Person

Gung, David Peter

• 龔國平

• Gung, Gog Ping

1916-1968

David Peter GUNG was born GUNG Gog Ping in Victoria, BC on July 13, 1916. He was the youngest of six boys and grew up in Victoria at 2115 Sayward Avenue and 1048 Pembroke Avenue.

David’s parents were Peter Yin Ching (aka Yan Ten) Gung (1875-1946) and Fong You Yeung (1877-1949). His father worked at a variety of jobs to feed the family including practising Chinese medicine, working as a chef on CPR ships, and running a photography business on Cormorant Street. His father also was a talented artist and painted a life-size portrait of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen for the Chinese Consolidated Association in Victoria.

After graduating from Victoria High School, David headed for Toronto in 1937. He enrolled at Central Technical School in the watchmaking course, and graduated in 1942, earning a scholarship.

In 1943, he married Helen Mah, who also had moved from Victoria to Toronto, and graduated from Women’s College Hospital’s nursing programme. Helen and Dave had two daughters, Patricia and Janet.

After working a couple of years as an instrument maker during the war, David opened his own store, Community Jewellers, in downtown Toronto, in 1946. He successfully ran that store until he suddenly died of a heart attack in 1968 at the age of 51. David was instrumental in establishing the Ontario Watchmakers’ Association and was its first president.

David was multi-talented and a man for all seasons: an artist, who painted beautiful oil paintings, a great cook, an excellent photographer, a musician, a carpenter, and an all-round athlete good at many sports. He could do almost anything! He combined his deep faith and a love of music as the organist at the Chinese United Church at 92 Chestnut Street in Toronto, from the early 1950s until his death.

Mah, Helen (1918-1976)

Description supplied by collector/curator