of me there was the beautiful tree-covered Island Park. The Island Park was a popular recreation reserve for the public, especially during the Summer months. It comprised beautiful gardens, easy walking tracks, swimming beaches, sporting grounds and good picnic, fishing, boating, dining and recreation facilities.
I entered the Park through the Island Ferry Docks, and walked from one island to another island by foot. The weather was perfect and the scenery of the park was lovely but not over-crowded. I liked the picturesque surroundings, quietness and peaceful atmosphere of the islands. When I was tired from walking around, I selected an attractive spot at the waterfront, and watched the water birds flying in the sky and the magnificent yachts sailing in the Inner Harbour. I took a number of colour slides of the park and the yachts, which became a reminder of my visit. Eventually, I sat contentedly on the lawn in front of a music stand in the park and enjoyed the band playing jazz music until sunset. On my way home on the ferry, I was tired but enjoyed the magnificent sunset and the city lights reflecting on the quiet water.
My second visit to this lovely park was in September 2002. We (Bev, Andrew, Lydia and me) spent a whole day walking on the beautiful islands and enjoying the quietness and peaceful atmosphere in the park.
After Winter Comes Spring
“Say then to my troubled soul,
Rest thyself in His control,
Not just the part,
But rest the whole.”
The above poem was written by a missionary of great influence, Mrs George Fitch, in Shanghai, China in the early years. It reflects my thoughts and my feelings when I was depressed by not getting a suitable job in Canada. I had applied for a vacancy of an engineering position in the Ontario Highways Department. I passed the written examination and interview, but had never been informed either that I had been successful or failed in my application!
Because of the poor economic situation in North America in 1968, nobody would invest in any large civil engineering projects before the USA and Canada general elections in that year. (Civil Engineering vacancies were 30% less than the previous year in Canada.) I couldn’t get any engineering job in that Summer even though I had tried very hard. After many prayers, I realised and accepted that I should continue working in the Chinese restaurant until next Spring. However, as consolation I received a rise of my wages in November, after I had completed one full year working in the restaurant.
Forgetting the poor economic performance in North America, the famous two-week annual Canadian National Exhibition was held as usual in Toronto during August. It took place in Exhibition Park on the shore of Lake Ontario. Every year, about three million visitors enjoy the fair’s agricultural, cultural and industrial exhibits, sports contests, National Horse Show, and many stage spectacles. I went to the Exhibition with my friends on my day off. It was crowded with visitors, and the atmosphere was something like the annual Royal Melbourne Agricultural Show in Australia.
In late August, Bev moved out from the Bethesda Hospital Nurses Home in Erin Street, Richmond to a near-by flat in Grey Street, East Melbourne. She shared the flat with another nurse Joan (a former missionary). The flat was quiet, large, not-too expensive but more like a normal home. She could see the little children playing outside from the lounge window and be away from the hospital atmosphere, especially away from the noises of pneumatic drills and concrete mixers during the building extensions over at the hospital.
In early November 1968, Bev was informed that she had been accepted to study in the Adelaide Bible College for next year. In order to get herself ready for moving to South Australia she was busy sorting out her things and planning to meet me in Canada later in 1970. Bev finished at Bethesda Hospital on 22 January 1969 and commenced her first year of study in Victor Harbor on 15 February 1969.
By this time (early 1969) I was tired, not only physically but also mentally, due to working very long hours and without any holidays for a long time. I missed Bev a lot and longed to talk to her face to face. I couldn’t discuss my burdens or share my thoughts with my roommate because he was not a believer! I prayed to God sincerely every day and sought humbly for His direction. The Lord wanted me to trust Him fully. He told me to resign from my secure restaurant job and start looking for a new job. He promised me that he would provide all of my needs and show me the next steps. God also reminded me that I was brought to Canada with a reason. He tested me by asking if I would obey his command and go back to Australia? With faith in Him, I resigned from the café in late February 1969 and started looking for a new job after I had a short holiday. In the same month, I also posted my immigration application to the Australian Embassy in Ottawa.
Ottawa
I had a mate Patrick who lived in Ottawa. We studied in the same college in Bendigo, Australia in the early 1960s. Patrick originally came from Hong Kong. After he had finished his degree in Kingston, Ontario he worked in the Canadian Post Office as an Engineer in Ottawa. I had not seen him for a few years since he completed his study in Bendigo but kept in contact with each other through mails. I thought it would be a good idea to visit him in Ottawa and find out the job situation over there. At the same time, I could visit the Australian Embassy to obtain more immigration information.
During one February weekend, I caught a coach from Toronto Bus Terminal travelling to Ottawa. The 423 km trip was comfortable and pleasant but there was not much to see along the route, because the ground was still covered with snow. My friend Patrick picked me up from the bus terminal and drove me back to his apartment just in time for evening meal. I tasted my first pizza in Ottawa.
Ottawa is the capital of Canada and is situated on the south bank of Ottawa River, Ontario. Hull is its twin city in Quebec and is situated on the north bank of the same river, just opposite in Ottawa. Ottawa is a bi-lingual English/French speaking city while Hull is mainly French speaking. The visitors travelling between Ottawa and Hull would be amused, as the bus conductors would make all their announcements in English in Ottawa, but in French after crossing the river into Hull!
The next day Patrick took me to the Canadian Parliament on Parliament Hill, by the Ottawa River. Queen Victoria established Canada’s capital at Ottawa in 1858. Like Canberra the capital of Australia, Ottawa was arbitrarily chosen for political and geographic reasons and not because it was the country’s dominating city. The towers of Parliament, with their stonework and copper green roofs, dominate the landscape from their promontory over the river and they symbolize the activities of the majority of its citizens. The Parliament Buildings are some of the best examples of neo-gothic architecture in the world. The original government buildings were built to resemble as closely as possible those seen in London at Westminster. The Peace tower, with its four-faced clock, soars above them. Queen Juliana of the Netherlands gave the city tulip bulbs in gratitude for her stay during World War II and ever since, millions of tulips bloom during the annual Tulip Festival in Spring.
The Rideau Canal cuts through the centre of the city and enters the Ottawa River right in the grounds of Parliament. The locks, which give boats access to and from the river are the original ones built by Colonel By in 1826 and are hand-operated. When I was there, the Canal was frozen and used as a skating rink, the world’s longest.
Ottawa is a richly endowed city, full of interesting things for the visitors and for those fortunate enough to live there. It is also the setting for the Supreme Court, and the Royal Canadian Mint.
The second time I visited Ottawa was in October 1969. I went there to collect my immigration visa from the Australian Embassy.
Niagara Falls
After I came back from Ottawa, I actively searched for a new job in Ontario. I registered myself with the government employment agency, but I hadn’t yet heard anything from them! I could apply for an unemployment insurance payout, and could receive about seventy percent of my weekly wages for a maximum period equivalent to the time I had worked in the restaurant. But I decided not to do so because my actual weekly wage was very low and also I had resigned (not been retrenched) from the restaurant. In between job-hunting, I wanted to use this opportunity to visit the famous Niagara Falls.
