Editor’s note: This story will have a continuation featured in next week’s Star and Times.
Long-time former resident Suejee Quon made a trek back to Swan River, where her childhood in Canada began. Many will remember her father, Chuck Quon, who took over the C.V. Café from his father and later on, owned the Sporting Goods Store.
“My father had returned for an arranged marriage with my mother in 1947,” said Suejee Quon. “In those years, Mao Zedong’s Communist Party was taking over the country and the family perceived this as an imminent threat to his returning to Canada, so he returned before I was born in 1949. I never met him till we landed in Winnipeg in 1955.
“My grandfather and his two brothers stayed together during their time with the railway. They chose to stop when the line stopped in Swan River. They worked at Minitonas Cafe first. Then my grandfather built the C.V. Cafe. He had several other Chinese men who worked there. Among them was Lyn Tip’s father, Wing Tip, who was the cook. Dick from Dick’s Cafe started at the C.V. as well.
“We drove up directly to Swan River, where Chuck, my dad, was to work at the C.V. Café,” said Quon. “My mother was a young 25-year-old with a 5-year-old in tow. My grandfather King Quong was one of three brothers who built the cafe, but he passed away in 1953 before we could meet.
“We lived in a two-story white house with a large, enclosed yard surrounded by trees and a short wire fence. This house was on the corner of what is today the parking lot of the Coop. The roads were all gravel and rough. I remember being colder than I have ever been. The kitchen had a water pump and every day it was our chore to pump up the daily water. The outhouse was down a lane, far from the house.
“In those days, the Chinese were not welcomed or understood,” said Quon. “It was a Canadian national effort to prevent Chinese immigration. I have memories of kids chasing me, throwing rocks and calling me names. In the same breath, Mary Snelgrove, who was the grade two teacher then, recounted how she watched out the window of Taylor School and saw how children fussed over this small Chinese girl.
“After 1955, when we arrived in Swan River, mom had a couple of difficult pregnancies, but after that, they had more children, with Sue Ying, who was born in 1958. Then Don Chan was born in 1959, Sue Len was born in 1960, Sue Shirley was born in 1961, Kerry was born in 1962 and the baby of the family, Sue Fawn, was born in 1965. All of them were born in Swan River.”
Growing up in Canada was different for Suejee, as she was tasked with keeping her Chinese traditions alive, but learning to live life as a Canadian. The C.V. Café played a huge part in her growing up and was the centre hub for the family.
“My mother was very strict, and she was always concerned with teaching us to be Chinese and to not lose our culture,” said Quon. “When we were not at school, we were kept busy in the restaurant. All of us worked. My younger sisters waited on tables.
“My task was to do laundry every Saturday. Downstairs was an old ringer washer. Every week, there were always loads and loads. Never an idle moment, as I waited for the cycle to complete, I also cut potatoes in the chip slicer for the French fries. We all had different tasks. Since we did not participate in sports or after-school activities, working was all we knew.
“The restaurant business was everything, and it was the priority in our lives, so we were there all the time,” said Quon. “In the very early days before the C.V. was rebuilt, we would hold a big banquet every year. I think it was for the New Year’s Eve celebration. It was all the Chinese food you could eat. Everyone came, the mayor, the police chief, the store owners and all their wives. There was a lot of laughter.
“Then there were some favourite customers that I remember. Mr. Gold came in every day for his lunch. His first name was Stewart, but we called him Mr. Gold because he worked at the jewelry store. He was a quiet, gentle man and always had a smile. Whenever he came in, we made sure he had something special added to his order.
“It may sound like hard times, but we never complained or thought of not complying,” said Quon. “Today, I am grateful for those days. I believe my work ethic evolved from these family commitments. I have lots of good memories.
“I made very good friends with Linda Cox and Ruth Card. Although we were the wallflowers of our high school group, the three of us had a fabulous childhood. We drove Mr. Card’s old Dodge down country roads. A bit of freedom, random activities unsupervised, was a great feeling.
“My parents and Bill and May from Dick’s Cafe would play Mahjong at the Sporting Goods Store,” said Quon. “They would play day and into the night.”
Suejee remembers her time in school and cherishes those innocent childhood memories of growing up.
“My memories of Duncan School consisted of an old building with kids running up and down the stairs,” said Quon. “I remembered that we learned to print and write cursive with the MacLean method of cursive writing. The best memories are sliding down the hill behind the cottages every winter. Recess was never long enough. We slid on everything, and cardboard was the best and easiest to glide down. The trick was to get as many runs as possible before the bell rang. We never knew the cold; the adrenaline kept us warm.
