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Saskatoonʼs REAL Community Newspaper

Volume 16, Issue 17, Week of May 1, 2017

Fleeing Vietnam Tran family goes to prison

Cam Hutchinson Saskatoon Express This is the third in a series. he room was no bigger than 400 square feet. There were rock walls, barbed wire on the ceiling and a small rectangular window, up high. The open-air window was fortified with steel bars and wire. For beds, there were concrete slabs three feet off the ground and five feet across ringing the room. There were no blankets. A single bulb provided what little light there was. This is where 100 women and children would spend the next month of their lives. Men were crammed into another area of the prison and would be for four months. North Vietnam had won the Vietnam War in 1975 and now hundreds of thousands people from the south were fleeing their homeland. They became known around the world as Boat People. The Tran family was well on their way to freedom in a tugboat when the Communist navy caught up to them on July 28, 1978. The family and others on board were taken to a prison on Con Dao Island. Although she was only 10 at the time, Kim Tran remembers it well. She remembers each person being lined up outside a big door, waiting to be checked into the prison. Being so young, she entered the building with her mother, Them Thi Tran. When Kim’s turn came, a female guard told her to take off her top. Then, her pants. They were checking each new inmate for precious items like wedding rings, necklaces and gold. Some of these body searches were degrading. Kim had a cousin’s wedding ring and necklace attached with a safety pin to the inside of her pants. She told the guard she didn’t want to take her pants off and asked the woman how she would feel if someone

Tam Tran, with her granddaughters, Chloe and Tegan (inset). Tam’s husband died of natural causes on Con Dao Island. (Photo by Sandy Hutchinson)

told her to do it. The guard slapped her – hard. “I didn’t cry, but I saw stars,” she said. “My mom said you shouldn’t talk to them like that.” Them Thi Tran feared for her daughter’s safety. Luckily, the guard moved on without checking Kim. “I saved somebody some goodies,” Kim said with a smile 40 years later in her Saskatoon home. French colonists built the prison in 1861 to house both political prisoners and criminals. Not a lot of renovating had been done in the interim. In 1954, the prison was turned over to the United States and a year later to the South Vietnamese government. Horrible atrocities were committed at the prison, no matter which country was in charge. “In the back of this square room there was

a washroom, which had the squatting stones with the holes and no plumbing lines whatsoever,” Kim Tran said. “Underneath the holes were ceramic buckets where you do your waste in there. It was very horrible; there was no running water in there.” She said she threw up when her mother gave her a bowl from which to drink. She said everything tasted like raw fish. “At suppertime, they would open the door and all of us would come out. It was nice to see the sun.” She said three buckets were brought out for supper. One was a bucket of rice carried by two people. “They carried them and flopped them down; it’s like feeding cows on the farm. They brought another bucket that looked like muddy water with swimming maggots in it, and another bucket of steamed yam leaves

— that was our supper. “The bucket that looked like mud was fermented fish. It was disgusting. You’d just eat the rice and the ducks would come and eat the rest. “We had two meals a day and it was always rice with something — rice with fish if we were lucky or rice with salt. They let us out in the morning for about an hour to get some sun and then they locked us up.” (Continued on page 16)

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This teacher taught me to be proud of my heritage

he first time I realized I He was a white kid who was a member of North grew up on a farm. He told me America’s founding how he would spend his sumpeople was because of my mer holidays with the kids from elementary school principal. the reserve. At the time, First My mother, who was single Nations people weren’t allowed at the time, took my sister and off the reserve and the kids went me to a small town in the north. to a residential school. She wanted to get away from He told me that when he was all the alcohol and violence that a kid, he wanted to be a teacher had engulfed our home. and to teach at the residential My mom was placed in a school. By the time he graduresidential school at a very ated with a degree in education, Columnist young age. Even though she the residential school system spent almost a dozen years at was being phased out. the school, she left with about a Grade 2 But that didn’t stop him from going to education. the same area where he grew up to teach She spoke very limited English. She and, not by chance, to the very same school once told me she spent most of her years at where he used to go and play with the First the school simply trying to survive. Nations kids. I was probably in Grade 5 when my I remember going home and thinking school principal called me into his office. that I actually had my own people. It was I was terrified. I had never been called from that point on that I started to read into the principal’s office. I heard from everything I could find about all the First other students if a person got called into his Nations in North America. office there would be a strap waiting for us. I started to learn anything and everyWhen his assistant told me the principal thing about the Cree nation. When I left was ready for me, I froze. It was like one of elementary school and moved on to junior those bad dreams where evil was chasing high, my principal once again called me me and I couldn’t move. into his office to congratulate me. Finally I got up and walked into what I He kept track of me throughout the thought would be the end of my life. years and often called me “one of my little “Sit down, Ken,” was all I heard over gems.” I always felt special when he called my shaking bones. He then proceeded to me that. It would be years later when I tell me how impressed he was with my learned he called all his students his little grades, especially with the art I was progems. Four years ago, he passed away and ducing. I was one of the few First Nations I attended his funeral. students in the school and didn’t really If it wasn’t for him, I probably would know if it made a difference to the other still be walking around trying to find students. myself. Even though there have been times He then went on to tell me about “your where my life spiralled out of control, I people.” He told me to be proud. He prob- always went back to my traditions; back to ably spent more than an hour talking to me my people. AS050124 Aaronpeople. about First Nations KNCREE@gmail.com

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Vimy Ridge trip powerful for young Saskatonians

or 56 members seemed like a natural of a Saskatoon to fit Canada’s 150th high school anniversary, and group travelling to Vimy Ridge’s 100th Vimy Ridge in April, anniversary. Our trip the messages were was a year and a half powerful. in the planning,” said The trip was filled Jorgenson. with a real awakening A travel agent, and unbelievable viExplorica, arranged a sions of what it might schedule which took have been like during them to St. Julien the First World War Memorial, Ypres SaPeople for many Canadian lient Memorial and soldiers, some as the Passchendaele young as 17, the same age as Canadian Memorial Park on one most in the touring group. day, the Vimy Ridge anniversary The hope, at trip’s end, was on another, Dieppe and Northat none of them would ever mandy on another and then one have to face the same life-ormore day on the D-Day beaches. death challenges as those longOn the anniversary day at ago young soldiers. Vimy, there were about 25,000 The idea for the travel experi- in attendance and it was estience came from Bradley Jorgen- mated there were about 12,000 son and his wife, Kim Buglass, from Canadian high schools. who taught for two years at the The Saskatoon group includAmerican International School ed 46 students (32 from Marion of Rotterdam in the Netherlands Graham, 12 from Bedford Road about 10 years ago. and two from Walter Murray) “We visited all of the military as well as teachers, chaperones sites, drew powerful experiand the fathers of three children ences from each of them and who wanted to share the special believed it would be great to moments. share them with our students. It Four students, Quinn Dewar,

