Identity area
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Authorized form of name
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Description area
Dates of existence
History
Kin Jung was born in China around 1909. At nine years of age, he emigrated to Nanaimo. He was sponsored by one of several uncles already living in British Columbia. He attended school briefly but left in grade 4 to work in Vancouver as a dishwasher, in a sawmill and as a fry cook. In 1928, he returned to Canton to meet and marry Chan See. Canadian immigration law at the time prohibited Chan See from returning to Canada with Kin Jung. Kin Jung returned to China in 1930 then returned to Vancouver in 1931. Unable to find work in Vancouver, Jung moved to Nanaimo where an uncle secured him a job with the Western Fuel Company, first as a sawmill winch operator, then in railway repair, forest fire fighting, road repair and finally on the rock scow. The scow made three trips a day to dump rocks and mining debris into the harbour. This was very cold and dangerous, but he was able to earn an extra 50 cents above the regular $3.00 a day. In 1942 or 1943, he left the Western Fuel Company to run the Maple Leaf Cafe on Victoria Crescent. He eventually worked at Harmac, where he was employed until his retirement in 1974. In 1948, the immigration laws changed, and he was finally able to bring his wife and son to Canada in 1949. His son Mel was 17 years old by then and they had never met. He had three more children in Nanaimo: Dick, Victoria and May. The family lived in Chinatown until it was destroyed by fire. Jung enjoyed ice and roller skating and was a supporter of local sports such as lacrosse, soccer and hockey. The Clippers named him "Fan of the Year" for 1988-89 season. He was also a self-taught photographer.