The City of Richmond has announced the five winners of its 2022 Heritage Awards on Tuesday.
Richmond’s Heritage Awards recognizes people and organizations for their efforts in preserving and promoting local heritage awareness in the city.
This year, the five winners are as follows:
Ken Chow with Interface Architecture won for his work on the mixed-use building at 3755 Chatham St. for highlighting the history of Steveston Village’s narrow lots and buildings.
Christine McGilvray, president of Friends of the Richmond Archives, received the award for her contribution as a host of the “Journey Through Time” online and telephone history sessions.
The sessions were designed particularly for seniors who were not able to leave their homes or take part in outdoor programming during the pandemic since December 2020.
Tonari Gumi (Japanese Community Volunteers Association) and the Steveston Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre won for their recipe book titled From the Sea and Shore that honours the “foodways of an immigrant community” and the resilient people who sustained them.
Recipes in the book were collected from senior members of the Steveston Japanese Canadian community reflecting their “frugality and ingenuity in preserving Japanese tastes and culture using ingredients local to the west coast.”
Cornerstone Christian Academy (CCA) was recognized for its work on actively raising awareness about Richmond’s and Canada’s diverse heritage through their school Heritage Fair Program.
The academy’s teachers and librarians train their students on how to use archival material and conduct on-site research, while developing a positive culture of learning which will hopefully lead to a lifelong interest and awareness of history and heritage.
Lastly, the Gulf of Georgia Cannery Society and the Initiative for Student Teaching and Research in Chinese Canadian Studies was awarded for its community-based storytelling project titled Fish Tales.
The project documents and share personal Chinese-Canadian stories in an effort to create community ties and a sense of belonging through the topic of seafood. Stories were collected from students, friends and families, but eventually expanded to include society members, partners and visitors of events and exhibits at the Cannery.
“The Richmond Heritage Awards allow us to pay tribute to those who contribute to promoting awareness of Richmond’s diverse heritage, as well as those conserving our historic places and culture,” said Mayor Malcolm Brodie, adding the awards provide a platform for people to learn about the city’s history.
“Thank you to everyone who submitted nominations and to the many people and organizations dedicated to Richmond’s heritage.”
