Chinese Canadian Legend Award Gala 2022 : “Life Go On, Love Wins All”
(October 29, 2022, Toronto) Over 300 guests attended the 2022 Chinese Canadian Legend Award Gala, organized by the Chinese Canadian Legends Association (CCLA). Celebrating the Award’s 21st Anniversary with the theme – “Life Go On, Love wins All”, the event took place at the Sheraton Parkway hotel where 6 recipients of the 2022 Chinese Canadian Legend Award were presented with the Award. The recipients, in alphabetical order, are: Arlene Chan, Chan Hon Goh, Rev. Danny Leung, Selwyn Lo, Dr. Theresa Tam and Lenny Wong.
The Gala’s opening ceremony was led by Band of Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship York, followed by a magnificent performance of beautiful young dancers from Georgia’s Dance & Arts Cultural Centre, set to the uplifting song “We are the world” to highlight this year’s theme, “Life goes on, Love wins all”. Gracing the evening as Feature Performer was famous Canadian singer, Jeffrey Li, who has received critical acclaim in both USA and China since his spectacular performance on the NBC hit television show “America’s Got Talent” of 2018 at the age of 13. The Grand Finale of the Gala followed his sensational song of “You raise me up” which concluded the evening with the Chinese Canadian Legend spirit of love, compassion and inspiration.
Mr. Bammy Wong, President of CCLA, says, “Ever since launching the Award, we have continued to explore and reflect on our future direction and vision. Thanks to the efforts of our team members, as well as the acknowledgment, participation and support from awardees and community over the years, the Award itself has become one of the most prestigious, influential and distinct awards. Entering a new era, we will continue to acknowledge the tremendous efforts of Chinese Canadians in contributing to the community.” He also says that CCLA is honoured to have former Senator Honourable Dr. Vivienne Poy and former Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba the Honourable Philip S. Lee as the Honorary Patrons of the Award.
There are many individuals worthy of recognition in the Chinese Canadian community, and each year, CCLA receives many nominations from the enthusiastic and supportive community. Mr. Stanley Kwan, chartered accountant and head of the selection committee, says, “The selection criteria change with the times: Although we do the same thing every year, we will listen to the voices of the community and incorporate their ideas, so that we can be objective and fair and choose individuals that deserve to be our role models.” There are 24 people on this year’s selection panel, of which 18 are past recipients, and the remaining six are from Chinese Canadian Legends Association. After lengthy discussions and a comprehensive review, six deserving individuals were selected.
Organizing Committee Co-Chair Ms. Alexandra Ngan says the purpose of organizing the Chinese Canadian Legend Award is a celebration of outstanding achievements and valuable contributions of Chinese Canadians in the midst of adversities. Our theme for this year is “ Life goes on, Love wins all”. In face of challenges including the pandemic, wars, global warming, economic recession and inflation, Chinese Canadian Legend award recipients are those who not only transform challenges into achievements but also help others with a loving and caring heart. May the Chinese Canadian Legend spirit of love, compassion and inspiration guide us to a better and brighter future ahead.
Mr. Dennis Au-Yeung, another Organizing Committee Co-chair, points out that, “The recipients are all Canadians who are worthy of praise. We hope that through the annual award, the unique values and beliefs, the fighting spirit and giving culture of Chinese Canadian immigrants will be passed onto the next generation growing up in the West.”
Since 2000, a total of 124 outstanding individuals have been awarded and 20 books were published to showcase their legendary stories. Mr. Stephen Siu, Chair of the Editorial Committee, stresses the importance of the book: “The Award has made its mark in history by recording and publishing stories of distinguished Chinese Canadians. Their inspiring stories will become invaluable future reference for research on Chinese Canadian immigrants and motivation for future change in the community. We have a good editorial team this year with Annie Jin and Clorie Ng as Chinese writers and the English versions written by Louisa Yue-Chan. The stories are fascinating and highly readable.”
The book collections are kept in the Richard Charles Lee Canada-Hong Kong Library at the University of Toronto, as well as the libraries at University of Ottawa, University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, University of Victoria, and McGill University. Since 2018, the collections have also joined the Hong Kong Central Library, the libraries of the University of Hong Kong, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Baptist University, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Chu Hai College of Higher Education and Canadian International School of Hong Kong.