One early Spring morning in March, I caught a bus from Toronto to Niagara Falls, at the United States and Canada borders. The bus travelled 124 kilometres, on the busy Queen Elizabeth Way, along the north then the south-west shores of Lake Ontario, to the twin city of Niagara Falls. This twin city is located on both sides of Niagara River, which connects Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. The western part of the city is in Ontario, Canada while the eastern part is in New York State, U.S.A. These two cities are linked with a bridge, over the Niagara River. The bridge was named Rainbow Bridge due to the magnificent rainbows, which frequently appear at the Falls, as a result of the sunlight and spray of the waterfalls. Ships can sail the entire length of Niagara River (56 kilometres/ 35 miles) except the 14.5 kilometres (9 miles) consisting of waterfalls and rapids. The Welland Canal, which was built by the Canadian Government, provides a shipping route around the waterfalls and rapids.
Niagara Falls is made up with two waterfalls: Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side and the American Falls on the U.S.A. side. Horseshoe Falls is 57 metres (186 feet) high and 640metres (2,100 feet) wide at their widest point. It carries nearly the entire volume of the Niagara River. The American Falls is 59 metres (193 feet) high and 335 metres (1,100 feet) wide. Goat Island is located just before the Niagara Falls in New York State, which separates Horseshoe Falls and the American Falls. At this point the river discharges about a half a million tons of water a minute into a steep-walled gorge. At night, wide beams of white and coloured lights illuminate the Falls and present a beautiful picture of “coloured” water.
The waterfalls are not only one of the world’s great natural spectacles; they are also the source of electric power for large sections of Canada and the United States. The scenic beauty of the Falls attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists every year and are known through out America as a honeymooners’ paradise. The Niagara Peninsula, which lies between Lakes Erie and Ontario, is famous for its orchards and vineyards. Its mild climate and fertile soil produce excellent fruit and in the Spring the blossoming trees are as much of a tourist attraction as the Falls themselves.
As it was early in the Spring, most of the grounds at Niagara Falls were still covered with patches of snow. I walked from the bus terminal along the footpath to Queen Victoria Park – a beautiful 79 hectares (196 acres) public park by the Falls. It gave a magnificent view of the Falls from the top of the cliff. But the noise of the waterfalls was very loud and everyone had to shout to make oneself heard! I could see from the cliff, the small cruise boat “The Maid of the Mist” nosing its way into the Niagara Falls mist in the river down below. Indian legend tells of a maiden who went over the falls in a canoe to her death and now is seen occasionally in the spray. Daring souls have been going over the falls in all manner of craft ever since but the most famous of all was Blondin who crossed overhead on a tightrope in 1859, on a bicycle, with his manager on his back, and blindfolded!
The Cave of the Winds is located in the same park under an extended shelf of hard rock next to Horseshoe Falls. It is possible to see the Falls from the inside by going down to the Cave of the Winds. All visitors have to wear the yellow raincoats and hats (provided) to keep them dry from the spray of the Falls. I didn’t go down to the Cave due to the long waiting queue. Instead, after lunch, I walked across the Rainbow Bridge to Goat Island in the Niagara Falls Park to see the fairyland-like snow scenery. It was amazing to view the beautiful virgin snow on the ground and crystal-like icicles hanging from the tree branches in the park, which were formed from the water spray of the Falls. I used the specially built American Observation Tower next to the Rainbow Bridge to watch the frozen American Falls. Unfortunately, when I was there the American Falls was under repair and the water had been cut off from upstream.
On my way back across the Niagara River, I enjoyed the colourful sunset on the horizon, with Skylon Tower and Seagram Tower standing high above the trees on the Ontario side of the Niagara Falls. They were the tallest buildings at the Falls and both provided an excellent 360◦ scenic view of the area, especially the wonderful view of the Falls.
My second visit to Niagara Falls was with my young family in late Spring, many years after I settled in Australia. My brother Dennis and his friend drove us to the Falls from Toronto, which gave me a chance to view the wonderful sight of the mighty waterfalls again without any snow!
6. TRUST AND OBEY
Trust and Obey
“He knows, He loves, He cares,
Nothing this truth can dim;
God gives the very best to those,
Who leave the choice to Him.”
Since giving up my restaurant job in February, I hunted everyday for a suitable new job. Many times I was depressed because it was hard for anyone who didn’t have Canadian work experience to get an engineering job in Toronto. I put my burdens in front of God, and prayed that He would lead me to a suitable job before the arrival of my younger brother. Dennis was coming to Toronto for his matriculation study, and eventual study in a university. To compensate for my disappointment, it was a big comfort that I could worship in the Toronto Chinese Baptist Church every Sunday and have fellowship again with other Christians.
One morning in April, I received a phone call from the government employment agency regarding an outdoor civil engineering vacancy. They gave me the job description and the address for an interview. I was so excited for this opportunity and went immediately for the interview. The Engineer, who was in-charge of the M.M. Dillon site-office for the construction of Spadina Expressway, gave me a one-hour interview. He was pleased with my response and asked me to start work next morning.
M.M. Dillon (Consulting Engineers) Limited was well established in Canadian practice and had various international assignments. The company had five branches in Ontario, one in Manitoba, and an affiliate, Dillon Associates, in Montreal. It also had an association with Shingler, Risdon and Associates, Planners and Architects of London and Birmingham, United Kingdom.
I commenced my employment with M.M. Dillon as a member of the field staff, on 14 April 1969. My duties, as a member of a survey team, included the use of theodolite and level, chaining, keeping of field notes, computations and quantity control, plus other tasks to be directed by the Engineer in-charge. Normally I worked eight hours per day, but I was asked to work overtime almost every day, even on Saturdays! In Canada, most of the construction projects are carried out during the warmer months of the year, because it would be too cold to do any out-door construction work in the winter months.
The projects which I was involved in Ontario were: the construction of an urban freeway, Spadina (Allen) Expressway, in North York; work for the services of a proposed major suburban shopping centre “Sherway Shopping Plaza” in Etobicoke; a river diversion for Highland Creek in Scarborough; primary work for a major suburban shopping centre “Agincourt” in Scarborough; control survey for a major highway interchange, Queen Elizabeth Way / Highway 20 Interchange, in Hamilton; and work for the construction of service roads to an IBM Canada Ltd new building in North York.
There is always some degree of risk working on a construction site. The most dangerous site I worked on in Toronto was the Spadina Expressway. I once came close to falling down a shaft with the survey instruments from a four-storey high temporary staircase into a storm drain tunnel underneath, which was being constructed for the expressway. Other times it was fun driving the small electric train forward and backward in this two-metre diameter and 1.5 kilometres long tunnel. One day I inspected a 1.8 metres depth T-junction trench being excavated for storm drains in the expressway site. One corner of the T-junction suddenly collapsed into the trench just a few minutes after I had walked away from that spot. I also learned a good lesson by not wearing proper footwear working in a construction site. I accidentally stepped on an old rusty nail on a piece of timber in the Sherway Shopping Centre site. The nail punched through one of my shoes and hurt my foot. For this reason I bought a pair of heavy-duty work-boots the next day!
As I mentioned before, we worked hard and very long hours, sometimes even working in the rain. I was able to save some money in my bank account because I didn’t have time to spend it! I loved my work and thanked God for His provision and protection. We worked mainly in and around Toronto. Therefore, we might spend two to three hours travelling between sites in the company four-wheel drive vehicle Land Rover or an almost new Pontiac station wagon each day. Thus it gave me an opportunity to visit different parts of Toronto. When we worked on the Highland Creek project in Scarborough, I enjoyed the beautiful bright red autumn leaves around us, which covered both sides of the creek in the valley. The water in the creek was very cold but clear and sweet; it sang happily as it meandered leisurely over the smooth pebbles in the creek bed, all the way to Lake Ontario.