“Attending high school was another change. It’s hard to believe that I walked to school every day, even in the blinding snow of winter. I was lost in the larger population, but thankfully, we had home rooms, so being part of a group before dispersing to different classes seemed less strange.”
Suejee left the Swan Valley area to pursue her post-secondary studies in Winnipeg.

When it comes to Ukrainian dancing in the Valley, the Benito Vesselli Ukrainian Dance Club keeps the tradition alive and achieves new accolades as its season unveils. For the second time in a row, Benito Vesselli Ukrainian Dancer Kemi Bulycz, has attended the Spirit of Virsky Seminar in Edmonton last month. The Spirit of Virsky Seminar is a Ukrainian dance workshop hosted by the Ukrainian Dance World and instructed by former Virsky Ensemble dancers.
“This was my second time attending the Spirit of Virsky Seminar,” said Kemi. “In a few ways, this year was different. The instructors who came from Virsky were all different compared to those who instructed last year. This year they focused more on ballet technique, arm and foot positions, and we learned two full famous Virsky dances.”
Kemi has found that each time she has attended the Spirit of Virsky Seminar, she has learned a lot of different techniques and dances. She uses this knowledge and learning to bring back to share with the Benito Vesselli Dance Club.
“I really enjoyed that we focused on ballet technique and jumps, along with multiple turn combinations, specifically obertoss turns,” said Kemi. These are skills that will help me grow as a dancer and also skills I can bring back to my club, Benito Vesselli.
“We learned two complete and famous Virsky dances, which were Khmil and Hopak. They were a lot of fun. Khmil is a dance about the female dancers playing tricks on the male dancers, who may have enjoyed a few too many adult beverages. Hopak is the most famous Ukrainian dance, showcasing tricks, fast footwork, and spins. It was a true honour to not only learn these dances but be taught by the professionals themselves.”
The seminar was instructed by world-renowned Ukrainian dancers and brought in students from across Western Canada. The classes focused heavily on style and technique for Ukrainian dancing.
“Dancers from all across Canada, mainly Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia were in attendance,” said Kemi. “Some who perform with amateur groups like myself and some who dance in professional ensembles.
“We had four Virsky Instructors, Frolov Kostiantyn, Anna Frolov, Masha Bodyan and Dmytro Bodyan. These four instructors are the best in the world. They performed with Virsky in Ukraine and have multiple years of experience. Watching them dance with grace and elegance was a pretty amazing feeling. They shared a lot of information with us that I will take with me forever.
“The seminar took place at Shumka Studios in Edmonton, Alberta, from July 14 to July 19,” said Kemi. “Classes started at 9 a.m. and ended around 4 p.m. with a lunch break in between. The mornings focused mainly on ballet, jumps and leaps, spins and tricks.
“In the afternoons, we would split and the male dancers would go with the male instructors, and the females would stay with the female instructors. This way, each group could focus on steps and techniques specific to them. We would meet again at the end of the day to learn choreography before leaving for the day. The six hours of instruction would fly by, and although my legs and body would be tired, I could have stayed longer. Every day was a lot of fun!
“On the last day, we performed a showcase for parents and guests,” said Kemi. “It was exciting to show a piece of what we were taught that week and receive a standing ovation.”
Attending the Spirit of Virsky is always a highlight for Kemi. It not only creates some long lasting memories, but it also gives her a chance to grow as a dancer and fulfill her dream.
“I’m able to bring back everything I was taught to my hometown clubs, Benito Vesselli and Liliya Ukrainian Dance,” said Kemi. “I often assist our instructors, Ms. Amanda, who is my mom, and Mr. Austin, and learning new skills helps me teach and show younger dancers the art of Ukrainian dance. Attending the Virsky seminar also helps me as a performer, it strengthens my skills, arm and foot positions and helps me feel more confident.
“Attending the seminar helps me build new connections to professional dance groups. I plan to audition for a group after high school and attending helps me create connections, build friendships and sharpen my skills. The seminar is in Edmonton, Alberta, which has multiple professional Ukrainian dance groups, so it’s fun to meet the dancers and artistic directors and expand my Ukrainian dance community.
“I have been in Ukrainian dance for 14 years; next year I will graduate and complete 15 years of Ukrainian dancing,” said Kemi. “My future goals are to audition and hopefully join a professional Ukrainian dance ensemble.”