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AS050110 Aaron

Reece Smith, Paige Thompson and Garret Churchill, joined Jorgenson and another Graham teacher, Dan Dewar, to reflect on what the trip meant to them. “The day at Vimy began at 9:30 a.m. Thankfully, we’d taken our own lunches. It was sunny and hot and, for those who had read about the actual Vimy Ridge battle, they realized that the Canadian soldiers on April 9, 100 years ago, fought through mud and snow,” said Jorgenson. “The entrance to Vimy was a single-lane highway and the traffic flow going in was wellorganized. It wasn’t organized well at the end of the day, which was about 10 p.m. for us and all these visitors were heading for the gate at the same time.” “The first look at the battlefields, the huge holes and the craters, we could only see from the guided pathways,” said Quinn Dewar. “At the end of the program, there were two flypasts, one by the military planes of the First World War, which looked just like boxes, and then jets came behind them.” (Continued on page 5)

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Will we be overrun by bunnies? Or Donald Trump? Or both?

here are bunnies, more or Will people want to eat them, less perpetually, on my adorability notwithstanding? I lawn this spring. don’t. I was forced to consume One cute little fella spent an rabbit stew once in my dim past, hour squatting under my mugo cooked by an evangelical southpine the other day, his fur a ern belle who was unhappy pretty mixture of soft brown and about living in Canada. It was white. Later in the day, two of an experience I do not intend to them were hopping all over the repeat. neighbourhood, including in my Do Americans eat rabyard. I couldn’t help wondering, bit, then? Not a lot, says Mr. since I couldn’t possibly evaluate Google. You’ll see it occasionalColumnist gender at a distance, whether one ly in stores, but it’s not a regular was male and the other female. item. I don’t think there are any If so, how many bunnies are these two bunnies crossing the border, either way. producing? Which, in an admittedly roundabout and Google says mom-bunnies, aka does, silly way, brings me to trade with the United gestate for about 30 days and can have as States. many as 12 kits. Twelve! And as few as I wish I could blame this on the new four, which in my view would be preferpresident, who as you know gets on my able. So, in theory (although I doubt they’re nerves, but as far as softwood lumber goes, producing at great rates all year long in I really can’t. Lumber has been a sore point this climate) two rabbits can have — brace with the Americans for more than three yourself — 360 kits per year. That’s just one decades. Even Barack Obama wouldn’t play mating pair. And rabbits do not hibernate, when the former softwood lumber agreealthough they do sort of hunker down in the ment faded into history. The issue has been colder months. up in the air for 15 months, well before Mr. Therefore, the answer to “do rabbits re- Protectionism took over the White House. ally reproduce as much as lore would have It doesn’t help that Donald Trump is it?” is “yes.” at the helm, mind you. He’s going to fight Saskatoon is apparently being invaded Canadian lumber imports with every trade by the adorable beggars, and I’m not clear gun in his arsenal. Don’t get me started on yet on why, exactly; these appear to be wild the real guns pointing at other countries. jackrabbits and snowshoe hares, although Lumber duties are not as cataclysmic for post-Easter, some folks with more desire for Saskatchewan as they are for other provcuddling than brains release their bunny pets inces, such as B.C. Still, without a decent under cover of darkness. I wonder, someagreement, duties will rise, affecting our times, if this is also having an effect on the approximately 225 million board feet worth Bugs population. $114 million, and affecting 3,000 jobs. It’s I’ll take 360 rabbits (times how many, not oil, potash, wheat or canola, but it’s not though?) over 80 billion mosquitoes or chicken feed, either. millions of mice any day. It does make one But this isn’t going to stop with lumwonder about one’s garden. Don’t grow ber. According to a February report by the carrots or lettuce. And will they become var- Saskatchewan Trade and Export Partnership mints? Chew through things, for example? (STEP), which knows all about these things,

Joanne Paulson

the U.S. is our biggest trading partner by miles. We all knew that. But did you know we shipped 48.6 per cent of our total exports just south of the border last year? It’s usually a much higher percentage — about 63 per cent — but that pesky low oil price knocked us over in 2016. The reliance on the U.S. is even worse Canada-wide: all of us together ship 76 per cent of our export products to the great, big country. Worth noting, too, is that Saskatchewan imported $7.5 billion in goods from the U.S. last year. I mean, that’s half the size of the government’s budget. It’s huge. We are absolutely playing ball, here. Mr. Trump is also throwing trade spears at the Canadian dairy industry and NAFTA, and expect something like Country of Origin Labelling (COOL) to potentially beat up our beef and pork, again. COOL was repealed at the end of 2015, but it’s highly possible that the U.S. will try something else to keep our meat at a disadvantage in its market. At least he can’t come for the Canadian Wheat Board, but since Canada won every single World Trade Organization dispute over the CWB, I’m not sure its elimination really made a big difference. There was a time, at the beginning of his first 100 days, when some pundits thought that Trump was largely blustering about trade. Once he hit the White House, he would realize that Americans need our oil (he sort of does, having approved the Keystone XL pipeline, but he also speaks from the other side of his mouth on that), need our car parts, need our less-expensive lumber to build houses, need our deep connections to their economy. Turns out he’s pretty serious about the whole thing. Buckle up, folks. The trade winds blowing over our economy haven’t died down yet. I begin to wonder if they ever will.

