Wongs of Canada – unite!

You now have your own coat of arms.

The Canadian Heraldic Authority has granted permission for the Wong Kung Har Wun Sun Association (also known as the Wong association of Ontario) to have their own unique family symbol.

The Star got a preview of the new crest, to be officially unveiled at the Wong’s National Convention in Toronto next week. About 1,100 folks with that last name will make history in the largest gathering of its kind.

The Wongs will be drinking their own Wong cocktail (a contest is underway for the best recipe) which is in addition to their own T-shirts and balloons. There is even a Wong lion dance.

It is also the first time that a Chinese-Canadian family association has been given the honour of a family crest, which will be used to represent Wongs across Canada.

“Since the first member of the Wong family disembarked in Victoria in 1858, the Wongs have made an indelible contribution to the development of our nation,” said Claire Boudreau., chief herald of Canada in a letter to the association.

The Canadian Heraldic Authority is part of the office of the Governor General which has the power to grant armourial bearings in Canada.

“It is the first such honour for a Chinese-Canadian family association. It also symbolizes the melding of different cultures that defines our multicultural society,” said Boudreau.

The irony of many of the first Chinese arriving in Canada as indentured servants and railroad workers being granted their own coat of arms is not lost on Caroline Wong, one of the directors of the Wong association .

The Wong coat of arms features a panda bear and a polar bear holding up a shield with a dragon. A phoenix sits on top of the shield.

The cute mascots didn’t initially meet with favour from all Wongs.

When approached by event organizer Greg Wong for input, this Star writer suggested skulls and crossbones and maybe a dragon. Think how great that would look on a biker jacket.

That didn’t go over too well, though historically coat of arms were placed on armour to identify participants on the battlefield.

There was also much discussion over the clan motto.

I had suggested something a little more edgy, like “Don’t Mess With The Wongs” to show the Wongs were not a family association to be trifled with.

I was overruled with “In Family We Unite.” Not quite as rousing as Clan Macgregor’s “My Blood is Royal,” but appropriate for a family association, I was told.

The Wongs have deep roots in Canadian society, and globally. There are an estimated 60 million Wongs worldwide. The Wongs have been hanging out since the first Canadian chapter was formed in Vancouver at the turn of the century.

Family associations were formed as a way to help new immigrants adjust to their new land. During the early years the associations were essential in helping deal with the harsh realities of discriminatory working conditions and an exclusion act, lifted in 1947, that barred all Chinese from entering Canada.

The coat of arms application was more than a year in the making.

“It involved many different of people of all ages, a give and take of ideas. What I learned was how complex the Chinese culture and language can be,” said Caroline Wong. “Even the style of Chinese calligraphy was often debated throughout the process.”

Delegates will be handed special coat of arms medallions at a gala dinner that organizers say will likely be the largest traditional Chinese 10 course meal dinner ever undertaken.

The national convention was last in Toronto 18 years ago; it is held every three years and rotates between six Canadian cities.

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So far no equivalent of the Highland Games are on the agenda.

“I don’t think you’re going to get Mah-Jong replacing caber tossing,” says Bonnie Wong.

The Ontario Wongs meanwhile, will be extending an invitation for all Wongs to use the crest as their own symbol, said Caroline Wong.

“This is for all the Wongs in Canada.”

And the good news is, you don’t have to wear a kilt.

Make some room, clan McGregor. The Wongs are in town.

Worthy Wongs

The first Chinese Canadian baby born in 1861 was by a Wong.

In politics, Bob Wong was the first Canadian cabinet minister of Chinese descent, serving as the minister of energy in the Ontario government.

Peter Wong of Sudbury, Ontario, was the first Chinese-Canadian mayor.

Jean Lumb, (formerly Wong) was the first Chinese Canadian to receive the Order of Canada after she helped change Canadian immigration laws that separated Chinese families.

There was also Randall Wong, the first Chinese-Canadian judge crown counsel and federally appointed judge.

And Dr. Joseph Y.K. Wong, founder of the Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care and an order of Canada recipient.

Wongs have also made an impact in the world of sports including Quebec figure skating champion Charlene Wong and world freestyle skiing champion Russell Wong.