2022 Chinese Canadian Legend Awardees Profile
Arlene Chan
Arlene is third generation Chinese Canadian, who grew up accompanying her mother Jean Lumb to events for Chinese rights and to help Chinese integration into mainstream Canadian society. She knows that today’s Chinese fought hard for their current status. A chance opportunity started her journey in documenting the Chinese narrative, and in actively promoting the preservation of Chinese history and culture in Canada. In researching a book on dragon boat racing, she unexpectedly became an elite dragon boat racing athlete, twice winning international championships for Canada. She continues her mother’s legacy in bridging the Chinese community with mainstream Canada, encouraging younger generations to keep on working for a multicultural Canada.
Chan Hon Goh
Chan Hon Goh was born into a ballet family, her parents were ballet instructors and her grandmother always encouraged her efforts to become a world class ballet dancer. She forged many firsts in the ballet world and has received much recognition including the Order of Canada. After retiring from the National Ballet of Canada, she has been teaching ballet at the Goh Ballet Academy, founded by her parents. Besides nurturing classes of new ballet dancers, she has led the Goh Ballet Youth Company to perform The Nutcracker annually, a proud new Vancouver tradition.
Rev. Danny Leung
Rev. Leung has overcome many hardships in his youth, including losing his sight. His faith helped him find the strength to finish university and become a computer engineer. In 2006 he resigned from his job to dedicate himself to community work, and was ordained a minister in 2013. He founded Joy Beyond Vision Community (JBVC), a charitable organization specializing in supporting people with sight disabilities. With the support of the Chinese church he opened a cafe to provide occupational training for the visually impaired. With a positive outlook he is a role model for the visually impaired, encouraging and supporting them to integrate into society to live a meaningful and dignified life.
Selwyn Lo
Selwyn’s fifty year journey in Canada exemplifies the Chinese Canadian Legend spirit. With hard work, unwavering will and determination he pursued higher education, established a realty business and contributed to the community. He has been a member of the Golden Daffodil Charity Ball organizing committee, has fundraised for the Canadian Cancer Society in the Chinese community, and received a Volunteer Service Award from the Ontario government in 2018. All the while, he has been a single father striving for his goals with passion and faith.
Dr. Theresa Tam
Dr. Theresa Tam was born in Hong Kong and immigrated to Canada after graduating from medical school in England. She has deep experience in clinical and public health work on infectious disease prevention and treatment. During her years at the Public Health Agency of Canada, she has made significant contributions in SARS and other epidemic research and in pandemic response management. Dr. Tam became Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer in 2017, the first woman to ever hold this position.
Covid-19 has made Dr. Tam a household name. Her leadership in fighting this pandemic has won her respect and admiration from Canadians. She encourages young Chinese Canadians in public health to break down barriers and embrace opportunities in their field.
Lenny Wong
Over forty years ago, Lenny arrived in Canada as a refugee, and starting with entry level jobs, he leveraged hard work and perseverance to establish a global business Ocean Packers Inc. Through life’s ups and downs, Lenny has always embraced supporting the Vietnamese, Cambodian, Loatian and ChaoChow Chinese communities. His achievements and contributions have garnered numerous recognitions such as the Ontario Medal for Good Citizenship, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal and the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II Medal. How Lenny has transcended his background and environmental circumstances to attain his dreams is a blueprint for success for Canadian immigrants.
