Vancouver Tsung Tsin (Hakka) Association

A group of 24 members organized by the Association left Vancouver on October 11, 2008 to attend the 22 nd World Hakka Conference held in Xian. In addition, the group also visited Beijing, Guilin, Shanghai, Suzhou, Wuxi, Hangzhou, Shenzhen , Hong Kong and Guangzhou for an inclusive 15-18 days holiday excursion. The trip was exhaustive but very enjoyable. Most of the group members have returned to Vancouver on October 25 and October 28 respectively. The World Conference has decided that the next Conference will be held in 2010 at Heyuan (Ho Yuan).

The Association held its August Moon Festival Celebration at its premises on September 14, 2008. More than 150 members and their friends participated in this popular event. The dinner was featured with a variety of authentic Hakka specialty dishes in a pot-luck setting. In his welcoming message, the Association's President, Mr. Peter Chong thanked the attendees for their support and those who brought their own Hakka specialty dishes. Karaoke singing and other activities followed after dinner. The evening also featured the serving of moon cakes and other festival snacks as well as full moon watching at the newly built sundeck at the back of the building. The weather was excellent and everybody had a very enjoyable evening.

The Association held its Fall Memorial Services at Valley View Memorial Gardens on September 4, 2008 and at Mountain View, Ocean View and Forest Lawn on September 5, 2008 respectively. Representatives of the Board and members, led by Mr. Peter Chong, Mr. Voong Mah En and Stephen Chong paid respect to the deceased members of the Association.

The annual summer picnic was held on August 9, 2008 at Central Park near Kingsway and Boundary. Despite the less-than ideal weather conditions, more than 200 members and their friends participated in this popular out-door event. As the park is close to the city, we did not use rented buses and everybody arrived with their own transportation. After the welcoming and thank-you message by the Association's President, Peter Chong, group pictures were taken. The picnic provided not only excellent food, but also well-organized and enjoyable activities for all ages. They included line dancing, ma-jong, riddles, walking and sightseeing in the park and a variety of competitive games. Everybody had a good time. Special thanks to the organizing committee for a job well done.

A luncheon was held at noon on July 1 st at the Association to celebrate Canada Day and Seniors Birthday. Some 200 members and their friends took part in the popular event. After the national anthem was sung, the Association's President Peter Chong welcomed and thanked all the participants for their support. He reminded those present to be thankful for living in this great country with an excellent medical and social welfare system and then wished Canada and all the attending seniors a very happy birthday. After singing “Happy Birthday” to all the seniors, birthday gifts (long life noodles) were given to those who were born between July & December. After the excellent lunch had been served, 3 oldest seniors were invited to symbolically cut the huge birthday cake, which was then distributed as dessert to everybody. The festivities continued with Karaoke singing and line dancing. Everybody had a wonderful afternoon! Special thanks to all those who donated monies and food as well as those who helped out on this occasion.

In response to the overwhelming support of the fundraising effort of individuals and community organizations toward the Szechuan earthquake in China, our Board of Directors has voted unanimously to set up a Committee to canvass the general public, especially the Hakka and Chinese community for donations toward this very worthwhile undertaking. It is also a gesture that we care about our fellow brothers and sisters in deep sorrow and suffering. We are most pleased to report that, through the support of our members and friends, we have raised more than sixteen thousand dollars, far exceeds our original target of ten thousand dollars. The total amount has been passed on to Tsu Chi Si Chuan China Quake Relief Fund and they will issue tax receipts to the donors at year end. It should also be noted also that our donations also receive the dollar for dollar matching from the Federal Government. The Tsu Chi Organization also presented the Association with a plaque of appreciation for the fund-raising effort.

The Association hereby thanks all those who have donated generously for this fund-raising effort.

The Association held its Parents Day Dinner & dance celebration on May 30 (Friday) at the Royal Dinner & Dance in Richmond. More than 250 members and their friends attended this full house event. The MCs for the evening were Ms Ivy Chung (Vice President), Melvin Siau and Jacob Chong ( Leaders of Youth Group).

The Association ' s President, Peter Chong began by welcoming and thanking all the participants for their support and then requested the audience to observe a moment of silence in memory of those dead, missing and suffering in China ' s Sze Chuan earthquake and Myanmar ' s (Burma) Cyclone. He reminded both parents and their children to be thankful for their respective gifts in life. On behalf of all the children, he wished all the parents long life and good health. During dinner, the audience was entertained by karaoke singing, line dancing , games competition and other performances. In addition, many door prizes were given out to the lucky winners. Highlights of the evening included the presentation of special gifts to all the mothers, followed by a request to dance by their spouses and the fund-raising activity for the China ' s Sze Chuan earthquake, which raised more than twenty six hundred dollars . Dancing followed after the dinner until past mid-night and everybody had a most enjoyable evening. Special thanks to the Organizing Committee for a job well done!

