Editor’s note: Last week, the Star and Times ran part one of Suejee Quon’s story. This is a continuation of that story.
Life for the Quon family had changed as they started a different business venture in the Valley, and for Suejee, she embraced her independence.
“In 1966, I left Swan River to go to Winnipeg for university,” said Quon. “Shortly after, my dad started the Sporting Goods Store. My sisters tell me that they took turns working the till. The tiny shop was packed from ceiling to floor with everything sports-related. Dad was an avid fisherman and hunted every year. He knew all the hot spots and the newest hooks that were biting.
“People would come in to just find out the latest. He often took all the kids after work to go fishing; that was how we survived. Our freezer was always filled with fish. A few of us would pile into his 16-foot yellow boat with him, and the rest of us would just wait on shore, along with mom and her food offerings. It was easy to occupy ourselves in those days.
‘In Swan River, we lived a tight family life, all five girls crammed into one room with a bunk bed for three and a large bed for two others,” said Quon. “We had to make everything and then share it among the growing family. So, arriving in Winnipeg, I still remember that emotion, free to be myself. What typified this emotion was the first night in Winnipeg when I ordered a pizza. I still feel that awe. I could eat this pizza all by myself and not have to share with anyone.
“My first year was at United College. It was the last year before it became the University of Winnipeg. I spent that first year in residence, Spence Hall. I shared a room, but it seemed spacious and liberated compared to what I always had.
“It was in 1976, when mom and dad made that decision to sell the Sporting Goods Store and move to B.C.,” said Quon. “He had an offer to buy his store and thought it was a good time to move to a bigger area.”
Suejee found a passion for photography and turned it into a fine art. It led her to explore more of her creative side.
“My passion for photography has continued to grow over 45 years,” said Quon. “I bought my first enlarger when my daughter was born in 1978. Back then, night was the best dark room. My love for photography grew in the small bathrooms with small trays and a tiny enlarger, watching the miracle reveal itself in the developer.
“My photos are diverse and span from inanimate objects to anything in a garden to beautifully lit people. However, the style I relish is my work in digital layering. My 1993 Giclée prints from the China Exhibit look like the digital prints of 2023. Back then, I produced the layers by printing layers of large-format negatives. Even then, I was seeing stories within stories within stories.
“Shooting professional theatre, weddings and corporate portraits was not fulfilling enough, and I looked to grow further,” said Quon. “At the age of 40, I entered and completed a degree program in Commercial Photography and Business at Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara, California. As a professional photographer, my life evolved from corporate photography into business marketing.
“After over 30 years of marketing, I have returned to my original passion and the love of producing large format digital imagery. I’m committed to speaking through my photos, art with a message. I am looking forward to publishing books and a return to exhibiting.
“I also published a book last year, Laugh Often,” said Quon. “It is filled with my photography and also many stories that I hope will put a smile on people’s faces. One of the stories is of my mom and how she turned a Kmart in B.C. around. She worked in the cafeteria there, hired to just clean. She changed the whole place and became the best employee during her ten years there. The story tells of her time in Swan River and how she learned to cook at the C.V. Café under the tutelage of Mrs. Soloway.”
Suejee, her mother and sister, Sue Ying, returned to Swan River during the time of the Northwest Round Up and Exhibition. It was a perfect time for them to reconnect with people they once knew and look at how Swan River has changed since they resided there and ran a family business.
“My dad, Chuck, died last year,” said Quon. “We talked often that this was the year he wanted to go back and retrace his steps and see the changes. In a way, we are honouring his wish. However, his passing also made me realize that mom was the last of the Quons who still had memories.
“My mom and dad have never returned to Swan River. This year’s visit would be the first time back for my mom. My last time back was for my class reunion, which was in 1998, the same year as the 100-year centennial celebration of Swan River.
“I was astounded that Swan River has advanced so much,” said Quon. “There is a McDonald’s, a Tim Hortons and an A&W. Many buildings have changed, and the town feels like it has grown. I drove around and around and tried to remember, but too much has changed. The town feels like it has come into the 21st century. Stores are larger. In place of the Cycle and Sporting Goods store now stands a new building housing a Dollar Store, which is so popular today.
“Mom and I sat on the street in front of where the C.V. Cafe once was. It was nice to see Lloyd’s Jewellers was still there. Dairy Queen has now replaced the C.V. Cafe. The moment I walked through their front door, I knew it was the same building. The front till, where I spent lots of time looking out at Main Street, was right at the front.
“I hope to have a new book based on our Quon stories,” said Quon. “This return is to document every memory I can find, hoping that mom will tell me more. Swan River would activate more memories for her. It was also the 50th class reunion for my sister Sue Ying. That was what started the whole idea.
“I placed an ad in the Star and Times, hoping to find other people who would have memories. Several people did contact me, and I have new friends and discovered old ones. We met with a few friends who connected with me through the ad. We wanted to pay homage to my grandfather, King Quong. The Town of Swan River found his spot at the cemetery. I brought incense with me to burn, my grandfather’s grave site. Mom said some prayers.
“While there, I connected with Robert Barrow, who has been trying to organize the archives of the town,” said Quon. “A good day was spent with Gordon Hornbeck touring the history museum. When Henry Rasmussen offered to take us fishing at Wellman Lake, I could not say no. I have not caught a fish since I left Swan River. I spent time at the library and Rosemary was very helpful. I gifted some of my books to the library, so they can sell them and use it to help with funding.
“I think of the people I knew in Swan River, the ones who are gone now and the ones who are still with us, and I feel warm and wonderful. They were an integral part of my life and may have shaped who I am. I’m proud to have spent my younger years in Swan River.
“I remember the teachers, Mr. Majeski, Mr. Yarrow, Mr. Orchard, and Mrs. Erickson,” said Quon. “I would have to say that I enjoyed the people of Swan River the most. After this trip, I can say that it is still the feeling. I really like the small community ties, the ability to know everyone and offer assistance because you can. Living in a large city most of my life, I have still not found that communion of a community.”