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| Subject: today's paper - tribute to an immigrant father |
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My father, the Canadian
A humble man of spirit and love, proud of his new country, he realized his dream of a better life for his family
Der Hoi-Yin
Special to the Sun
June 17, 2005
My father´s life was not a rags to riches story. He was not a crusader of social causes or political issues.
But his life was remarkable in that it embodied the lives of millions of immigrants, people who arrived in this country with little else than memories and dreams -- memories of whence they came, and dreams of a better future for their families.
In the end, their lives are measured not by material possessions, social or political stature, but by the examples they´ve set in this melting pot of memories and experiences that give us our unique Canadian identity.
This is my father´s story. This is their story.
Leonard Leun Wan Der was in many ways a self-taught man. As an immigrant, he taught himself how to read, write and speak English. He taught himself how to run a restaurant. He read how-to books on mechanical systems, then did all the wiring and plumbing in the two homes he built for his family.
My father was a humble man. Very few knew he was well versed in Chinese classics as well as finance and economics. He held a degree in finance from one of China´s top universities more then half a century ago when a MBA was not synonymous for ambitious investment bankers.
Dad was a proud Canadian. This was his new country and he followed politics with a passion. He applied for our citizenship certificates in 1967 in honour of Canada´s 100th birthday. He also decided it would be very Canadian to enjoy country and western music. He became quite the enthusiast.
Above all, Dad was totally devoted to my mother Louise, and to his six children, a quality we appreciated as we became adults and had families of our own.
When Dad learned just a few weeks ago that death was imminent, he called all of us to his bedside. He told us he loved us, that we were not to cry for him, that we were to take good care of Mom and each other for him.
Our father faced death the same way he lived life -- with great dignity, self-sacrifice and an absolute dedication to his family´s well-being.
Dad was born April 19, 1928, in Ching Yuen, Guandong province, to a family of wealthy landowners. He attended Huang Po Military Academy´s high school, then Zhong Shan University in Guangzhou.
Dad told us stories about a China we never knew, about his father, a progressive man who believed in the value of education for sons and daughters alike. He told us about a white stallion he used to ride in his youth, a stallion presented to his father by General Zhang Fakui of the Fourth Army of the Northern Expedition. He told us about a poem the former grand court historian, Zhu Ruzhen, wrote in honor of Dad´s father´s achievements. Never boastful, Dad just wanted us to understand our family roots.
He was a practical man but also an idealist. Initially, he was part of a group being groomed by the Kuomintang to help modernize China. After the Communist takeover, Dad remained dedicated to his country. He was assigned to the civil service in Beijing.
Dad was also a romantic. He met Mom when he was 20 and she was a sweet 16. After Mom left China to join her father in Canada in 1948, Dad continued to woo her, sending her love letters and poems almost every day. Dad believed that, as an educated civil servant, he could offer Mom a good future in China. She returned in 1953 to marry him.
But Mom could not face the turmoil of a post-revolution China. She convinced Dad that Canada could offer a better future for the family. They went to Hong Kong in 1954 where I was born, then emigrated to Canada the following year.
Our father came to Canada virtually penniless. At first he found life in a new country with a new culture difficult and lonely, especially in tiny Prince Rupert, where he settled with his in-laws. He spoke the Guangzhou dialect and could not speak Toi Shan, the dialect of most Chinese-Canadians in the 1950s. He could not speak English, which everyone else spoke.
He worked hard for my Grandpa in the grocery business and taught himself English. He later took over a restaurant Grandpa owned and laboured seven days a week, 365 days a year, from 7 a.m. until 2 a.m. the next morning.
Hard work, business acumen and friendliness soon brought him enough financial security to send the four eldest to boarding schools on Vancouver Island, and then to university. He also supported his 16 siblings in China and sent his two youngest sisters to nursing school.
As the business prospered, he spent more time with us and took us on trips abroad to better understand the world. He also started investing in Vancouver real estate in Chinatown, the West End and Shaughnessy. Dad retired to Vancouver in 1979. He dedicated himself to his intellectual pursuits and to a personal journey in Buddhist philosophy.
We all have our favourite memories of our father. For me and my sisters, it was his awkward warmth. We remember how Dad loved to gently rub his after-six stubble on our faces and breathe deeply into our hair. For my brothers, it´s that go-cart he built for them out of a tricycle and an old lawn mower engine.
I believe a man´s life is measured by his spirit and love. On my last trip home, I learned that his computer password was LOUISE, his computer screen background a portrait of the two of them.
Dad left an intangible legacy, one of family values, education and a belief in hard work. He wove himself and his children into the fabric of Canada in the hope that his descendants would eventually become valuable contributors within the sea of dreams he now called home.
Before he died, he whispered to Mom that he felt luckier than Pierre Elliot Trudeau. To his children, he was indeed a remarkable man.
Leonard Der, 77, passed away peacefully on the afternoon of June 8, 2005. Der Hoi-Yin, his eldest child, is a former Vancouver Sun columnist and CBC National business correspondent. She resides in Hong Kong and occasionally contributes to this newspaper.
? The Vancouver Sun 2005
[17-06-2005,13:00]
[***.20.170.23]
sharon |
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(in reply to: today's paper - tribute to an immigrant father)
Sharon,
This is a very heart warming story indeed of self sacrifice for the better lives for future generations, without being selfish about his own life. Its very hard to find such brave people, as its hard for me to imagine myself going thru´ such hardships. I respect Leonard for what he did for his family.
[17-06-2005,13:51]
[***.242.242.2]
Raj |
(in reply to: today's paper - tribute to an immigrant father)
Sounds like the story of a stupid Chinaman to me!
[18-06-2005,12:54]
[***.202.54.29]
in canada |
(in reply to: today's paper - tribute to an immigrant father)
in canada - I wish you were not in Canada or any where near it. Every time you open your mouth you demonstrate such ignorance and uncivilized behaviour. Your comments not only insult immigrants, and our Chinese population... they insult ME. Perhaps there should be a new criteria for PR applicants. respect.
[18-06-2005,14:41]
[***.20.170.23]
sharon |
(in reply to: today's paper - tribute to an immigrant father)
I agree about in canada...you can trace all his remarks....and it is tainted with nasty and uncalled for comments....I pity you...I think you cry every night being bugged by your conscience....
[19-06-2005,22:51]
[**.39.44.102]
wondering |
looking for Der Hoi-Yin (in reply to: today's paper - tribute to an immigrant father)
This story hits home for lots of Chinese Canadians who immigrated to Canada during the 60´s and 70´s. I understand because my family went through the same sacrifices and hardship during those times to give the future generations a better life. The old immigrants (lo wah quiu) and their children are proud Canadians. They have contributed tremendously to the Canadian society.
Please give Der Hoi-Yin my email and ask her to contact me. I am a Lion´s Club member who is organizing a 30 years Miss Chinatown reunion. We would be proud to acknowledge her successful career. Thank you.
[23-08-2005,20:17]
[**.180.230.22]
DIANE |
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