In late October the snow started to fall in Toronto. It was very cold working in the snow-covered construction site. By the end of October, most of the construction sites would be partly or fully closed down until the next Spring. I resigned from M.M. Dillon on 24 October 1969 and went back to Australia a few days later.
Confusion and Test
Something beautiful, something good
All my confusion, He understood
All I had to offer Him
Was brokenness and strife
But He made something beautiful of my life.
(by William J. Gaither)
While I was happily working in the construction sites in Toronto, Bev was enjoying her study in the Bible College in Victor Harbor, and at the same time the Devil was busy plotting against us. It caused some confusion between us and surely tested our faith.
We longed to see each other and talk face to face about our wedding and future home. We were disadvantaged at not being able to see each other. Our letters took five to seven days to arrive. International telephone calls were out of the question because of the high cost. And it wasn’t always possible to put all you wanted to say in a letter. So some misunderstandings were inevitable when combined with long working hours, long distance, and tiredness.
In order to overcome part of this problem and bring us closer, we sent audiotapes, which provided an atmosphere nearly as good as talking to each other face to face. We sought guidance and comfort from the Word of God, and believed this to be the main assurance of what was right. We didn’t know what lay ahead of us, but God did. We accepted that He knew what was best for us. God was watching over us and would not allow us to fail if we looked to Him.
Mrs Howard Kitchen (the wife of a lecturer of the Bible College) was a big help to Bev in this difficult time. She had spent 20 years in China with China Inland Mission and later in Indonesia with Overseas Missionary Fellowship, and was the mother of several children, plus being a mature Christian. Mrs Kitchen was able to discuss things with Bev and prayed for us.
By that time we realised it wouldn’t be possible for us to be married in September 1969, as Bev could not finish her study until November! I might come back early and work in Adelaide, and we could see each other at weekends. But the Holy Spirit didn’t guide me toward this path, as my brother Dennis was coming to study in Toronto in August. I really couldn’t leave Canada until he had settled down in his studies.
After much prayer, Bev and I agreed and had peace that I would come back to Australia and work in Melbourne. We would be married at the end of the year, a few weeks after Bev finished her study in Victor Harbor. I would depart Canada for Melbourne about the end of October or early November, in order to give sufficient time for me to settle down in Melbourne before the wedding.
Since I started work with M.M. Dillon, I was able to attend the English services of Beverley Street Baptist Church. The main building of this church was used for the Russian Baptist Church. But the small church hall in the basement was used for the English services, which had a combined congregation of Canadian and new Asian immigrants. Most of the Asian worshipers were Chinese who came from Hong Kong or Singapore, and their number increased rapidly.
The congregation of the Russian Baptist Church built a new church building in another suburb and moved out of the Beverley Street property in mid 1969. The Asian congregation was asked to take over the main church building immediately in order to form a new Chinese Baptist Church in Toronto. It was a privilege to be involved in the formation of the new church; I was one of the foundation members of the Toronto Chinese Baptist Church in Beverley Street.
My Brother Dennis
Following the test of faith, I received some good news from home. My sister gave birth to a healthy baby boy, Sunny (梁啟新) in July 1969, and Dennis was coming over to study in Toronto. The new baby gave a big joy to our parents, as they were getting old and longed to have grandchildren!
Dennis was accepted for his matriculation study in a private college in Toronto. He hoped he could attend one of the universities in Toronto the following year. Dennis arrived in Toronto with his friend Marcus on 16 August 1969. On that Saturday morning, I got up early to get the room ready then met them at the Toronto International Airport.
We were excited to see each other at the airport’s arrival lounge. I hadn’t seen Dennis for more than two years, and he had become taller and more confident. My roommate Ngan had moved to a single room on the ground floor in order to let us occupy the whole second floor!
The next day, Dennis and Marcus went to check out the College, and realised that it was not what they had expected. The college fees were expensive, but it didn’t provide the facilities as promised in the college prospectus. They were very disappointed and didn’t know what to do. I suggested they talk to their friends and find out if there was any other suitable college in Toronto they could transfer to, before the beginning of the school term in September.
After a long and anguished search, they found a few colleges in the outer suburbs of Toronto, which might be able to accept them. Due to his courage and perseverance, Dennis was eventually accepted and transferred to a public high school in the suburb of Scarborough. (All Canadian public schools are run by the local governments’ Education Departments, not by the provincial/state governments as in Australia.) Marcus also transferred to another college in Scarborough, which was not far from Dennis’. Following my departure for Australia, they moved from Downtown Toronto to Scarborough. Dennis lived alone in a single room in the basement of a house not far from his College. He loved his new school and successfully completed his matriculation study the following year.
Return to Australia
After my brother had settled down and commenced his study in September, I was busy arranging my passage for returning to Australia. However, I still hadn’t heard anything about my immigration application from the Australian Embassy in Ottawa! Bev and I had already selected the date for our wedding, about two weeks after her graduation in Victor Harbor. We had also decided to go back to Hong Kong on Boxing Day for our short honeymoon.
I didn’t receive my visa for entering Australia until mid-October, and it gave me only two weeks to prepare for my departure! I immediately booked my aeroplane tickets for Melbourne, advised the Taxation Department and gave one week’s resignation notice to the company. I spent my last week in Toronto packing and saying goodbye to friends. I had hoped that I could go back to Australia via Europe. But I also hoped to start work in Melbourne a few weeks before our wedding. Furthermore, Bev and I were longing to see each other as soon as possible. (My dream of visiting Europe with Bev was fulfilled many years later, in 1997). I had been away from Australia for two and a half years.
On Saturday morning of 29 October 1969, I said goodbye to Dennis and Marcus at the Toronto International Airport and flew back to Australia via Los Angeles (L.A.). (Map 1) I was excited to be returning to Melbourne, but I also felt sad to leave Dennis in Toronto fanning for himself!
A few days before departing from Toronto I arranged for my Bendigo College friend Raymond to meet me at the Los Angeles International Airport, because I had to wait about eight hours in L.A. for the connecting flight to Sydney. After he picked me up from the airport, we went to Chinatown for lunch. Raymond gave me a quick tour of Chinatown before driving me back to his home. He worked in his father’s warehouse near Chinatown, but lived with his father and stepmother in an eastern suburb. We spent about one hour in his home before Raymond took me back to the airport in time to catch my connecting flight to Sydney via Fiji.
It was a long flight from Los Angeles to Fiji. The aeroplane landed on the Nadi International Airport for refuelling just before dawn. While we were waiting in the airport lounge, I wandered into a duty free shop and bought a bottle of genuine “Worth” French perfume for Bev as a wedding gift. She still keeps the small bottle (with a hint of its original fragrance) in her drawer, even after 30 plus years!
The aeroplane landed at Sydney Airport in the morning of Saturday, 1 November 1969. (I lost one day when I crossed the International Date Line.) I passed through immigration and customs in the airport without any delay. When I was walking to the domestic terminal for my connecting flight to Melbourne, I heard an announcement from the public address system saying that a message was waiting for me to pick up from the airline counter. The announcement gave me a surprise and was unexpected. It was a short note from Bev informing me that she was waiting at the Essendon Airport in Melbourne!