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Empty boots on hillside a “vivid reminder”

(Continued from page 3) he craters created an impression on Churchill, too — “how deep they we re and you could just imagine how they were created by the artillery and the bombs. When you thought about the sacrifice these Canadians made, it was shocking and more so when we saw the actual trenches at the Passchendaele museum.” “Passchendaele’s museum contained all the large paraphernalia and equipment the men used,” said Smith, “and later when we saw the German bunkers at Juno Beach, you just built pictures in your mind of what war was about.” Thompson was especially impressed by the Tyne Coy Cemetery and Memorial of the Missing, “where it was so humbling to imagine what happened. The cemetery is the largest Commonwealth cemetery from the First World War and you could have spent hours walking through it.” One of the differences noted by Jorgenson was the condition of the cemeteries. “The Commonwealth cemeteries were like gardens, with beautiful flowers, plants and grass in immaculate shape. A German cemetery we visited had no colour, virtually no flowers and there were lots of weeds in the grass.” Dewar was among those interviewed on CTV, which along with CBC, had their operations just behind where the Saska-

DS050102 Dan

toon students were located. “We were absolutely proud to be Canadians at the anniversary. Some of the older folks shook our hands and thanked us for Canada’s role in the First World War. I walked through one row of gravesites and there was one stone where the soldier was identified as being 17 years old. I’m 17 now.” Churchill said the empty boots on the hillside were also a vivid reminder. “I just thought about how populations were wiped out because of the stupidity of some leaders, and if there was any reason for war, it didn’t make any sense to me.” Thompson said she was shocked by “the masses of people who died in the hate and violence which existed in that day and I wondered why. It is really scary to think that someday it might happen again.” The Dewars discovered a family connection at Vimy. “My grandfather, John, served in Europe from 1915 until 1918, but wasn’t at Vimy,” said the Marion Graham teacher. “His brothers, Oliver and Les, participated in the capture of Vimy and another brother, Dan, came later to help retain the ridge. We met three of Oliver’s sons on this trip. They all live in New Brunswick. What a special feeling for Quinn and me.”For all on the trip, Vimy Ridge, especially, was a history lesson that could be best served by being there in person.

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Court ruling may result in better education for all

rior to the provincial produce a baptismal certifibudget, the government cate (or a letter from a parish tested the public’s appepriest) verifying your Catholic tite for educational reform with faith, before a student could be respect to school boards. After enrolled. At that time, part of the blowback, the province the daily curriculum included cautiously backed away. And teaching catechism in preparait appears that the government tion for the sacraments given by wants to back away from the the Catholic Church. It was true recent court ruling regarding to its mandate. the funding formula for the With the changing comCatholic system. plexion of the province and Courts do not write law; they advancement of laws protectColumnist merely interpret and rule on exing the rights of minorities, the isting legislation. The recent court decision Protestant system was forced to evolve upholds the constitutional right of Catho- into a truly secular public system, serving lics to operate schools and receive public all creeds and favouring none. Suffice it to funding to provide Catholic education to say, not all non-Catholics were happy with Catholic students. the loss of Christianity in the public-school The fly in the ointment is that, acsystem. cording to the court, the Catholic system With the passage of time, the Catholic cannot receive funding for non-Catholic system opened its doors to those of other students attending Catholic schools. It is faiths and slowly the Catholic catechism an argument the public division has been classes became Christian ethics courses. making for decades. Although the icons of Catholicism are still When the province was incorporated, visible in Catholic schools, it seems now to two systems were established: a nonbe a broader Christian system rather than a secular one for Catholics and one that was truly Catholic institution. commonly referred to as the Protestant But this whole debacle is not about consystem. At that time, the Protestant system stitutional rights; it is about money. School was Christian in its practice. divisions are funded based on student There was a time that Catholic schools count. More students mean more governwere truly Catholic, where you had to ment money. At one time the legislation

decreed that all Catholics were to pay property taxes to the Catholic division, if one existed in their area, and everyone else was to pay into the public system. Over time, the Catholic division welcomed non-Catholic parents to send their kids to Catholic schools and to redirect their property taxes, in defiance of the legislation of the day. Since the property-tax base was essential to the operational costs of schools, the competition for students was fierce. And it was this competition that caused the escalation in student poaching and increased property taxation. When a new neighbourhood was built, both divisions claimed the need for a school. The public schools got bigger and more expensive, boasting more bells and whistles than the Catholic schools with the hope of drawing more students. To the Saskatoon Catholic division’s credit, it built more modest structures. But if one division offered a new program, the other division followed suit. It was tit for tat. And the insanity prevails to this date. What is still intact in the Catholic system is (with rare exceptions) that only bona fide Catholics can teach in the system’s schools and only Catholics can vote for and be elected to the Catholic School Board. But shouldn’t a board reflect its student base? If you pay taxes in support of a division

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and send your kids to one of its schools, shouldn’t you be able to, at the very least, vote for the trustees? On the other hand, Catholic teachers are employed by the public system and Catholics can sit on the public board because the public system is mandated to be open to everyone regardless of religious affiliation. However, we have gone well beyond the original mandates of the two systems. The non-secular Catholic system in Saskatoon has associate schools, namely the Saskatoon French School and Oskayak High School, which are not faith-based and thus should not enjoy constitutional protection. They were taken in under the Catholic division’s umbrella in order to allow government funding to those schools/ programs, which in turn would pay the division a fee to offset the administrative costs. The public division does the same thing for the Saskatoon Christian School and the Saskatoon Misbah School, in defiance of its secular mandate, and they do so for the same reasons as the Catholic system does. In short, both systems have breached their intended mandates. The big question is when did we, as a public, agree to finance small private and/ or independent faith-based schools? (Continued on page 7)