The Benito Vesselli Ukrainian Dance Club also had another major highlight this summer at Canada’s National Ukrainian Festival. The club has competed in various competitions over the years, but never at the stage of CNUF.
“The 2025-2026 Dance Season marks 43 years for the Benito Vesselli Dance Club,” said Benito Vesselli Ukrainian Dance Instructor Amanda Bulycz. “Vesselli dancers have attended CNUF in the past, but haven’t attended in many, many years. Last summer was Vesselli’s first year returning to the Talent Stage at CNUF.
“The Talent Stage Competition at CNUF runs similarly to any other Ukrainian dance competition, with a few differences. The competition is held outside on one of the side stages and anyone can register to compete. This year, the competition ran three days with adjudicator Kaitlyn Kruk from Ukraine, originally from Canada. Performers may enter solos, duets, trios, small or large group dances of any region and any age.
“Competitors perform within sessions and at the end of their session receive a mark and either a bronze, silver or gold medal,” said Amanda. “At the end of the competition, the adjudicator picks the top performance from two categories. This year, there was one winner from the solos/duets/trio category and one winner from the small and large group category. The adjudicator decides on the winners by who she feels deserves the grand prize, based on a few factors such as choreography, overall performance, technique, etc. This year, the grand prize was $750 plus the opportunity to perform on the main grandstand during a main stage performance at next year’s CNUF.”
The Benito Vesselli Ukrainian Senior Dancers competed this year at CNUF’s Talent Stage. Amanda worked closely with the dancers, as well as chose the music and choreography for the competition.
“The Vesselli Seniors Grace Keller, Kemi Bulycz, Megan Woytkiw, Quinn Barker, Katie Hunt and Laryssa Mychalchuk performed Volyn at the talent stage competition,” said Amanda. “I’m Vesselli’s choreographer and head instructor, and I actually had this piece of music picked out years ago, waiting for the opportunity to use it with a group of dancers. The piece has many tempo changes and is an upbeat traditional piece, so I’ve been waiting for the chance to use it and create choreography to match.
I was excited when, in the very first class last year, I played it and the dancers shared my excitement to want to perform to it. We had a lot of fun trying new tricks, lifts, jumps, turns, and combinations while I worked through the choreography. The seniors first performed this dance at Vesselli’s Malanka in January and it was then that I knew they would continue to succeed with this dance. The crowd was clapping, cheering and enjoying the performance as much as we had enjoyed creating and learning it.
“At competitions this year, they brought home multiple gold medals and even a scholarship for this piece,” said Amanda.
The competition this year was tough at CNUF’s Talent Stage, bringing Ukrainian dancers from all across Canada and showcasing the best in the country.
“The Benito Vesselli Ukrainian Dancers have not won the CNUF Talent Stage Competition before,” said Amanda. “This is our first time. There were 34 clubs from all across Canada entered, and over 160 dances total competing in the competition.”
The heart, determination and spirit of the Benito Vesselli Ukrainian Dancers not only took the stage at CNUF, but the hearts of the judges as well, as they won gold for their performance.
“The reaction was priceless and one I will forever remember,” said Amanda. “The seniors, alongside their parents, were gathered patiently waiting for the announcement of who won. We did not expect to hear our name called, but when the adjudicator dropped hints, I could see the excitement and joy in the dancers’ faces build.
“The adjudicator started by saying the dance winning the $750 prize and the opportunity to perform on the main grandstand stage at the 2026 CNUF was a Volyn dance, mixed group, and 16+ years. At this point, I could see the dancers all smiling and holding hands, wondering if they would be called. Then the adjudicator said, ‘They performed this morning…….Benito Vesselli Dance Club, and the dancers screamed, cried, hugged, and jumped up and down. It was a moment I am sure will stay with them forever.
“As their instructor and as a mom of one of the dancers, I was equally as excited and proud of their huge accomplishment,” said Amanda. “They worked hard all year, but especially the month leading up to CNUF. We spent many summer nights practicing and perfecting combinations. Their hard work paid off.”
With fall and back to school right around the corner, the Benito Vessell Ukrainian Dance Club is already preparing for the start of their upcoming season, with registration taking place next month.
“Our season begins the third week of September and registration will open the last week of August,” said Amanda. “Registration details are posted on our Facebook Page, Benito Vesselli Dance Club, or people can contact me. If anyone is interested in hearing more about our club and/or joining, we would love to have you and welcome all. The first two weeks are free to try.
