President’s Message

Hi everyone!
I would like to thank all the golf enthusiasts who participated in the 49th Annual JCCA Golf Tournament on June 13th at Meadow Gardens in Pitt Meadows. There was a good turnout and its seems everyone enjoyed themselves. Shag Ando and all her dedicated Golf Committee should be commended for all their effort in arranging such a great event. Next year will mark the 50th annual JCCA Golf Tournament and we’d love to see even more people involved!

The National Association of Japanese Canadians, of which the Greater Vancouver Japanese Canadian Citizens’ Association is a member, will be holding its Annual General Meeting in Ottawa, Ontario this year on October 16 and 17. As this is an election year for its new Board of Directors, the NAJC is accepting nominations for its Board of Directors till July 16, 2010. We hope that our Japanese Canadian community will help nominate key individuals from across Canada who can provide a strong voice for the Japanese Canadian community especially in areas concerning social justice and multi-cultural issues.

Last September, the GVJCCA and NAJC co-hosted the Honouring Our People – Stories of the Internment Conference.  Many individuals kindly related their stories of growing up Pre-Internment, during the Internment, and eventually Post-Internment. This Conference enabled participants to tell their stories – many of which had not been shared with younger generations.  Because the GVJCCA received a grant to record Conference and other stories in a book, we would like to add to our current story collection. We are interested in gathering stories from elders who lived in road camps for the duration of the Internment and request any interested community members with road camp stories, to contact our book committee through the office telephone number at 604.777.5222, or email at GVJCCA@shaw.ca.

The GVJCCA will once again be participating in the Powell Street Festival on July 30 and August 1, 2010 at the newly renovated Oppenheimer Park, Vancouver. The GVJCCA through The Bulletin will again be providing the program guide for everyone attending the festival. The Powell Street Festival is the largest event of its kind in Canada and has over the past three decades provided a wonderful blend of Japanese Canadian arts, culture, and heritage. We hope to see you all there again this year. Watch for the August issue of The Bulletin which will come out early this year to give you lots of time to plan your BC Day weekend.

Thanks, Ron Nishimura
President, GVJCCA