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(Continued from page 6) nd if we finance some of them, how do we deny funding for all of them? These schools, for the best part, are not governed or bound to the policies of their respective boards; the only reason for association with either board is to get public funding. It would seem this should not be a problem after the school boards lost their taxing authority and all property tax money was now to go into the government coffers for distribution province-wide. But in a sense, it still is an issue because there are more legitimate public school taxpayers than Catholic school taxpayers and thus indirectly non-secular religious schools are being subsidized by property taxes paid in support of the secular (public) schools. Most taxpayers agree that funding for education is a good long-term societal benefit. We respect and honour the constitutional rights granted to Catholics and agree to fund public school services for all others. We did not agree to finance the convenience, whims and demands of individual parents or to provide school choice based on religious affiliation (outside of the Catholic system). In listening to the public commentary since this ruling was issued, we have citizenry who think they should be able to direct where both their property and income tax education dollars are spent. Really? Do individual taxpayers get to designate what hospital or health region their tax dollars go to? And what do you do with the majority of taxpayers who don’t use either school system and who are tired of funding the folly? And if the government wants to appease the demands of parents, then maybe it is time for a voucher system and they can take their kids to whatever school they want – public, Catholic, private or faith-based. But if this were to happen, each student should only get a set amount of money to spend at the school of their choice and schools (and parents) should not come back to the money tree if they discover are they are unhappy with the outcome. And of course, Catholics may have to forfeit their constitutional protection. The government may believe that AS050102 Aaron

complying with the court ruling would lead to chaos, and it may in the short term. In the long term, it might lead to eliminating redundancies and developing reasonableness in financing education. Both Education Minister Don Morgan and Justice Minister Gord Wyant are conversant with this issue and certainly held the position of the court when each sat as a trustee with the Saskatoon Public School Board. Maybe they should use that knowledge to help guide the government to a good decision rather than a politically advantageous outcome. When all is said and done, both systems provide a relatively similar service to students and both are imperfect. But they do the best they can, given the demands of school systems users. However, we should be happy for this ruling if for no other reason than we will have public discourse that may result in better publicly funded education for all. DC050129ehnatyshyn@gmail.com Darlene

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SASKATOONEXPRESS - May 1-7, 2017 - Page 9

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Sask. Party shows lack of compassion in funeral rate cut

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benefits at Alberta Human or years, the SaskatchServices, “of course” that ewan Ministry of Social province pays for visitation Services has been paying and service, which is itema flat rate of $3,850 to cover ized as a “ceremonial farethe cost of funerals for people well” on their fee schedule. who die while on some form of In a recent committee income assistance, or for anymeeting — one studded with one else who dies broke – for painful, prolonged pauses example, a senior citizen on a as Social Services Minister fixed income without savings. Tina Beaudry-Mellor and her In the 2017-18 provincial officials tried to answer quesbudget, that rate was reduced Columnist tions regarding this cut — it to $2,100. became clear that British CoEven $3,850 barely covers dignity. At that rate there are no flowers, lumbia is the jurisdiction that Saskatchno soloist, no funeral cards, no obituary, ewan is attempting to emulate. The B.C. Funeral Association no headstone, no lunch . . . not even a (BCFA) thinks that’s ludicrous. Their cup of coffee after the service. What is does cover, though arguably base fee may be $2,100, but they’re also expecting an increase from the B.C. not completely, is the cost of transfergovernment of “several thousands of ring the deceased from place of death; embalmment; a viewing and a memorial dollars” very soon. “For the government of Saskatchservice (either in the funeral home’s ewan to base its new, reduced rates on chapel or local church); a super-cheap our current (yet outdated) ministry rates casket or urn; all the paperwork and is unacceptable,” they said in an email. regulatory fees, and a final ride to the “To expect funeral providers in Sascemetery in a hearse. katchewan to accept a pay cut to their It takes very special people to work services is extremely short-sighted and in the funeral business, people who are trained, and regulated, to impossibly high ignorant.” Whoever sold Minister Beaudry-Melstandards. It is not in their DNA to lower lor on the notion that this is the norm in their standard of service for anyone, regardless of wealth or status at the time Canada should probably lose their job, and the minister should probably do of their passing, therefore they suck up the costs and treat even the most “basic” better due diligence. It actually terrifies me that the Minister of Social Services client the same as any other. looked at this cut and thought “hmm, But, there’s a limit. At $2,100, the provincial government is asking the fu- yeah this seems reasonable.” Let’s pause for a moment and think neral industry to compromise its professionalism, never mind potential ethical about what was prioritized ahead of this and public health and safety standards. unbelievably thoughtless and heartless cut — namely a decrease to our personal For example, a visual identificaand corporate income tax rates. I like tion as well as a next-of-kin signature to think that the majority of us would is required before cremation. If those things can’t be obtained for a few days, have gladly kept that half a point on our personal income tax rate in exchange for the body has to wait. Decomposition the $82 million it would have kept in the starts as soon as the second day after death, meaning embalmment is not just public purse for 2017-18 – easily eliminating the need for cuts like this one, necessary for a viewing. Neither the funeral home nor (God forbid) the gov- which amounts to a saving of one dollar ernment can make cremation mandatory. per year per Saskatchewan resident. At this point, a month after delivery You can’t just burn people up because of a budget that has ripped this province they’re poor and you think it’s easier apart, this is likely obvious, but I think to erase their existence that way. In recent news stories and committee this government has grossly misjudged the priorities and compassion of the meetings, the Saskatchewan governpeople of thisTammy province. ment has insisted that the change to TA050119 funeral coverage for income-assisted clients brings the province in line with what others are doing. That messaging is wrong. WE CARRY A Brent Quinton, vice-president of the Ontario Funeral Service Association, LOT MORE THAN didn’t mince words about the changes JUST PILLS in Saskatchewan. “You must have some really unhappy funeral directors around there,” were some of the first words out We’re a one-stop shop with a full grocery & confectionary of his mouth when I spoke to him on the along with some of the best giftware in Saskatoon. Check out our Products page for a snapshot of what’s available! phone last week. He explained that in Ontario, rates It is the best tasting children’s for funerals for people who die while on multivitamin on social assistance, or who couldn’t oththe market. erwise afford one, are set and paid for Also available in Calcium and by each municipality. This means the Vitamin D and Vitamin C. flat rate is negotiated by city hall with Made with non-GMO ingredients only four or five funeral homes, as opAll-natural flavours, sweeteners, and colours posed to hundreds at a time, and varies Free of animal gelatin anywhere from $1,500 to $8,000 per No high-fructose corn syrup funeral, with only one municipality not Kid-friendly, lightweight, plantcovering a service. based bottle “It is understandable why funeral Tested for guaranteed purity and potency providers are upset – those rates are truly unreasonable,” said the Manitoba Funeral Service Association in an emailed response to my request for their opinion. The note went on to detail 1302 Temperance St that Manitoba absolutely provides their Saskatoon, SK poorest residents with a funeral that includes a viewing and service – either DISPENSARY (306) 653-2922 in a chapel or at graveside (which is FRONT STORE (306) 653-2505 slightly cheaper). FAX (306) 653-8046 According to the nice lady in funeral