I was excited and puzzled by the message, but I couldn’t wait to see Bev face to face. I understood that she would be studying hard for her final examinations in Victor Harbor, South Australia. We wouldn’t be seeing each other until she had finished her exams in ten days time! How was it possible that she was waiting at the Essendon Airport for me?
Bev and I had longed to see each other for so long. It would take me about one more hour to fly from Sydney to Melbourne, but even this seemed an eternity. The aeroplane landed safely on the runway and taxied slowly to the airport terminal. My heart was beating fast, with excitement and longing. But I was unsure what I could expect from Bev when I saw her in a few minutes time. Could I recognise her? What should I do when I saw her? When I walked into the arrival lounge; I saw Bev already waiting there, and she came forward to greet me. I dropped my hand luggage on the floor and gave her a big hug and kiss. I wanted to tell her a hundred things, but it could wait for later. We were so thankful to God that He had brought us together again! It was real and beyond a dream that Bev was in my arms. In that moment, we were both bathed in love and joy.
After collecting my small suitcase, we took an airport bus to City (downtown). Bev rang her father as pre-arranged and asked him to pick us up near the airline’s city terminal. While we were waiting for her father, we decided to have a cup of tea in an old fashioned café in Swanston Street and catch up with each other. Bev told me that she flew from Adelaide to Melbourne that same morning because she wanted to greet me personally. I was so grateful that she could come. Unfortunately, Bev could stay in Melbourne for only two days, because she had had to return to the Bible College for her examinations!
7. THE WEDDING AND HONEYMOON
Looking For A Job and Home
After seeing Bev off to Adelaide at the airport on the Sunday afternoon, 2 November, I started looking for a job and a place to live. I stayed temporarily with Bev’s parents in Murrumbeena for about one week then moved to my Chinese friend Fred’s house in North Melbourne until I got married in December.
I wrote to Country Roads Board (CRB) the next day requesting to get my old Engineer job back in the Traffic and Location Section. I re-commenced my employment with CRB on Monday, 10 November 1969 and worked for my previous boss Mr Pommers again in the Location Group. It was exciting to see my old workmates in the same office after two and a half years. Deep in my heart, I was pleased to work as a Civil Engineer indoors, rather than outdoors on a construction site. God’s way is always the best way. He answered my prayer and gave me back my old job. I worked about one month in the Kew Head Office before I took a week off from work for our wedding and a short honeymoon.
We obtained an apartment about one week before our wedding day. Bev found it through her Bible College friend Lyn. It was a nice furnished flat/apartment in Hawthorn Grove in Hawthorn about ten minutes walking distance from the CRB offices. The landlady was Lyn’s church friend and wanted to let her lovely flat to a trusted Christian tenant. Bev and I went to inspect the flat and talked to the owner. We were very happy about the flat, the rent and the surroundings. I payed two weeks rent in advance and told the owner we would move our things into the flat a few days before our wedding. Praise the Lord, He knew our needs and provided abundantly to us in His time.
A Visit to Victor Harbor
After many months study Bev eventually finished her Bible College year on 28 November 1969. In the Thursday evening of 27 November, I flew over to Adelaide after work. Bev couldn’t come to meet me at the airport that night but sent Reg, her friend Mrs Clifford’s son, to pick me up from the airport. After we drove back to Victor Harbor, it was too late for Bev to come down from the College to meet me in Mrs Clifford’s house!
The small tourist town of Victor Harbor was set on Encounter Bay; a fine location protected from the ocean by both Rosetta Head (the Bluff) and Granite Island. Granite Island could be reached across a causeway by horse-drawn tram and then by chairlift to its highest point. Large rocks surrounded the island’s perimeter. A colony of fairy penguins generally put in an appearance in the evening.
Reg took me up to the College the next morning. Bev was excited to see me and introduced me to her friends. Adelaide Bible College (somebody called it the “Bridal” College) was situated on a small hill overlooking the harbour. It was my second visit to the College (the first time I came there for the Overseas Christian Fellowship Conference in 1965). I was invited to have lunch with Mr and Mrs Kitchen in the College. Mr Kitchen was going to marry us in our church in West Hawthorn in about two weeks time. Therefore, I had to sort out a few things with him beforehand. After lunch, I had a good fellowship time with this lovely couple in their lounge room.
On the Saturday morning, Reg borrowed a catamaran from his friend and gave us a taste of sailing in the harbour. It was my first experience of sailing and I enjoyed it very much. I couldn’t swim much but I was not afraid of the water if I had a life jacket and the weather was right. The sea was calm and the water spray was cold, but the sun was warm and the scenery was absolutely beautiful.
After lunch, Bev and I said goodbye to the Cliffords and travelled to Adelaide with Bev’s College friend Bruce. First we picked up our Hong Kong aeroplane tickets from the travel agent, then caught the “Overlander” inter-state train for Melbourne at the Adelaide Railway Station in the evening. We arrived in Melbourne safely the next morning.
The Wedding
Our wedding day was set for mid December about two weeks after Bev finished her study in Victor Harbor. We were married in the West Hawthorn Baptist Church on Saturday, 13 December 1969. My friend Dominic was my best man, while Bev’s College friend Pam was her bride’s maid. Rev. Howard Kitchen conducted the wedding service and read from the Bible in both English and Chinese. (He and his wife had spent many years in China and spoke Mandarin fluently).
It was a fine day for our wedding but a little warm. Before we went to church, I came to Mrs Mary Pope’s home to change into my best suit and waited for the best man Dominic. As my family couldn’t come for our wedding in Melbourne, I had asked Mrs Pope to “stand-in” as the mother of the bridegroom.
Bev got up fairy early in the morning, because it would take time for her to have her hair done and to dress in her wedding gown for photo taking in her parents’ garden. Bev’s brother Laurie drove his decorated white car for the bridal party. As it was still a half hour early for the service, Bev asked Laurie to stop at a milk bar on their way to the church and bought some milkshakes to consume in the car! Bev’s sister-in-law Helen couldn’t come to our wedding because she had just given birth to her baby girl Emma a few days before!
The little old Baptist Church was nicely decorated with flowers, and filled with guests from both local and interstate. A large number of guests came from Bethesda Hospital. While we waited patiently for the bride to arrive, the Pastor’s wife Esme played a number of lovely hymns on the little, vacuum cleaner powered, organ. I was excited but had peace and joy in my heart. If I could wait for so long for our marriage, then a few more minutes waiting for the bride was insignificant! Mr Kitchen gave us a short but moving sermon. The ceremony ran smoothly and was filled with praise. After all the formalities in the church, we went outside and took many photos with relatives and friends, which could be sent to my family in Hong Kong. (Photo 3)
Following the wedding service in West Hawthorn, our “wedding breakfast” was held at St. Columba’s Presbyterian Church hall, Noble Park. Margaret, auntie Lil’s stepdaughter, provided the magnificent catering for us. My brother Dennis pre-recorded an audiotape, which I brought back from Canada, and played in the reception. He congratulated us both on behalf of my family in Hong Kong. Many telegrams and cards with good wishes received from relatives and friends were read out during the celebration. Bev and I left late in the afternoon for our short honeymoon in the Dandenong Ranges (the locals call it the “Dandenongs”).
