TorontoNAJC March – April Update

Presentation of TorontoNAJC’s $20K Donation to the Momiji Place Shuttlebus Campaign Fund Feb 28, 2017

With TorontoNAJC’s $20K donation, the Momiji Place Shuttlebus Campaign exceeded their goal and has placed an order for a new vehicle to replace their aging shuttlebus. Staff and residents of Momiji Place are looking forward to the June delivery date of the new vehicle which is specially equipped to accommodate disabled passengers and their caregivers.

REMEMBERING STANLEY HIDEO HIRAKI (1923-2017) Stan passed away on February 14, 2017, at the North York General Hospital, Toronto, shortly after celebrating his 94th birthday. He is survived by his wife Marjorie, son Lester (Sylvie), grandson David, and brother George (Esther) and sister Joy (Fred).

Stan will be remembered for his life-long service to his community, and his commitment to the Japanese Canadian redress movement that resulted in the signing of the Redress Agreement in 1988 with the Government of Canada. In the year 2000, the book Japanese Canadian Redress: The Toronto Story was published and dedicated to the “unsung heroes of the redress movement.” Stan was a member of the Ad Hoc Committee responsible for the book, and was a contributor.

In 1942, during the uprooting of Japanese Canadians from their homes on the west coast of B.C., Stan volunteered to teach the displaced school-aged children living in Hastings Park, Vancouver. Later, when he was interned with his family in the self-supporting East Lillooet camp, he, along with other volunteers set up the first school in a tent located in a field and became the principal.

After the war, Stan earned a diploma in Electrical Technology from Ryerson, followed by a degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Toronto. He was employed by Motorola and Seneca College. Stan served as a president of the Toronto Chapter of the Japanese Canadian Citizens’ Association (JCCA), and was a board member of Nipponia Home and the Momiji Health Care Society. He was a founding member of the Toronto Chapter of the National Association of Japanese Canadians (NAJC).

Stan and Marjorie kept meticulous records of the struggle for redress. The Manuscript Collection and Audio Tapes are held in the Thomas Fisher Rare Books Library at the U of T – their legacy for future generations. (by Bill Kobayashi former TorontoNAJC Board member)

TorontoNAJC congratulates Pat Adachi, M.S.M.on receiving the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers. The honour was presented by the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada on March 9th in London Ontario. The Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers recognizes the exceptional volunteer achievements of Canadians from across the country in a wide range of fields. Pat Adachi has been a lifelong supporter and volunteer in the Toronto Japanese Canadian Community. Most notably Pat is known for having authored the book, Asahi: A Baseball Legend, the true story of a Japanese-Canadian team of the Pacific Northwest Baseball League from 1914 to 1941. As stated in the official release of the award “By shedding light on the challenges these players overcame during World War II and the dark period of Japanese-Canadian internment, she has not only preserved the history of a talented team, but also illuminated the healing power of sport/” The book was responsible for a movie on the Asahi team and for its successful placement in the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.

TorontoNAJC at the JCCC Spring Festival. TorontoNAJC shared space with Japanese Canadian Young Leaders at the JCCC’s Spring Festival on March 4 &5. Bruce Tatemichi, Randy and Janet Sakauye and Ron Shimizu hosted the TorontoNAJC information booth and handed out information brochures and engaged attendees in discussion about the chapter and its activities. Kendall Yamagishi, Jessica Whitehead and Ren Ito hosted JCYL’s booth. Entertainment at the booths was provided by challenging attendees to a contest of placing slippery kidney beans into a bowl with hashi in the fastest time.

We Should Know Each Other – The April session of the successful discussion series will feature a panel consisting of comedy writer/actor Mio Adilman,; poet/writer Sachiko Murakami and writer/editor Kelly Fleck on April 13, 7:00pm in the Parish Hall of St David’s Anglican Church at 49 Donlands Ave (across from the Donlands Subway Stn). The series is organized by the St Andrews Japanese Anglican Congregation and supported by the TororontNAJC, Japanese Canadian Young Leaders and the JCCC Heritage Committee.

Copyright for the book “Japanese Canadian Redress: The Toronto Story” has been successfully transferred from the Ad Hoc Committee which oversaw publication of the book in 1990s to TorontoNAJC. The transfer was requested by members of the Ad Hoc committee at the chapter’s AGM in last December. The next step in the project is to place all materials associated with compiling the book which include interview transcripts and audio tapes in a secure location accessible to the interested public. As the book is now out of print, the chapter will be exploring options for placing the book online or in some other form.