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SASKATOONEXPRESS - May 1-7, 2017 - Page 12

Arts &

Entertainment

Francophone film festival offers something for everyone

Shannon Boklaschuk Saskatoon Express askatchewan’s only francophone film festival is back for another year. From May 2 to May 7, the Cinergie Festival will be held at the Roxy Theatre on 20th Street West. The festival’s five days of feature-length and short films will offer something for everyone, whether you’re looking for drama, comedy, romance, or animation. The 12th annual festival is also international in nature, featuring films from the Prairies, Canada, and across the globe. Benoit Goubot, Cinergie Festival’s director, said Cinergie has grown from a one-day community event to the larger festival it is today. He noted that although Saskatchewan’s francophone population is relatively small, it is active and diverse, with people from Saskatchewan, other parts of Canada, and other French-speaking countries living here. French immersion is also “booming in Saskatchewan,” he said, with more than 2,000 students taking part in the festival’s school programming in 2016. Goubot is pleased to see support for the festival from French speakers as well as from people outside of the francophone community. “It’s a great tool to let people know about all the diversity of the francophonies, becauseAaron here it’s all about newcomAS050120 ers. So we always have more and more

francophones coming to the community, but we’re all from different countries,” said Goubot, who moved to Saskatoon from Paris, France, three years ago. Are you interested in attending Cinergie Festival, but don’t speak French? No problem. Presented by the Fédération des Francophones de Saskatoon, Cinergie Festival is a bilingual event that includes English subtitles and discussions in both French and English. Goubot encourages people who speak French and people who don’t speak French to attend, noting the 2017 festival offers a diverse film lineup that includes an action movie from France, a documentary about African immigration in the Prairies, the true story of an Algerian farmer taking his cow to the Paris International Agriculture Fair, films for children, and more. To close the festival, there will also be a mystery screening of a successful French film “that everyone knows” for $8, said Goubot. Hint: If you come to the box office with a garden gnome, you will receive a discount on your ticket. Other highlights include bilingual discussions with directors Roger Parent – who is originally from Saskatchewan – and Yan England. Parent directed the documentary De Sherbrooke à Brooks (From Sherbrooke to Brooks), while England directed the feature film 1:54. As well, Cinergie Festival will offer a Family Saturday event for $6, during which at-

Nous Trois ou Rien is one of the films being shown at Cinergie. (Photo Supplied) tendees can watch the remake of the movie Snowtime! and enjoy a snack and activities for children. Throughout the festival, a selection of short films will be shown before each feature film. Goubot is enthusiastic about the festival’s location – the Roxy Theatre – where MAY 4 he said the employees are helpful and involved. He’s also a fan of the neighbour- West of Mabou is named after a small town in Nova Scotia, but they’re a five-piece Moose Jaw band steeped in the hood. traditions of Scottish and Cape Breton fiddle and pipe tunes. “It’s great to be in Riversdale for that. 8 p.m. The Bassment, 202 Fourth Ave. North. Tickets $18 There’s really a crowd looking for somefor SJS members, $23 for non-members. thing different to discover, and if we can MAY 5 meet them on that ground, that’s great.” Five-time Juno nominee John Stetch, featured artist on

EVENTS

MUSIC

Tickets to Cinergie Festival are $10 for adults and $5 for youth ages 16 and under. Festival passes, which include access to the films and events, are $40. For more information and the festival lineup, visit cinergiesk.ca.

16 albums, is shifting from a career as a piano soloist and is now joined by a full band, with whom he’s worked in Harlem. One member, saxophonist Steve Kortyka, has also worked recently with Lady Gaga’s jazz project. The new album is Vulneraville and promises virtuosity, grove and soul material. The songs fit the classic Stetch style. 9 p.m. The Bassment. Tickets $25 and $35. (Continued on page 15)

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SASKATOONEXPRESS - May 1-7, 2017 - Page 13

&Arts

Entertainment

Nathan Thoen follows his heart

Cam Hutchinson Saskatoon Express athan Thoen is a person of many passions. There’s snowboarding, music, filmmaking, snowball fighting and donating his time to causes that touch his heart. The passion in the spotlight on May 5 is music. That night at O’Brians Event Centre, Thoen’s band, Bombargo, will headline a show that will feature four other music groups. That Thoen has a band is a story in itself. He and a friend, Spencer Chilliak, attended a music festival about three years ago. Thoen said neither of them considered themselves to be a musician. He said the energy at the festival and the way the bands could make thousands of people feel good struck a chord with them. They wanted to create a music project. Thoen had played a little guitar and Chilliak had training in piano. That’s not exactly a great start, but it’s better than nothing, he would admit. “Both of us were by no means talented musicians, but we started writing songs and Spencer picked up the guitar which is now only two and a half years ago, really,” said Thoen, who is the lead singer in the group. “He’s put so much time and energy into it and has become one of my favourite guitar players in Saskatoon for sure. He’s extremely talented and one of my favourite song writers, too. “Together we have found this thing where we lucked out and had a lot of success being able to create songs and share those songs with people. We used this as a message: everyone can do this. We didn’t put 10 hours a day in every day since we were six years old. I think a lot of times people think, “‘I’m not a music person or I’m not an arts person.’” The band, which also includes drummer Phil Kashap and bass player Graham Tilsley, has reason to celebrate at O’Brians. It will be releasing its first full-length album. Those buying tickets to the show will get a free copy of the album at the door. Thoen saidAaron it was important to him and Chilliak that AS050122

