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Type of entity
Person
Authorized form of name
Dar, Woon
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- Dar, Toy Woon
- Dar Woon, David
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Description area
Dates of existence
1885-1972
History
DAR Woon was born in China in 1885 in the [開平 Hoiping / Kaiping] district. While in China, he married GUN Shee. The couple had one daughter, born in China in 1912: DERE Mee Gim.
He arrived in Vancouver, BC in 1900, and found work on the railways being constructed and operated by the Canadian Pacific Railway company, along with numerous other Chinese workers. In Canada, he was known as David DAR WOON.
David was among the numerous Chinese workers abandoned by the CPR and the Canadian government after completing its projects. However, David met a white man who also worked for the railroad, who asked David to accompany him to Calgary as a houseboy. David accepted, and went with the man to Calgary. The man also taught David the trade of tailoring.
Using the earnings he saved, David returned to China to bring his wife and daughter back to Calgary with him. In Calgary, David set up a tailor shop near 17th Avenue; later, he would move the shop to Centre Street and 4th Avenue. After reuniting with his wife, David and GUN Shee had nine more children in Canada.
In 1946, the family moved to Vancouver, settling in Chinatown, where David’s daughter, Hazel, opened a dry cleaning shop. David continued to work as a tailor out of the new shop, and also helped his daughter operate the business.
In the mid-1950s, the family sold the tailoring and dry cleaning shop. The family purchased a home in Kitsilano, where David would spend his retirement.
David passed away in 1972 in Burnaby, BC.
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