Honeymoon at The Patch
After the reception Laurie drove us all the way from Noble Park to Belgrave. We didn’t have time to talk to each other alone until Laurie dropped us off at the Belgrave Railway Station car park for the connecting local bus. We were so happy that we were together alone and could talk face to face for as long as we wished. While we waited at the terminal for the next local bus taking us to The Patch in the Dandenongs, I stood up and walked around to stretch my legs. I found some confetti in my coat pockets (it was thrown over us by the guests outside the church after the wedding service) and I tried to get rid of it. Without thinking, I threw the confetti to the ground and hoped that it would be dispersed without other people noticing. Unfortunately, a sudden wind caught the confetti and scattered it everywhere in the air! Bev was embarrassed by this incident, and I had to apologise to her!
We waited for about a half hour before we caught the bus to The Patch. Bev and I stayed in a guesthouse ran by an old Christian couple Arthur and Margery. The guesthouse was an attractive old timber building in a beautiful garden setting in the hills, but friendly and comfortable with a reasonable price. We stayed there for only four days, even though we would like to have stayed a bit longer.
Bev and I attended the Sunday service in a local church the next morning. After having a tasty Sunday roast dinner, we went for a walk to enjoy the scenery and relax in the nearby forests. (Bev and I were exhausted after the wedding!) The following day, we caught a bus to Dandenong Ranges National Park for a BBQ lunch. It was nice for Margery to suggest this, and to give us a picnic basket filled with delicious things. While we were cooking our lunch, Bev had to fight off the kookaburras, an Australian native bird, from pinching our meat from the BBQ stove.
I took one week off from work (without pay) for our wedding and honeymoon in the hills. I couldn’t take any longer because I had resumed work with CRB only a few weeks previously. We had a lot of things to attend to when we came back from our honeymoon, in preparation for our trip to Hong Kong immediately after Christmas.
Visiting Our Family in Hong Kong
When I was in Canada, I had planned to bring Bev back to Hong Kong to meet my family sometime after our wedding. It was a good opportunity for her to meet them and see the place where I grew up. I had suggested having our honeymoon in Hong Kong, but it was ruled out because we would be tired after the wedding and too much excitement in the same time. (Also Bev had never been overseas.)
We left Melbourne for Hong Kong on Boxing Day, Friday 26 December 1969. On our way to Hong Kong, we stopped in Bali, Indonesia then Singapore overnight. It was hot and humid at the small Bali International Airport. The airport was guarded by heavily armed soldiers because of the visit of the Vice-President of the United States. We were not allowed to step outside the small, non air-conditioned waiting room, even just to have a quick look around the airport. We were thirsty in this hot weather but couldn’t get any cold drinks, except wines in the duty free shop. Fortunately, we waited in the transit room for only one and a half hours approximately and then took off for Singapore.
We arrived at the Singapore International Airport just before sunset. The airline gave us one night’s free accommodation in the new Malaysia Hotel near the airport, because a connecting flight to Hong Kong couldn’t be arranged until next morning. The Malaysia Hotel was a five-star facility, modern and comfortable. It was located just outside the Singapore central business district (CBD) and near a local market. Unfortunately, we arrived at the hotel after 8 pm and most of the shops in the market were closed for the day. After having a nice meal in the hotel, we had a short walk around the hotel under the romantic moonlight and enjoyed the cooler tropical evening air. We then sat by a beautiful water fountain, lit up by tiny coloured lights.
Next morning, Bev and I got up very early to catch the aeroplane to Hong Kong, via Kuala Lumpur. Our aeroplane avoided Vietnam air space completely because a fierce war was being carried on over there. We arrived at Hong Kong Kai Tak Airport safely just after mid-day, on Saturday, 27 December 1969. It was a terrifying experience to watch aeroplane’s landing on the runway in Hong Kong (or to be in one), because they flew so close toward the highly populated multi-storey buildings near the airport. Above all, the busy runway was built on a narrow strip of reclaimed land into the Kowloon Bay! And so departing flights took off over the water at the end of runway. (Many years before I saw a plane miss the end of the runway and drop into the water; fortunately everyone was rescued by fishing boats).
My family and auntie Jok were waiting for us at the airport. We were excited and very pleased to see each other. Bev was welcomed, as a new bride, by presenting her with a beautiful big bouquet from my family at the arrival lounge. There was no doubt that Bev had been readily accepted as a member of her new family.
Following the Chinese custom for a new bride, Bev presented a cup of tea to each my parents as soon as we arrived home (The Wedding Tea Ceremony). In return, she received some beautiful pieces of jewellery, including jade and a Rolex gold watch as a wedding present from the family. My sister Winnie lent Bev her expensive traditional Chinese wedding gown to put on for photo taking. (Photo 4) In order to welcome the new couple, my father had arranged a small celebration with our relatives and close friends (over 100 people!) for the next day, in a Chinese restaurant near our home. My ex-Bendigo College friends and Bev’s Chinese nursing friend Aurora were invited to the feast.
Bev was fascinated by the things around her in Hong Kong because most of them were new to her. We went out every day, either sight seeing or visiting relatives or friends. During our stay in Hong Kong, we went to visit my Australian missionary friend June Sutton who lived in the same street as my parents. We travelled everywhere in Hong Kong: by foot, in a ferry or taxi, on a bus or tram, as well as train.
One day my brother Nai-King took us up to Victoria Peak (太平山頂) on Hong Kong Island on a cable tram. It was quite an experience travelling on the old cable tram up the steep hill. On a fine day, we could have an excellent panoramic view of Victoria Harbour and the surrounding islands looking down from the Peak. We walked along a not-too-busy narrow path and talked to each other, or just enjoyed the quietness and magnificent scenery of the Peak.
I had heard so much about the famous floating restaurants in Hong Kong. But I had never been to one until Bev and I were invited one evening to have a meal with auntie Jok’s employers, Mr and Mrs Cheung. We were taken to a new floating restaurant in Sha Tin (沙田), in the New Territories. We started eating about 6 pm and didn’t finish the last course till almost 9 pm! The delicious foods just kept coming and were served in our bowls, no matter whether you wanted it or not. Being polite to the hosts, Bev ate everything put in front of her and it nearly made her sick. To avoid over-eating, I suggested she take a walk on the deck of the floating restaurant and eat a mandarin or drink some Chinese tea. We enjoyed the tasty seafood and the company of the hosts.
On the evening before we were to leave Hong Kong, my father took us to a seafood restaurant in a fishing village at Lai Yue Mun (鯉魚門). The restaurant was famous for various seafood dishes in the district. It was conveniently situated by the sea, and its courtyard was beautifully decorated with coloured lights and flowers in pots. We selected a large round table in the courtyard under a tree. My cousin Bing (冰表姐) and auntie Jok were also invited to this farewell dinner.
During our meal, auntie Jok and cousin Bing were competing with each other to look after Bev. They kept filling Bev’s rice bowl with prawns and other delicious foods. She was so moved by their kindness and wanted to say thank you to them, especially to the big auntie Jok. Bev asked the young guest (the teenage daughter of auntie Jok’s employer) sitting next to her, “How can I say thank you to auntie in Chinese?” The girl said, “你係肥婆奶奶!” Bev repeated the same words without any difficulty. But all of us laughed and laughed, and thought it was a big joke! Bev was puzzled and embarrassed. “What have I said wrong?” She asked me quietly. I replied, “You told auntie Jok ‘YOU ARE A FAT AUNTIE’!”