“Our other instructor, Austin Spencer, and I have been busy planning practices, workshops, choreography and more as we enter what might be one of our biggest seasons yet!”

There are those folks who have an eye for design and a talent for making it happen when it comes to home renovations. Cheryl and Derek Gorski are just those two. They took their love of renovating and decorating, and turned it into a business here in the Valley.
“My husband, Derek, and I have always loved renovating,” said Cheryl. “We’ve always renovated our own houses and both originally came from families who had carpenters.
“A couple of years ago, some of our friends came to us because we’ve always done renovations and they couldn’t find anyone to renovate their bathroom. They had guys come out and give them a quote, only to turn around and tell them they couldn’t do it anyway. Then they found another guy who said he could do it, gave them a quote and it’s been two years later, and he now won’t get back to them.
“Derek was working for a farmer at this time, and they begged him to do this during the slower time,” said Cheryl. “So he took a month and renovated their bathroom. They absolutely loved it and Derek showed his boss the photos. His boss was building a brand new shop and needed a second-floor mezzanine, so he asked if he could build it over the winter. So he built that. All the guys my husband had been working with told him he needed to do this as a business on his own. So, he wound up doing just that.
“Now, I had been working at the Swan Valley Credit Union since we had moved back. I’ve always loved interior design, decorating and renovations. Growing up, I wanted to major in interior design, but there were no options for that back then in the Valley. I’ve always been interested in it, just never majored in it, but dabbled in it.
“Derek and I have always worked well together, so when he was convinced to go into doing a business where he did renovations, we both went into it,” said Cheryl. “We found a lot of people didn’t know what they exactly wanted when it comes to renovations, but knew what they didn’t want. I go into it by asking the questions and finding out what they want. Then I show them some options, order the supplies and materials, and Derek would do the work.”
This started the concept of Zylo and Bloom Interiors. The Gorskis’ business offers several options in blinds, area rugs, custom cabinetry, hard surface countertops, doors, cabinet hardware and handles, wall and floor tile, LVP, laminate, engineered hardwood, carpet, specialty ceiling tile, and more. With the option to also have these products installed.
“I ended up going to the Home and Gift Show with Rachel Stober from Three:30 Paper, Décor and Gift in January,” said Cheryl. “I realized there was this whole new world and I found it amazing. That catapulted our dream of getting into the design aspect of things.
“After I came back from the Home and Gift Show, I tried looking up some of these companies online to see all their inventory, and I couldn’t, because you have to be part of their network and distributors. They want to supply businesses rather than deal with individual sales.
“We found a lot of time when we were doing the renovation aspect, that we wanted to support local, but couldn’t find a specific product a customer wanted, it wasn’t available and couldn’t be ordered in,” said Cheryl. “I would have to go find it somewhere else and I didn’t like that. I wanted to get it in town and found that a lot of our customers and clients felt the same way. They were also getting stuff out of town. This led us to wanting to be able to carry these items in town or be able to bring them in.
“We are signed up with Viana Inc. for area rugs; Canarm and DVI Lighting, and many more brands for lighting; we will have a large variety of industry leading quartz manufacturers for countertops as well as Laminam and Dekton; wall and floor tiles and flooring by Julian Tile, Ames Tile, Primco and an exclusive dealer of MSI Surfaces.
“I also got approached by someone about ordering and installing blinds, and that also helped start this process,” said Cheryl. “They knew we were signing up with a few different companies and asked if we had signed up for blinds. At the time, we hadn’t, even though we’ve ordered and installed a lot of blinds for clients. They asked if we would consider doing that, and it was something I was interested in. So we signed up with Graver and Maxxmar Window Fashions.
“We’ve also signed up with some lighting companies, because that was another big one that I couldn’t get nice ones. I found that most people want something different.”
Zylo and Bloom is opening up their shop at 519 Main Street in Swan River. They felt that having a physical in-store location was the best way to display these products and serve customers. They had a soft opening on Monday (Aug. 11).
“I’m the type of person who needs to look at and feel the texture of things like tile and fabric before I know if it’s going to work or not,” said Cheryl. “I need to see what I’m getting, which became one reason why we decided to open up a storefront. Then I thought about doing consultations in people’s homes, but it’s awkward to carry in samples to and from places.
“Right now, we are trying out some working hours and doing a soft opening to see what works best for this type of business. We are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday afternoons, to see how it goes.
“If someone comes in and is asking about something, we want to be a place that gets it for them,” said Cheryl. “If we don’t carry it, if at all possible, we will try to get it for a customer.”
