Person

Tom, Wing Down

• 譚富宏

1902-1978

TOM Wing Down was born in Canton, China on June 5, 1902. Before journeying to Canada, he married Kim Gee and they had four children: son Eddy, and daughters Fronie, Joyce and June.

Wing arrived in St. John’s, Newfoundland in 1925, when he was 22 years old. He arrived as a laundryman hailing from 開平 Hoiping / Kaiping county in the 廣東 Guangdong province of China. He settled in St. John’s, joining a friend who was already established in the city.

Wing started a Chinese laundry on Water Street. He then ran Paradise Cafe on Bell Island for four years, and later, Tom’s Snack Bar back in St. John's. He retired at the age of 76.

His daughters, Joyce and June Tom, shared: “He never spoke of the details but mentioned how the “white folks” were not nice to our family and mumbled his annoyance in Chinese of the discrimination. He did speak of the head tax that was imposed on Chinese immigrants entering Canada; many of his friends had to pay as well. Not being able to articulate or defend the words or behaviours subjected to him brings back painful memories… Dad gave us an upbringing the best he could with humble beginnings and a lot of hard work to raise a growing family. Stress was a big part of his day-to-day that he dealt with silently. Life was very challenging in a foreign country, not being able to speak the English language added to his struggles. The hardships that my parents bore were not on our radar as kids, and only felt much later in our adult lives.”

He ordered Chinese dry goods and moon cakes to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, and Chinese vegetables from Vancouver for his family to enjoy as these could not be purchased locally. Additionally, he crafted batter for delicious fish and chips and amazing apple and lemon pies for the snack bar, as attested by his daughters and his many customers.

His daughters’ fondest memory of him was “his love to cook the Chinese food he grew up with. He perfected the Peking duck and crispy slow-roasted pork belly recipe which he prepared for every special occasion. We can still ‘smell’ the lovely aroma coming from the kitchen and we so miss it… Our dad was a very kind, generous and caring human being. He would give the shirt off his back to put a smile on someone’s face. He was very protective of his kids and wanted the best for us; oftentimes that meant strict rules to follow at home, school and at play. We miss dad dearly.”

Wing passed away in December 1978.

Description supplied by collector/curator