Bev and I stayed with our family for only one week. We left Hong Kong for Australia in the evening of Saturday, 3 January 1970. On our way back to Melbourne, the aeroplane stopped in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea for about one hour to refill on the Sunday morning. We were pleased to see the family in Hong Kong and to catch up with each other. But we were also glad to come back to our lovely rented home in Hawthorn and commence our new life together.
My elder brother Nai-King married Enid (曾玉英), who worked in the same organization with him, in February 1970, about two months after we visited them in Hong Kong.
8. BEYOND A DREAM
“I know who holds the future,
And He’ll guide me with His hand,
With God things don’t just happen,
Ev’rything by Him is planned;
So as I face tomorrow
With its problems large and small,
I’ll trust the God of miracles,
Give to Him my all.”
Home in the Hills
One week after we returned from Hong Kong, Bev was asked to go back to work for her old hospital “Bethesda”, because they were short of staff in the maternity ward. She worked day shift fulltime, from Monday to Friday. It was alright for her walking to catch a tram to work early in summer mornings, but she had to leave home when the sky was still dark in winter. For her safety and convenience, we bought a car from a second hand car yard. It was a light blue Hillman sedan with a strong body and a beautiful wooden dashboard. The car served us well for many years, until a few months after Angela was born!
Bev and I worked very hard in order to save enough money to pay the deposit for a house. Because of our ages we had agreed not to wait too long before starting a family! In the autumn of 1970 we started looking for a house with a reasonable size back yard in the inner eastern suburbs. However, we couldn’t find a suitable one to buy, because it was either too expensive or too far from work. Furthermore, it was hard to borrow money from the banks at that time due to the economic down turn. After many prayers we decided that we should wait a little longer. We believed God would show us the right house in the right time, and it would be a lovely home for our children.
During the winter of 1970, the economic situation in Australia had improved a little and more houses were offered for sale. Bev and I realised that it would be difficult for us to get a reasonable house close to our work because it would cost a lot, and we wouldn’t want to borrow a large sum of money either. We prayed sincerely and asked God to show us what to do regarding buying a house. One weekend in July, Bev went to a one-day World Women’s Day of Prayer in a Baptist Church in Croydon. When she came back from the meeting, Bev couldn’t wait to tell me that the outer eastern suburb Croydon was beautiful and well developed, but still retained a kind of rural atmosphere. Bev and I decided that we should have a good look around Croydon, and perhaps we might find a house suitable for us.
On a showery Saturday morning, we went to a real estate office in Kilsyth and looked for our dream home. The local real estate agent showed us two houses in Croydon, which were close to our price limit. Bev and I felt that the house in Plumer Street would be more suitable for us than the newer house on an unmade road near the Dorset Garden. But we would like to pray about it before we could make a decision. On our way back to the flat in Hawthorn, we both felt that it was right to buy the older house in Plumer Street because of its cheaper price and closeness to the shopping centre, schools, health facilities and the railway station. We also realised that Bev might not go back to work in Bethesda Hospital after the move due to the long distance between Croydon and Richmond. When we arrived home, we called the real estate agent immediately and arranged to meet him for signing a sale notice and paying the deposit.
The house was legally transferred to us on 23 September 1970. (Photo 5) Our dream home cost us $12,300 in 1970. We borrowed $8,500 from the ANZ Bank in Kew, which we paid it off on 13 January 1981. Bev resigned from Bethesda in September, a few days before we moved to Croydon.
Croydon is located in the foothills of the Dandenong Ranges, in the beautiful outer eastern suburbs of Melbourne. The Plumer Street property was a ten years old triple-fronted cream colour brick veneer building on a 60 feet by 168 feet block of land. It was situated among the rolling small hills with plenty of vegetation and open spaces. Croydon had suburban convenience but still had the rural setting and atmosphere. Bev and I were glad that we could live in Croydon and worship in the Mooroolbark Baptist Church just five minutes drive from this house.
With the help of relatives and friends, we moved into our new home in the only street named “Plumer” in Melbourne! After having paid the house deposit, all we could afford for the new house were a new double bed, a second hand washing machine and a reconditioned refrigerator. Bev’s mum gave us her old laminex kitchen table, together with four wooden chairs. I put Bev’s beautiful bookcase in the empty lounge, together with my hi-fi equipment sitting up on top of one of her large trunks. Our visitors had to sit on our two folding chairs or the bean-bag, and use Bev’s other trunk covered with a pretty tablecloth for a coffee table! We couldn’t afford a lounge suite until a few months later.
Seasickness or Morning Sickness
Before we started a family, Bev and I wanted to have a holiday and enjoy our time together. We paid the deposit for a holiday in Perth just before we bought our house in Croydon. After having some discussion, we had peace of minds to go ahead for our two-week holiday, as it would be a long time before we could have another opportunity.
A few days after we moved to Croydon, Bev and I left for Perth on 28 September 1970. We travelled on the R.H.M.S. “Patris”, a Chandris Line Greek migrant ship, to Sydney then sailed to Perth via Adelaide on its way back to Europe. It was built in the United Kingdom, 595 feet (181m) long and 24,000 tons (24,400 tonnes) displacement, and had a single class up to 1,300 passengers on board. (Photo 6) The ship stopped in Sydney for only one day. Bev and I visited the nearly completed Opera House and had tea with my friends Mr and Mrs Cheung who owned a Chinese restaurant in an outer suburb. The ship departed Sydney the evening of the same day and returned to Europe via Perth but didn’t stop in Adelaide as planned, due to some delays in Melbourne and Sydney.
The “Patris” sailed non-stop all the way to Fremantle, Western Australia. The ship hit a big storm when we sailed into the Great Australian Bight. The sea was very rough and the ship rocked violently through the huge waves (it was not equipped with stabilizers). Many of the passengers on board were seasick and couldn’t go to the dining room for a whole day or so! I was sick too in the cabin and missed one meal. Bev was uncomfortable but didn’t feel sick in the same degree as others. She had all her meals and even took some food from the dining room to a few sick passengers! The Captain did not tell us about the big storm in Perth until the ship had entered into the calmer water of the Indian Ocean. This big storm caused several million dollars worth of damage around Perth!
Bev and I disembarked in the historic port city of Fremantle and travelled 14 kilometres upstream of the Swan River to the City of Perth by bus. This City was named after the Scottish city of Perth on 12 August 1829. With its Mediterranean-type climate, visitors can enjoy Perth’s relaxed, outdoor lifestyle year-round. We stayed in an old-fashioned guesthouse downtown for a few days. It was comfortable, clean, well located and even provided a decent breakfast and dinner each day. We walked everywhere in the downtown area, including the mock-Tudor London Court located between Hay Street Mall and St George’s Terrace, beautiful parks, historic buildings and along the peaceful Swan River. We also managed a few day-tours visiting some of the interesting places outside Perth.
One early morning, Bev and I took a coach-tour to Albany, approximately 406 kilometres south of Perth. We crossed the Swan River and headed south following the Albany Highway to the old seaport of Albany. On our way to the historic seaport, we stopped at “the smallest church in Western Australia”. This tiny timber church was built about one hundred years ago. It was situated in a small garden with beautiful native trees and wild flowers. The fairytale-like building was well looked after, but just big enough for sitting not more than ten people inside. Albany was first visited in 1791 by Captain Vancouver, but it was not until 1826 that the British settled here. Albany was the main port in the colony until Fremantle harbour was constructed. It was the base of the whalers until the whaling moratorium of 1979. We arrived in Albany in the afternoon and just had enough time to stroll along the waterfront to look at the Indian Ocean before heading back to Perth. However, we were surprised to see two visiting Indian naval ships at the nearby wharf.