the show be for all ages. He remembers the frustration of being a teenager and not being able to hear a band because he was too young to get into the bar. “Spencer and I were very adamant about that. We want to make sure our music can reach a broad audience and inspire kids to want to follow their dreams, whatever that might be, through music or whatever that is. Our show is always focused on trying to inspire everyone to live their own dream and to go after their passions.” Passion comes up a lot in a conversation with Thoen. Many will know him as an organizer of the massive snowball fight that put Saskatoon in the Guinness Book of Records or teaming up with his brother, Anthony, to lead the charge in the Optimist Club’s hope to turn the hill at Diefenbaker Park into a snowboarding park, with a chalet and all. As a filmmaker, Thoen does the videos for the band’s songs. He also has a movie in the works about the snowball experience, which included partaking in the world championship last year in Japan. He said his passions fit together nicely. “I have always tried to follow the things my heart pulls me toward. Sometimes it is definitely a juggling game. There are times when there isn’t a lot of sleep involved,” he said. “Overall, I feel good knowing I am putting my time and energy towards things I really believe in and make my heart feel good. Music is one of the biggest ones for me.” Thoen said they are throwing out all the stops for their show at O’Brians. “We’ve hired a horn line, so a saxophone, a trumpet and a keyboard player are going to be backing the band which is going to be a first. That’s always been a dream of mine since we started the band. I’ve always heard horns and I’ve always heard keys and we just haven’t added that element because it is a bit more complex.” He said there will be pyrotechnics and fireworks and all that jazz. “It will be a really really big show. We’re unveiling lots of songs off the new record, a lot of songs off the old

Nathan Thoen is the lead singer for the band Bombargo. (Photo Supplied) (five-song EP) as well that people have really grown to love. We are going to play some brand new songs that aren’t even on the record. “It’s going to be a pretty cool night for anyone who wants to come out.” The other performers on the program are We Were Lovers, Sammy Lee Folkerson, Castle River and Underline. Thoen said tickets are selling fast, with about threequarters of the 1,000 sold. They are available at obrianseventcentre.ca. For more on the band, visit bombargo.com.

Festival to raise awareness of mental health issues Shannon Boklaschuk Saskatoon Express fter losing her husband of 16 years to suicide, Michelle Nelson is helping to raise awareness about mental health issues by organizing a musical fundraiser in his memory. Barett Nelson died in April 2016. Michelle Nelson, a mother of three who lives in Radisson, is now the driving force behind the Barett Nelson Memorial Music Festival For Mental Health Awareness, which will be held at the Radisson Arena on May 6. Radisson is located about 65 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon, along Highway 16. Nelson said the idea to organize the fundraiser came to her as she thought about how the one-year anniversary of Barett’s death was fast approaching, “and how I wish things were different.” “I remember being told that when you are feeling bad, if you do something good for someone else it will always help — and so it just came to me. Other than his family and friends, music was what Barett loved most. It seemed like the perfect way to honour him and do something good for others as well,” she said. All proceeds from the memorial music festival will be donated to the Canadian Mental Health Association – Saskatoon Branch, Saskatoon Crisis Intervention Services, and the Radisson fire department and first responders. Nelson hopes the event will raise awareness around mental health issues and help reduce the stigma that can be associated with them. “I feel like I have to do something. It is such a helpless feeling, losing someone to suicide, going over all the moments when maybe you should have seen some sign or should have done something differently or if only you weren’t gone that day,” she said. “I can’t bring Barett back to us, but I can try and speak out and, maybe in time, it will

bring healing to my family and possibly even help someone else’s.” The music festival will kick off at 6 p.m. on May 6 with a performance by Edward Marchewka, followed by performances from Riley Siebert, Marty Grambo, Ginelle James, The Electric Cattle Company, Tyacke Brothers Band, Longshot, and Brad Roberts, Glen Ireland and Dave Evans. Nelson is grateful for all the people who have donated their time for the event, including the musicians, the local volunteers, the sound company Lucky Stars Entertainment, and many others. Nelson hopes to make the festival an annual event. “I hope we can do it better and better every year,” she said. “The more people we can reach, the more awareness we can raise.” When asked how Barett would feel about the event, Nelson said, “he was such a comedian most of the time, and he would absolutely love to be the centre of this day. “He would keep us all laughing. He loved playing music, but he also really respected all of the other musicians that are coming to the event, so he would be completely honoured to see the turnout. I have no doubts at all that he will be there that day and see the efforts of all the people who love him so much.” Nelson described her husband as “just the most passionate person I have ever known. Not only about his music, but when it came to his job, his friendships, his family — especially his kids,” she said. Tickets to the Barett Nelson Memorial Music Festival For Mental Health Awareness are $15. Youth ages 16 and under get in free, although a legal guardian must accompany anyone under the age of 19. An account has been set up at CIBC to accept donations. Email bnelsonmusicfestival@outlook.com to make a donation or for tickets.

SASKATOONEXPRESS - May 1-7, 2017 - Page 14

Mills explains Music Box Dancer’s name

Ned Powers Saskatoon Express rank Mills will always be remembered for his remarkably happy song, Music Box Dancer. But as his Saskatoon fans will rediscover on May 11 at TCU Place, there is so much more creativity in his musical mind. His success story includes three Juno awards, multiple industry awards, seven Canadian television shows and frequent cross-Canada tours. Saskatoon has been a favourite stop. There were appearances at the Kinsmen Telemiracle, with the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra, solo tours, post-2010 tours with Rita MacNeil and then near Christmas 2012, he was the first touring pianist to play on TCU’s brand new Steinway piano. As competent as he is on the piano, he’s also a man with a thousand stories to tell. Music Box Dancer was recorded first in 1973, but the recording laid dormant for three years. “I knew it was a happy, easy-to-write song,” said Mills during a recent call from his home in Vermont. “I knew because the kids were dancing and hopping around in the next room as I played it. My daughter came into the room and she was carrying a broken music box and she wanted me to mend it. In the box was a little dancer with an arm broken off. Music Box Dancer became the natural title for my song.