2022年「紅楓傳奇」頒獎晚宴 –「泰然處逆懷希望, 以愛為綱締傳奇」
由「红楓傳奇協會」主辦的2022年「紅楓傳奇」頒獎晚會於10月29日在烈治文山市喜來登大酒店(Sheraton Parkway Hotel)隆重舉行，逾三百位各界人士出席盛會，一起見證本年度6位得獎人對社會的貢獻和他們的卓越成就。
今年主題是「泰然處逆懷希望, 以愛為綱締傳奇」，表揚得奬人在加拿大努力奮鬥、回饋社會、創造人生傳奇。獲奬名單如下（依英文姓氏排列）：陳林瑞玲女士、吳振紅女士、梁立安牧師、盧少峯先生、譚詠詩醫生、黃明亮先生。(簡介見附錄)
晚宴開幕儀式由Band of Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship York軍樂隊帶領，接著由躍鈴舞蹈藝術中心一群活潑可愛的小朋友伴隨旋律優美的名曲“We are the world” 翩然起舞，以動感洋溢的舞蹈揭開序幕。大會由加籍華裔，曾獲得加拿大首屆《北美最強音》少兒組冠軍，流行樂男歌手，李成宇擔任特別嘉賓，演唱多首名曲，壓軸好歌是滿載鼓舞激勵情懷的名曲“You Raise Me Up”。在他動人雄渾聲韻引領下，本屆「紅楓傳奇」人物和嘉賓一起謝幕，鼓勵大家一起「泰然處逆懷希望，以愛為綱締傳奇」。
红楓傳奇協會會長王昆明感謝各位貴賓出席晚宴，使這項備受華人社區重視的盛會備增榮寵。王昆明表示：「今年正值21週年。自最初舉辦紅楓傳奇，我們一直摸索和思考發展方向；憑著團隊的努力，得獎人的認同、參與，及社區人士支持，發展至今天成為獨樹一幟、極受尊重和具影響力的奬項，令我們深感鼓舞。放眼未來，我們希望透過『紅楓傳奇』繼續將華人勤奮努力，關心社區的精神發揚光大。」此外，他感謝前參議員利德蕙博士及緬尼托巴省前省督李紹麟的支持，多年來擔任「紅楓傳奇」獎項的榮譽贊助人。
今屆得奬者的人生故事各放異彩，即使來自加拿大不同省份、不同背景和界別；無論是藝術界、商界、醫學界、社會服務界，都展現出他們努力奮鬥，自強不息，無私為社會作出貢獻的精神，成為加國華人的典範，正好切合「紅楓傳奇」的評選標準。
甄選團主席特許會計師關保衛表示，評選準則是與時並進：「我們雖然每年都做同一件事，但會汲取社區的意見，總結經驗，務求做得客觀公正，選出值得我們學習的榜樣。「紅楓傳奇」的提名向來踴躍，今年的甄選團共有24人，其中18人是前獲選者，另外6人來自红楓傳奇協會，經過多番討論，全面審核，從眾多的候選人中選出6位實至名歸的得奬者。」
紅楓傳奇籌委會 共同主席顏惠霞律師表示：舉辦紅楓傳奇人物選舉的主要目的，是以表揚經歷勵志，愛心感人的代表人物，激勵大家一起發揮 紅楓傳奇人物那積極面對人生， 逆境自強，愛心助人的精神。面對疫症， 戰爭， 全球氣候暖化， 經濟衰退， 百物腾貴， 種種天災人禍的挑戰， 紅楓傳奇人物不單只泰然處之，自強不息， 更加憑愛助人， 克服逆境。 就讓我們以紅楓傳奇人物為典範， 一起「泰然處逆懷希望，以愛為綱締傳奇」。
另一位「紅楓傳奇」籌委會共同主席歐陽健昌指出：「獲奬者都是值得表揚的加籍華人，他們弘揚公益以及助人的精神，對下一代有傳承作用。我們更希望將這種華人的精神文化傳承下去，讓生長在西方的下一代毋忘我們獨有的價值信念。」