The day before leaving Perth, Bev and I joined another coach-tour visiting the Yanchep National Park, located about 51 kilometres north of Perth. On our way to the park we passed through some of the attractive new suburbs and stopped at the famous Kings Park to have a panoramic view of Perth and the Swan River. Yanchep National Park, established in 1905, is Western Australia’s second oldest park and one of the most popular day outing destinations from Perth. We saw many types of wildflowers in the park, including kangaroo-paw, cowslip orchid and Sturt’s desert pea. In the spring (from August to November in Australia) they burst into brilliantly coloured blooms, carpeting deserts, plains, farmland and forests with blazing reds, yellows, pinks and blues. A staggering 75 per cent of Australian wildflowers are unique to Western Australia. An area near the main car park was set aside for the koalas. Kangaroos and emus roamed the park, while black swans and ducks were a relaxing sight around the waterways. After lunch, a park ranger took us to see the park’s wonderful underground limestone caves.
Next evening, Bev and I left Perth on board the Indian Pacific train for Melbourne, via Adelaide. On the train our little compartment was clean and comfortable. The meals and services were good but there wasn’t much to do, except read and look out the window at the lonely, flat, dry and hot Nullarbor Plain. Bev didn’t feel very well on the train. She thought that she was seasick! In order to keep her mind away from “seasickness”, Bev made a dice from a cake of soap and taught me to play “beetle”. Really, it was not bad travelling on the train with Bev. We could talk and share our thoughts in the compartment, and count how many kangaroos, emus or camels we could see on the Nullarbor Plain.
The train took four days and three nights travelling from Perth to Adelaide. We crossed the vast Nullarbor Plain, and passed through the old gold mining town of Kalgoorlie in Western Australia and the major “road and rail hub” Port Augusta, in South Australia. Bev and I arrived in Adelaide in the late morning, but we had to wait until the evening to catch the train “Overlander” travelling overnight for Melbourne.
Jennifer Was Born
A few days after we arrived home, Bev went to see a local doctor to find out about her “seasickness”. She was so excited by the result of the test, couldn’t wait for me to come home from work, but rang me in the office and told me that she was expecting a baby! The good news was quickly passed on to her parents and my family in Hong Kong.
Both of our families were very excited about this news, especially my parents. Bev managed her pregnancy extremely well. She had arranged for Dr Lloyd-Green to deliver the baby in her old hospital “Bethesda” in Richmond. When the time was close to give birth to the baby, I had our old Hillman checked and made sure it was ready for emergency every night before I went to bed. It was a comfort to know the car could take us to the hospital on time without any problems (about 35 minutes distance).
After Bev had a false alarm of the baby’s arrival, my mother-in-law Elsie insisted that Bev should stay in her house in Murrumbeena, for easy looking after her and closer to run to the hospital than from Croydon. A lovely baby girl was safely delivered in the evening of 16 June 1971. We named her Jennifer Garmun (嘉敏). The middle name “Garmun” means “much wisdom” in Chinese. Baby Jenny was beautiful with dark brown eyes and plenty of very dark brown hair. She was 48cm (19 inches) long and weighed 3.13kg (6lbs14.5oz) at birth.
The birth of Jennifer was such welcome news to the family especially because my father had passed away suddenly in Hong Kong just a few weeks earlier (May 1971). He died after a severe stroke, on his way home from a restaurant. He collapsed on the footpath near his house in Yuet Wah Street, Kwun Tong and never regained consciousness. I was informed about his death immediately, but I couldn’t go back to Hong Kong for the funeral because of work commitments and other reasons. I was sad about his death, especially as I hadn’t even told him the good news of Jesus. There is a Chinese poem that has well reflected my feelings: “Trees wanted to calm down, but the wind won’t stop its rustling. The son wanted to care for the parent, but he was no more (樹欲靜而風不止，子欲養而親不在).” However, my father knew and was pleased about Bev’s pregnancy, but he didn’t live to see the arrival of our baby. He was buried in the Tsuen Wan Permanent Cemetery (荃灣永遠墳場) in the New Territories.
Following the birth of Jenny, I gave much thought to whether I should take up Australian Citizenship. After discussion with Bev and asking God’s guidance, I felt that it was right to transfer my citizenship from British to Australian. The application was approved in November 1971. (Attachment 2)
I Thought It Was A Boy
In late December 1972, my elder brother Nai-King came to visit us for the first time from Hong Kong. (Photo 7) By this time Jenny was a little more than one year old. She walked and followed him everywhere, in the house as well as in the garden. During his three weeks stay with us, I showed Nai-King many interesting places around Melbourne at the weekends. Also, I took a week off from work and went with him to visit Canberra and Sydney. Because of his work commitments Nai-King had to leave us in early January 1973. Even though it was only a short visit, he was impressed by the beauty and peaceful life style of Australia, and even planned to migrate here one day.
In mid 1972, Bev and I thought that it was time to give Jenny a little playmate. We would have loved to have a baby boy this time, but there was only 50/50 chance! Bev and I had to wait patiently for nine months to find it out. However, Bev managed her pregnancy very well, and the doctor’s report of the baby’s progress was excellent.
When the time was close to the birth of our second child, the baby was very active in the womb and made us think that maybe it would be a boy. Bev had a long labour. A healthy baby girl was safely delivered to us with the help of Dr Lloyd-Green. Angela Garlan (嘉蘭) was born in Bethesda Hospital, in the early morning of 23 February 1973. Her middle name “Garlan” means “beautiful orchid” in Chinese. She had very dark brown eyes and thick dark brown hair. Angela was 3.17kg (6lbs15.5oz) and 46cm (18 inches) long at birth.
My younger brother Dennis finished his general degree in Toronto University and continued further study in Windsor University also in Ontario in Canada. He went back to Hong Kong to marry his sweetheart Maggie (劉冰) in June 1973. After their honeymoon they settled in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
Shall We Call Her Fiona
Our life was not the same again after the arrival of Angela. Bev was busy looking after these two little girls and was also fairly active in the church. In May 1974, my elder brother Nai-King emigrated from Hong Kong to Australia, then was followed by his wife Enid a few months later, in October 1974.
Nai-King and Enid stayed with us for a few months, until they found a place in Box Hill close to their work. My brother also worked as an assistant cook each weekend, in my friend’s Chinese restaurant in Chadstone. Nai-King and Enid worked very hard for the first year in Melbourne. Eventually, they saved enough money to buy their first house (in 1975). This house was in Margot Street, Chadstone, close to public transport and my friend’s restaurant. (Photo 8)
Maggie, wife of Dennis, gave birth to a baby boy, Tim, in Windsor, Ontario, Canada in 1975. They gave him a Chinese name “Hin Ming (顯銘)”. (Photo 9) My mother was pleased to have her first grandson to carry the Wong family name!
