This is the SS Princess Mary that serviced the Gulf Islands during WWII. She is the very ship on which Japanese Gulf Island residents were boarded to be taken to Internment camps on the mainland of British Columbia. She serviced the B.C. Coast from Vancouver, Vancouver Island, Gulf Islands and up to Prince Rupert from…
Saltspring Island, September, 2015 Charcoal Kiln
Saltspring Island Fieldtrip
It was a privilege to participate in this field trip and to meet people like Rose Murakami who experienced firsthand the internment of Japanese Canadians on Vancouver Island. Rose tells us her story about her family land on Saltspring Island and her family’s internment experience.
I completely understand what…
Tea Garden in Ruins - Magic Touches Visitor
Although I live in the Gorge Waterway neighbourhood, it had been many years since I had walked over the bridge to the other side to visit the Gorge Kinsmen Park. In the early 1990’s, I visited the Tea Gardens many times, finding solace during some difficult days siting…
Takata Tea House in Japanese Gardens, Gorge Kinsmen Park ca. 1920. Takata v9861814, Esquimalt Archives.
Restored Japanese Gardens, Gorge Kinsmen Park, Esquimalt, 2015.
Born in Esquimalt, in 1920, Takata's family returned to Japan in 1925 for a couple of years where Toyo received education in Japanese, before returning to Esquimalt. Toyo Takata attended Lampson School, Esquimalt High,…
Uncle Jack's Story Continues into the Millennium
In 2009 the Pagoda building was sold to Gerald Hartwig, a local Victoria developer. I happened to be chatting with Gerald's daughter, Stephanie, yesterday and mentioned that I had been doing some research on Uncle Jack and noticed that her dad had purchased the property. When she heard his…
"Uncle Jack" Tang
Known as a the man who brought countless smiles to the faces of Victorians, Jack Tang was a charitable force in the Victoria community throughout his life. He along side his wife Bessie, they shared a passion for community service, Chinese drama and heritage, and were always ready to entertain the young and…
Everyone Liked Soue Kee; But how many really knew him?
Known as 'Soue Kee', the Chinese laundry man, Tang Kam Chew cleaned and delivered laundry in the old village of Esquimalt for 50 years, most of them for the Navy. Soue Kee endeared himself to those he served as a kind, happy, honourable and sharp business…