DAVID WONG, an accomplished architect and author with a biology background that led him to initiate Save the Frogs Day in Vancouver schools, is adamant about leaving a civic legacy of diversity that embraces tolerance. He was recognized for his community building and environmental design work with a QE II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012.
A fifth generation East Vancouverite of Chinese descent, David believes in sharing the stories and wisdoms of all cultures that represent his city. “Wisdom is a two-way street,” he says, explaining the value of creating opportunities for the young and the old to come together for intergenerational cross pollination.
In the same vein, he is throwing his hat into the civic race later this month. “It’s important to have a coalition of voices and viewpoints, and to nurture integrity and ethics with a younger generation,” says the former city planner who authored and illustrated the graphic novel Escape to Gold Mountain, which explores Chinese history in North America, and which has sold worldwide.
JILL ROBINSON is happy Clinton was open for business this summer after she and many of her fellow entrepreneurs had to close their shops in 2017 because last summer’s BC wildfires shut down all traffic to their town. After 28 years in the business of supporting and promoting local and BC crafts people, originally showcasing only Bruce Vallance’s sought-after pottery in her Garden Side Pottery and Gifts shop on the Cariboo Highway, Jill has it all up for sale, including the building and the adjoining Tea Shop. “Now,” says the grandmother of 12, “it’s time for me to learn how to stay home and to work on my own quilting skills!” Jill admits her “appreciation of the handmade” comes from her own grandmother, who taught all her grandchildren the basics of knitting, sewing and crocheting. “When people come in to the store, they love to touch things that are handmade,” she says, “and they buy objects if the touch resonates.”
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