Bev was expecting our third child in April 1976. We would have liked to have a son, but of course we didn’t mind if it was another girl! Since my father died four years ago, Mum’s health had gone down hill rapidly because of her grieving for Dad. As all the sons into the family had left Hong Kong, there was no one to look after her at home. So my sister Winnie, her husband James and their two children (Sunny and Bonnick啟志) moved into my Mum’s apartment in Kwun Tong to take care of her. In order to lighten her sorrows, I decided to bring the whole family back to Hong Kong to visit Mum for a few weeks before the arrival of our third child.
Bev, Jenny, Angie and I flew to Hong Kong a few days after New Year in 1976. Mum, auntie Jok, Winnie and her two sons met us at the airport. Winnie’s husband James could not come because he had to work in the French restaurant that day! I had been back to Hong Kong only a few years earlier, but it had changed so much that I had difficulty finding my way in the first three days! It was the first time for Jenny and Angie visiting Hong Kong and meeting their grandmother.
One night I was woken up from my deep sleep by the yelling and the sirens of emergency vehicles in the street next to my mother’s apartment. I got up quietly without stirring Bev and looked down in the street from the balcony. The stalls in the marketplace opposite to our mansion were on fire. The people were running everywhere and trying to put out the big fire. By this time Bev was woken too by the noise and smoke. She was very worried about the safety of the children and the apartment. Without our noticing, my sister Winnie had already gone downstairs to inspect the situation. She came back immediately and assured us that we were safe to stay in the mansion and all of us could go back to sleep. The fire was lit as a “pay back” to the poor stall owners for not paying protection money to gangsters.
One morning Bev caught a bus to meet her Chinese nursing friend Aurora somewhere in Kowloon. After they had their nice lunch and caught up with each other, Aurora put Bev on a mini bus and told the driver to let her off at the bus terminal in Kwun Tong, which was located near our mansion. Bev got off the bus at the terminal but could not find her way back to the apartment. She wandered in the commercial area and hoped that she could meet someone speaking English! Eventually, Bev found our street (by the help of the road sign) and knew that she could recognise our mansion if she just walked along the street. Instead of going home immediately, however, she went into a nearby emporium, which she recognised, and bought two nice cardigans, one for her Mum and one for herself! I was worried when she didn’t turn up at the pre-arranged time, especially for a seven-month pregnant woman who couldn’t speak the local language. We were relieved when she walked in the front door and couldn’t wait to show us her shopping.
In the Chinese New Year’s Eve, we went out to do some shopping in the famous Kowloon commercial strip. The streets and shops were filled with people. We could only move slowly and follow the crowd in the street. It was a difficult task to keep my two girls and their cousins together in a big crowd without losing any of them! Jenny and Angie had not seen a double-decker bus before. Every time we caught a double-decker bus, they would rush up to the upper deck of the bus. It was a big struggle for their pregnant mother to climb up the spiral staircase of the lurching bus behind them!
During the Chinese New Year holiday we couldn’t go out to do our shopping, because most of the shops were closed for three days during this important holiday of the year. We watched the lion dance in the street from our balcony. However, the use of firecrackers was not allowed in Hong Kong since the 1967 street riots. All children received gifts and red packets called “lucky money (利是)”. Our relatives came to wish us happy New Year, and we did the same in return—it was one continuous round of visiting and being visited with “re-cycled” boxes of chocolates or biscuits!
After the three days Chinese New Year holiday, we left Hong Kong and came back to Melbourne via Manila. A few days after our return, Jenny started school in Croydon Primary School. Bev was tired after this trip, and busied herself getting ready for the delivery of our third baby.
Fiona was born on Easter Monday morning, on 19 April 1976. She was delivered in St. Andrew’s Hospital, East Melbourne by Dr Lloyd-Green. We gave her a Chinese middle name “Garyun (嘉欣)”, meaning “much happiness”. Fiona was 49.5cm (19.5 inches) long and weighted 3.19kg (7 pounds) at birth. She had silky dark brown hair and big dark brown eyes.
Beyond A Dream
A few months after Fiona was born, our mother emigrated from Hong Kong to Australia on 16 May 1976. She lived with my elder brother Nai-King and wife Enid in Chadstone. It was a miracle that she was allowed to immigrate to Australia, because she was weak and recovering from a mild case of tuberculosis. Anyway, God’s way is not our way, and He can do things which would be impossible for us!
Our house in Croydon was nice and peaceful but not big enough for five of us. After having many discussions and prayers, Bev and I felt that it was right to extend the house from the kitchen, to provide additional living area for our growing family. The extension work started in early March 1977 and completed in late April the same year. We engaged a local building contractor to do the extension work. But I drew all the plans for City Council approval, and later I painted the new family room and the existing kitchen. Not to leave her out in this process, Bev made all the pretty new curtains to hang in the kitchen and the family room.
In early 1977, our mother was sick again and eventually admitted to the Heatherton Sanatorium. She was not discharged from the hospital until she felt much better a few weeks later. Mum was weak and worn out like an old well-used machine! But her spirit was strong and cheerful. We were worried about leaving her alone in my brother’s house during the daytime when Nai-King and Enid went to work. After having a discussion with Bev, we decided to bring my mother to our place in May 1977 and looked after her until she died a few months later. Mum had a good time living with us. She even taught baby Fiona some Chinese words!
In early October, our mother’s health suddenly went down hill. Eventually, she was admitted to the Maroondah Hospital in East Ringwood. Mum never complained about her discomfort, rather always was grateful for the loving care of Bev. She died peacefully in this hospital on Sunday morning of 16 October 1977, aged 74 years. Her funeral service was held in Croydon two days later. The 23rd Psalm was read in memory of her in the funeral. Mum was buried on a hill overlooking the Yarra Valley in the beautiful Lilydale Lawn Cemetery, not far from our house. (Photo 11)
Life is just like a dream. In my life I have experienced many ups and downs, many of which I am unable to write of. I went through war, riots, danger, sickness, loneliness, depression and injustice. But I have also received love, friendship, generosity, comfort, encouragement, forgiveness and salvation. By God’s mercy I have never been short of anything essential in my life, but I have tried to be helpful to others.
It is true that I had to work very hard to achieve my goals in life. And it is equally true that I was always blessed, even before I was born! God gave me the most loving parents and caring brothers and sister. He also has given me a faithful wife in Bev and our three beautiful daughters Jennifer, Angela and Fiona. (Photo 12) God’s grace is so great that I cannot even number all of them. The blessings that I have received are beyond my dreams.
I believe in Jesus. He is the Holy One who gives me comfort, confidence and strength. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will not fear, for God is with me.
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs and don’t forget to thank him for his answers. If you do this you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7
ATTACHMENT 1
Photo 1 – My Family In Hong Kong (1967)
Photo 2 – In A Park Next to The Toronto City Hall (1968)
Photo 3 – Our Wedding at West Hawthorn Baptist Church, Melbourne
(Dec. 1969)
Photo 4 – Bev in Her Chinese Wedding Gown, Hong Kong (Dec. 1969)
Photo 5 – Our House in Plumer Street, Croydon (c. 1973)
Photo 6 – R.H.M.S. “Patris”
Photo 7 – Nai-King’s First Visit to Our Home (Dec. 1972)
Photo 8 – Nai- King and Enid’s House in Chadstone (1975)
Photo 9 – Dennis, Maggie and Tim (1978)
Photo 10 – Jenny, Angela and Fiona (1978)
Photo 11 – Mother’s Grave in Lilydale Lawn Cemetery
Photo 12 – Our Family in Australia (1982)
ATTACHMENT 2