會員重新登記及發新會員証
(Re-registration of members and issue of new membership cards)

For various reasons, the Association's membership records have not been kept up-to-date in recent years. This has resulted in the Association not being able to communicate with and serve its members more effectively and efficiently. In order for the Association to provide more and better service to its members, the general membership, through the recommendations of the last and current Board of Directors, has approved the re-registering of its members.

Anyone who has previously and successfully applied for membership will be eligible for re-registration.
Bring your current membership card, if available, to the Association to complete the re-registration process and once the 2007 membership fee has been paid, a new membership card will be issued. Alternatively, you can contact the Association's office to complete the registration process.
Individual regular membership fee is $5.00 per year and family regular membership fee is $10.00 per year. Other options are also available.
The time period for the re-registration process has been extended to May 31, 2008. Failure to complete the re-registration within the time period will result in voluntarily giving up the membership. If you re-registered after the time period, you will be treated as a new applicant.
If you are unable to complete the re-registration process within the time period due to some extenuating circumstances, you must apply to the Association in writing for an extension.
Honorary Presidents, honorary Advisors, lifetime members, lifetime associate members and members age 70 & above are not required to pay membership fees but are still require to complete the re-registration process.
The Association's Bylaws stipulate that failure to pay his or her membership fees for five years, the member will be considered as having resigned voluntarily.
Association address and contact:

Your assistance and cooperation in facilitating the re-registering process would be most appreciated.

The Association held its Spring Memorial Service on April 5th and 6th, 2008 respectively to pay respect to its deceased members. Led by our President Peter Chomg and Supervisor Voong Ma En, some 30 Board of directors and members visited Valley View Memorial Gardens, Mountain View, Ocean View and Forest Lawn cemeteries. After the memorial service, the group went back to the Association for a late luncheon, followed by Karaoke singing.

The Association held a dinner banquet to celebrate its 37th anniversary and the Chinese New Year on February 16, 2008 at the Floata Seafood Restaurant in Chinatown. More than 800 members and friends including some 100 dignitaries from three levels of governments and Chinese community organizations attended this popular annual event. The MCs for the evening were Stephen Chong, Melvin Siau and Florence Chong. The banquet started with the performance of the Unicorn dance, a traditional Hakka custom, by the Association's Athletic Group to welcome the New Year and to bring good fortune. Our President, Mr. Peter Chong began by wishing everybody a happy and prosperous New Year and extending his warmest welcome to the attendees. After greetings from the representatives of the three levels of government and the Counsel General of the People's Republic of China, the Association presented scholarship awards to nine elementary, secondary and university students who had excelled academically during the 2006/7 school year and one Certificate for Artistic Talent. The Association's President also presented appointment letter to Mr. Mason Loh,QC as Honorary Legal Counsel for the Association. Programs for the evening included singing, dancing, Hakka folk songs, and other performances as well as more than 130 lucky draws and raffle prizes for the lucky winners. It is noteworthy that this event was reported by five of the major local newspapers, namely Sing Tao, Ming Pao, World Journal, Dawa News and Global News. Special thanks to all the sponsors for donating prizes ad monies and the organizing committee for their excellent effort.

Some 40 representatives and two unicorns participated in the Chinese New Year Parade held in Chinatown on February 10, 2008. Despite the weather conditions, the parade still attracted a huge crowd and was a big success. It appears that our unicorns were also attracting a lot of attention. After the parade, the Association's President, Peter Chong and Supervisor Voong Ma En took the Unicorn Group for lunch and also presented each member a good luck red envelop (Li-se).

The Association held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) On December 2, 2007 at 2:00 pm in the Association's Main Hall. Despite the severe weather conditions, more than 50 members showed up for the meeting. The Association's President, Peter Chong began by welcoming and thanking those who attended the meeting, followed by reporting on the many activities and programs during the year. He reported that through the hard work and dedication of the Board members and the active support and participation of the general membership, the Association is getting strong and gaining respect from other community groups. The Board of Directors is committed to provide quality service to its members. The Treasurer, Mr. Lo Kum Lung presented the financial reports of the Association. The minutes of the last AGM meeting, the financial reports and other agenda items were subsequently approved. Refreshments were served after the meeting.

A luncheon was held on January 1, 2008 at 12:00 noon in the Association's Main Hall to celebrate the New Year and the birthday of its seniors. Approximately 200 members and their friends attended this popular annual event. Due to the limited space and the number of people, the place was over crowded! The event commenced with the performance of the Unicorn to welcome the New Year and to bring good fortune. Mr. Peter Chong, the Association's President, thanked all the attendees for their participation and wished them a healthy and prosperous New Year. He pointed out that the Board of Directors is most appreciative of the active support by the general membership of its various activities and programs. He also wished the seniors a very happy birthday.