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“We recorded on eight-track tape in the basement studio of a friend, Andre Perry. We had four violinists, guitar, bass and drum players, and I was on the piano and harmonica. The studio was so small we couldn’t get all the players in the same room. We put the bass player and a microphone in the bathroom. Just as we started the 12th take, the bass player decided to flush the toilet. The next take was the good one. “When Polydor decided to release a single, it placed another of my songs, The Poet and Me, on the A side and the happy little piano piece on the B side. Thank goodness for friends in the business! David Watts was a disc jockey in Ottawa. He decided The Poet and Me wasn’t for him. But because he knew me, he flipped the record over, played Music Box Dancer and the rest is etched in musical history.” The most recent amazing story was how Mills compiled the newest album which he said, “isn’t a greatest hits album but, in my opinion, is the best of me.” Then he also added, “the best of me after the dancer.” The beauty for Saskatoon’s audience is that Mills will be playing some songs with background tracks through the TCU sound system. “I call it keyboard karaoke. It allows me to play many of the songs exactly as they were on the album After The Dancer. Thanks to technology, I can perform live to the accompaniment in the

exact orchestral arrangements. Saskatoon will hear a very full orchestral music experience.” The story behind the album is unique. “A friend of mine, John Loweth, died about 10 years ago and shortly afterwards, his son phoned me and said they discovered some of my old tapes in their warehouse. I drove up to their home in Peterborough and there were 70 boxes of multi-track tapes, which basically represented my life’s work. “These were tapes where I was accompanied by studio musicians, many of whom played regularly with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Every note I ever played, and my team played, were on the miles of plastic ribbons. “The ribbons were fragile. Recording engineers told me to put the reels of tape in the oven overnight to protect them enough that we could soon transfer the music to digital format and have them available in pristine shape for a computer.” He chose 16 songs. They are re-mastered, re-mixed and re-digitalized and he considers the new album “the best of my work, the best of Jim Pirie’s and Eric Robertson’s arrangements and the best work of the musicians I could find. Upbeat piano was always a natural for me.” Originally from Montreal, Mills and his wife now live on a 40-acre farm in Vermont in the warmer months and then escape to The Bahamas where they like to spend their winters.

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He hadn’t toured much until MacNeil coaxed him to tour Canada again. MacNeil died in 2013 and the last two visits to Saskatoon by Mills were solo efforts. On this month-long tour of the West, Mills knows where his fans are. In addition to his Saskatoon concert, he will play Moose Jaw on May 10, Regina on May 14 and Melfort on May 15.

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going to charge him criminally and have a No Contact Order issued where he absolutely can not contact you or drive by your home or business. They may suggest you apply for a Protection Order through the courts. You are not responsible for his behaviour. You have not created this. He needs to be stopped and the Police will know what steps to take. There is no reason to be ashamed but you must seek protection immediately.

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SASKATOONEXPRESS - May 1-7, 2017 - Page 15

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MAY 6

Adults $25, Senior/Student $20.

MAY 7

MAY 12-14

MAY 5

The Saskatoon SPCA auxiliary is hosting its open house at the SPCA animal shelter on Clarence Avenue South from noon until 4 p.m. Come join the fun, which includes a silent auction, bake sale, raffle and tables of treasures. Donations of baking can be dropped off May 7 before noon at the shelter. For more information, please contact Bev at 306-384-6078. ***** Kyla in the Spring, a show of works by more than 20 Saskatchewan artists, goes at the German Cultural Centre on Cartwright Street and Lorne Avenue on May 7 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free. ***** Sonechko Ukrainian Dancers Spring Recital: 3 p.m. at St. Joseph’s Hall (1006 Broadway Ave.) Puppet show at intermission, raffles, door prizes and 50/50 draw. Silver collection. Everyone welcome. ***** Break the Barrier: 5th Annual Mental Health and Addiction Services Fun Run/Walk to reduce the stigma associated with both mental health and addiction issues. The event begins at 9 a.m. at Diefenbaker Park. For more information and to register, visit www.mhas.funrun.ca. ***** A tour of distinctive homes and historic buildings in Caswell Hill from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. The self-guided tour, a fundraiser for Nest Saskatoon, features a variety of houses along with the original home of early developer Joseph Holmes and the beautiful Christ Church Anglican, the host venue. Tickets are $30 and available from the 33rd Street Market at 410 33rd Street, Stanley Estate Dispersal at 309 33rd Street West, Turning The Tide Bookstore at 615 Main Street and online at Ticketbud. The tour is not recommended for children under 12. For more information, check out Nest House Tour on Facebook or visit nestsaskatoon.net.

White Eagle Artists Association’s Art Show. The opening reception is from 7 to 9 p.m. on May 12, and the show runs 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on May 13 and May 14. The show is located in the auditorium of Our Lady of Czestochowa Parish at 301 Avenue Y South. It is open to the public and admission is free of charge.

Luther Care Foundation’s 33rd annual fundraising dinner, Wilma Groenen is the talented Saskatoon singer who brings a band which includes Brett Balon on piano, Scott featuring the music of Elly Thorn. Reception at 5:30 p.m. and dinner at 6:30 p.m. at the Saskatoon Inn. Tickets are Triffo on guitar, Dave Anderson on bass and Arlan Kopp on drums. This will be an introduction to songs written by $110. For more information, call 306-664-0316 or email foundation@luthercare.com. Groenen and Balon. Cidne Treen plays an opening set. 8 ***** p.m. The Bassment. Tickets $20 and $25. Sistema Saskatoon youth gala to bring music instruments ***** Zodiac Tapestry Handbells, spring concert, 7 p.m. at Grace- to kids in the inner city. The gala goes from 6 p.m. to p.m. Westminster United Church (505 10th Street East). Special at Sutherland Hall. Tickets are $20, which includes a full Guest: Scott McKnight, Cello. Admission at the door is $15. meal. Contact a.baril@sasktel.net for more information.

MAY 8

MAY 5-6

Orpheus 60 Chorus presents Sing For Joy, an evening of music and sing-alongs. 7 p.m. at The Bentley (1622 B Acdia Drive). Enter off Acadia, behind the Emmanuel Baptist Church. Admission: Free will offering. Refreshments to follow.

The Scale Modellers Association of Saskatoon will be hosting BridgeCon 2017, a scale model show and contest at the Nutana Legion Hall (3021 Louise Street). Hundreds of scale models will be on display. There will be vendor tables, a model swap and a concession. The public is invited to view on Saturday. The event is free to attend.