For those interested in seeing some of Derek’s finished products, check out his YouTube Channel, Gorski Woodworks.

Some former Valley residents are taking advantage of a summer student opportunity that allows them to work in their home community and gain experience in their field of study. Discover Health Careers Manitoba offers term positions to students in the healthcare field to provide a hands-on experience in clinical, hospital or healthcare environments.
Prairie Mountain Health (PMH) offered 26 positions in the region in areas of pharmacy, primary care, mental health, therapy services, acute care, public health and nutrition. PMH and Shared Health cost share the initiative.
At the Primary Care Clinic in Swan River, two local students, Brittan Yaschyshyn and Abby Facundo, have been participants working through the initiative since May of this year.
“I grew up in the valley and love coming home every summer to my family and friends. My parents, Tom and Tracey, grew up here as well,” said Yaschyshyn. “After graduating in 2022 and moving to the city, I missed being in a small town and getting to participate in community events and groups that I had become so accustomed to.
“I study Midwifery at Mount Royal University in Calgary. I chose it after learning about its unique scope of practice and clinically based teaching style. After graduating, I will have spent over 24 months in practicums outside of the time spent in the classroom. I chose this area of healthcare because it is such an exciting and critical moment in people’s lives and I look forward to being able to support others through it.
“I moved to Swan River from the Philippines and have lived in the Valley since 2017,” said Facundo. “My parents are Ivy and Allan Facundo. My dad works at AG Shield in Benito and my mom works as a health care aide at the Swan Valley Lodge. I graduated from the Swan Valley Regional Secondary School in 2024. During my time in the valley, I enjoyed spending time at the lake, being with friends, and being part of the Filipino community.
“I’ve always loved taking care of others, especially my little cousins and great-grandparents, whether it was babysitting, helping with everyday tasks, or keeping them company. Additionally, I worked at the healthcare facility where my mom works, which gave me firsthand experience and opened the door to pursuing a career in healthcare.
“I’m currently studying for my Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the University of Calgary,” said Facundo. “After I graduate, I plan to become a registered nurse and hope to work in labour and delivery or pediatrics.”
Yaschyshyn is a midwife student and has been working in the clinic’s front administration area. She has been attending to patient care, booking appointments, dealing with tasks and making specialist appointments. She has also been able to pair up with physicians and help with history and physicals for prenatal care, as well as update prenatal records and sit in on prenatal care with the physicians.
“My role this summer has been supporting the admin staff and working with the providers for prenatal and postpartum assessments,” said Yaschyshyn. “My learning experience so far has been exciting.
“When I started here three years ago, I hadn’t begun midwifery school yet and the doctors were filling me in on everything. This was super beneficial for me when I started in my program. Now I am grateful to feel like I can bring the skills I have learned at school and utilize them even when I’m on break. It keeps me fresh and brings a new perspective about working in rural areas.”
Facundo is a nursing student and has been shadowing the LPN at the clinic. She has been undertaking tasks like rooming patients, taking vitals and updating electronic medical records.
“This summer, I’m working in a vitals position where I’m responsible for taking patients’ vital signs,” said Facundo. “The role allows me to work with diverse people and collaborate with different healthcare professionals as part of the team.
“So far, this has been a really valuable learning experience. I’ve had the chance to see what different healthcare professionals do and how they work together, which is helping me expand my understanding of the various paths in healthcare. I’m trying to absorb as much as I can and keep my options open, especially with what I can apply to my future in nursing.”
Yaschyshyn and Facundo will complete their terms this month and return to university in the fall. Having this opportunity to work and learn in their home community has had so many benefits for both women as they return to school and consider their options for the future.
“This experience has brought me invaluable learning opportunities and I am so grateful for the pregnant people who have welcomed me into their care,” said Yaschyshyn. “Unfortunately, without a delivering hospital, a midwife couldn’t work in Swan River right now. However, this experience has brought me an appreciation for rural care and I do plan to practice in rural areas.”
“As of right now, I’m not entirely sure what the future holds, but I’m open to gaining experience in other communities as well,” said Facundo. “This experience has definitely made me appreciate the value of working in my home community, but I also want to explore different environments to continue learning and growing in my career.
“What I’ve enjoyed most about this experience is getting to shadow and talk to some of the nurses. It’s been really helpful to see what their roles look like day to day and to hear their perspectives and advice. It’s given me a clearer idea of what to expect in the profession and what kind of nurse I want to become.