由2000年至今，「紅楓傳奇」已編寫了124個勵志傳奇故事，出版了20輯專書。《紅楓傳奇》編輯委員會主席蕭顯揚認為這套叢書很重要：「我們每年都會將6位得奬者的故事撰寫成書，這是華人歷史的一部份，將他們的故事輯錄成書，更可以永遠地流傳下去。我們有很好的編輯寫作團隊，但最重要是有好的故事內容。」今年的《紅楓傳奇》由金綺文及吳翠儀撰寫人物專訪，英文部份由余嘉穎執筆，筆觸感人，可讀性高。」
整套《紅楓傳奇》人物專訪，現已分別收藏於多倫多大學、渥太華大學、卑詩大學、西門菲莎大學、維多利亞大學、麥基爾大學，以及香港的浸會大學、香港大學、珠海學院、中文大學、科技大學、理工大學的圖書館。此外，香港中央圖書館、加拿大國際學校，亦有收藏《紅楓傳奇》。
2022「紅楓傳奇」獲獎者簡介
陳林瑞玲女士
陳林瑞玲是第三代華裔，從小跟隨母親林黃彩珍參加爭取華裔權利和促進華裔融入加拿大社會的活動，深知華裔今天的地位來之不易。一個偶然機會讓她開始記錄和講述華人自己的故事，並積極參與保存和傳揚華人歷史文化傳統的活動。為寫介紹龍舟賽的書，她「意外」成為一名優秀的龍舟運動員，兩次代表加拿大贏得國際比賽金牌。她繼承了母親連接華人社區與加拿大主流社會橋梁的事業，並鼓勵年輕一代為繼續打造多元文化的美好社會而努力。
吳振紅女士
吳振紅女士生於芭蕾舞蹈世家，她從小熱愛芭蕾，父母的言傳身教、姥姥的鼓勵和她自己的勤奮讓她很早就成為世界級芭蕾明星，在這個西方傳統領域屢屢創下紀錄，並因其對舞蹈藝術的卓越貢獻榮獲加拿大勛章等諸多榮譽。從加拿大國家芭蕾舞團退役後，吳振紅在父母創建的Goh芭蕾學院潛心教學，培養出一批又一批芭蕾新星。吳振紅還帶領Goh芭蕾青年舞團，為溫哥華打造了自己的《胡桃夾子》，成為溫哥華引以為傲的新傳統。
梁立安牧師
梁立安牧師年少時命運多舛，因意外失明。他在對上帝的堅定信仰中找到力量，讀完大學，成為電腦工程師。2006年他辭去工作全身投入福愛傳道社事工，並於2013年成為牧師。他創立專門服務視障人士的慈善機構樂明視障團，向視障者及其家人提供幫助；又在華人教會支持下開辦樂明咖啡廊，為視障人士提供職業培訓和就業機會。他以積極樂觀的心態，身體力行，鼓勵和幫助視障人士重拾信心，融入社會，過上有質量、有尊嚴的生活。
盧少峯先生
盧少峯在加國五十年走過的人生路程，充分體現了“紅楓傳奇”的精神 : 憑著勤奮、堅定的意志和決心， 在加國追求高等教育、在地產界建功立業，成立自己的公司，並且為社區作出貢獻 ; 多年來一直參與金水仙慈善晚宴籌委會，為加拿大癌症協會在華人社區籌集資金，並於2018年獲安省政府頒授安省義工服務獎。此外，他也一直肩負單親爸爸的角色，全憑一份熱愛和信念，達成人生目標。
譚詠詩醫生
譚詠詩醫生生於香港，從英國的醫學院畢業後移民到加拿大。她在防治流行病方面擁有深厚功底和豐富臨床經驗。在加拿大衞生部工作期間，她為抗擊非典等疫情立下汗馬功勞，在提升衛生應急管理等方面做出卓越貢獻。2017年她成為加拿大首位女性首席衞生官。新冠全球大流行讓譚詠詩成為萬眾矚目之人。她帶領加拿大抗擊疫情取得驕人成績，並以誠懇和嚴謹風格贏得民眾愛戴。她鼓勵有志改善加拿大衛生體系的華裔年輕人打破壁壘，擁抱機會。
黃明亮先生
四十多年前以難民身份踏足加國，由最基層的勞力工作起步，再憑努力與毅力闖開一番事業，創立了業務遍全球的「大洋海產有限公司」。黃明亮經歷過人生的逆境順境，一直懷抱光明，多年來也熱心參與扶助越、棉、寮、潮州僑胞及社區，毋忘共濟。他的成就和貢獻不單獲多項殊榮 — 如安省好公民榮譽勳章和英女皇白金紀念勳章等等的表揚；他如何衝破身份、階級與環境的種種限制，達成理想，也成為加國移民的成功寫照。
