Joy Kogawa, “honourary drummer” for the Gung Haggis Fat Choy Kogawa House dragon boat team.

Media
alert:

June 9th, 2006

Joy Kogawa,”honourary drummer” for the Gung Haggis Fat Choy Kogawa House
dragon boat team.

You are invited to a special Gung Haggis
Fat Choy Kogawa House dragon boat team activity and dragon boat
practice.

It is also a photo opportunity with our honourary drummer,
Joy Kogawa. Take a picture with Joy and the team on a dragon boat. For 2006, Gung
Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team added Kogawa House to its name to help promote
awarness for the Save Kogawa House campaign. In 2005, the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team recieved the Hon. David Lam Multicultural Award for being the team that “best respresented the multicultural spirit” of the Alcan Dragon Boat Festival.

Joy Kogawa OC, OBC, is one
of Canada's most important literary figures. Her award winning novel,
Obasan, introduced many Canadians to the challenging experiences of the
internment of Japanese Canadians during WW2. Obasan was the 2005 choice
for One Book One Vancouver, by the Vancouver Public Library. Her
children's novel “Naomi's Road” was adapted in 2005 into an opera, by the
Vancouver Opera.

Joy Kogawa's childhood home, was recently saved
from demolition and purchased by The Land Conservancy of BC. The GHFCKH
dragon boat team is committed to raising awareness and funds for the
preservation of historic Joy Kogawa House, and to help create a national
literary landmark for Canada. Joy will recieve her Order of BC on June
22nd.

June 23rd – Gung Haggis Fat JOY KOGAWA HOUSE fundraiser dinner:

The Gung Haggis Fat Choy Kogawa House dragon boat
team helps to host a fundraiser for Kogawa House at Flamingo Chinese
Restaurant. 3489 Fraser St., 6pm reception, 7pm dinner. This dinner
will celebrate Joy's Order of BC, purchase of Kogawa House by TLC, and present
the inaugural Gung Haggis Fat Choy intercultural arts achievement award to
Vancouver Opera for their production of “Naomi's
Road.”

Sunday, June 11, 2006

10:30am

Dr. Sun Yat Sen Gardens: The Gung Haggis team coach Todd Wong leads a tour to introduce concepts
of harmony and balance, yin and yang. Paddler Steven Wong will lead a Tai
Chi / Qi Gong exercise following.

12 noon
Dragon boat dumplings and Dim Sum:

We go for dim sum and have
traditional dragon boat sticky rice dumplings wrapped in tea leaves.
Floata Restaurant. 50 Keefer Street.

1pm

Dragon boat
practice and paddling:

meet at “Dragon Zone” – the green trailer building,
just a few steps south of Science World, above the Aqua Bus/ False Creek
Ferries. This is where the dragon boat dock is.

Photo
opportunity: Joy Kogawa and the Gung Haggis Fat Choy Kogawa House dragon
boat team.

We will have a 30 minute warm-up and dragon boat
history introduction, followed by a 20 minute dragon boat paddle. Return
Joy and special guests off on the dock, then continue for an additional 60
minutes for the Gung Haggis Fat Choy Kogawa House dragon boat team
practice.

Cheers, Todd

604-240-7090