EVENTS

MAY 6

The Big Shred: 9 a.m. until noon in the parking lot of McClure United Church at 4025 Taylor St. (at McKercher). Mak e a Wish’s Shaker Full of Wishes. 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. in Protect against personal identity theft as your old papers the William Pascoe Room at the Delta Bessborough. Tick- go into the Shred-It company truck’s shredders. The serets are $60 each or purchase eight for $440. For more vice is by donation (suggested $10 per paper box and $5 information, call 306-850-9474 or visit www.makeawish. per shopping bag) to assist the McClure Place Foundation ca/Saskatchewan. in paying down the mortgage at Amy McClure House. ***** UNTIL MAY 4 Science Rendezvous, science festival from 10 a.m. to 10X10 Art Celebration at Amigos Cantina. The Riverbend 3 p.m. at Uiversity of Saskatchewan, Geology Building ICM is proud to present the eighth annual 10x10 Art Show (114 Science Place) There will be visuals: explosions, loud and Celebration. 60 canvases, painted by artists who live noises, and fire; live animals, robots, drones, space baland work in Saskatoon’s Core neighbourhoods, are up loons, and non-Newtonian fluid pool. Science Rendezvous for silent auction. For more information, email icmsasis an annual nation-wide science festival dedicated katoon@gmail.com or visit www.icmsaskatoon.wixsite. to science outreach. For more information, visit www. com/10x10. sciencerendezvous.ca MAY 4-7 and 11-14 ***** The Saskatoon Food Bank & Learning Centre’s annual City Live Five Theatre presents Les Liaisons Dangereuses at Wide Food Drive. A large team of volunteers will set out the Refinery (609 Dufferin Avenue.) Pay what you can into the Saskatoon neighbourhoods to collect from your preview on May 4. Showtimes are 8 p.m. on Thursdays to Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets at On the doorstep between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. For more informaBoards Box Office: 306-653-5191 or online at livefive.ca. tion, visit: www.saskatoonfoodbank.org.

MAY 4

Sharapova has players screaming

By RJ Currie y wife was watching the World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship. “Because a woman usually gets in the last shot?” I asked. “No,” she said. “To see a man do his share of sweeping.” • Many WTA players protested Maria Sharapova going directly from a doping suspension into Stuttgart’s main draw after a wild card was granted. Or should I say grunted? • What do you call a California order of nuns who reportedly believe in growing marijuana and smoking it? Holy rollers. • The Blackhawks are the NHL’s first No. 1 seed to be swept in Round 1 by a No. 8. There haven’t been so many Chicagoans looking put out since Mrs. O’Leary’s cow kicked over a lantern. • A Sarasota Open tennis match was momentarily halted due to a couple having AS050123 Aaron

extremely loud sex nearby. A classic case of courtus interruptus. • The Predators edged Nashville in Game 1 of their second round series thanks to Vernon Fiddler’s late third-period goal. I’m assuming Fiddler roofed it. • According to AccuWeather, people in Atlanta can expect a lot of grey and a real feel approaching 60. But enough about Bartolo Colon. • Hockey News called Sabres forward Jack Eichel a “franchise pillar” to rebuild around. So like, the Eichel Tower? • Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh got to shake the hand of Pope Francis in Italy. That’s one way to get his hands on a ring. RJ’s Groaner of the Week The Sabres said they fired coach Dan Bylsma because Buffalo’s players underperformed. Which is a polite way of saying the team failed a-Bylsma-lly.

May 9-10 The Yorkton Film Festival and the Saskatoon Public Library are hosting a film event at 7 p.m. both nights at the Frances Morrison Theatre. The evening will include the screening of the documentary, Reserve 107: Reconciliation on the Prairies. Following the film there will be a panel discussion. The event is free and open to the public.

ONGOING AL-ANON MEETINGS Weekly group meetings open to anyone who has been affected by someone else’s drinking. For more information, call 306-655-3838.

FIRST WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH Bridge City Needlearts Guild meets at Mayfair United Church at 7:30 p.m. for our monthly meetings. We also have a stitching day at Sobey’s Stonebridge the first Saturday of each month. Come join us and have fun stitching with fellow stitchers. For further information, contact Glenda at 306-343-1882.

EVERY THURSDAY Prairie Sky Farmers’ Market is open every Thursday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is located at St. Paul’s United Church in Sutherland (454 Egbert Ave.) New vendors may phone or text Kathy at 306-222-2740 or email saphire1515@hotmail.com. ***** Saskatoon International Folkdance Club meets Thursdays at 7 p.m. in Albert Community Centre (Rm. 13, 610 Clarence Ave. South). Learn dances from many countries. First night is free. 306-374-0005; www.sifc.awardspace.com ***** Pop In & Play (until Dec. 8) 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Erindale Alliance Church (310 Perehudoff Cres). Bring your little ones, 5 years & under, with you downstairs for a great time of fun & connecting! Monthly theme, learning centres, snack & occasional speaker. For more info, go to erindalealliance.ca

EVERY WEDNESDAY

Seven Seas Toastmasters, an energetic and dynamic club, invites you to join us from noon to 1 p.m. in the LDAS Building. (2221 Hanselman Court.) For more information, visit http://3296.toastmastersclubs.org/ ***** The FASD Network of Saskatchewan offers monthly MAY 12 support meetings for individuals living with FASD and The Royal Canadian College of Organists, Saskatoon Cen- caregivers on Wednesdays at the Network office (510 tre presents Lottie & Allen: Duo Organ/Saxophone. Concert Cynthia St). The free-of-charge support meetings are an Features Lottie Enns-Braun and Allen Harrington. 7:30 informative and engaging space for people to connect p.m. at Christ Church Anglican (515 - 28th Street West). with each other for ongoing support. For information and Admission: $20/Adults; $15/Students. times, visit www.saskfasdnetwork.ca/events

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(Continued from page 1) he said she found a place behind the cells where she could climb trees and see her father, Phat Minh Tran, and one of her brothers. Those were special moments and she and her father would cry. After a month, the women and children under the age of 15 were put on a ship and sent back to the mainland. SLEPT ON A SIDEWALK Kim Tran said the Communists thought they were properly indoctrinated and ready to resume life on the mainland. They were now considered of little risk to escape, especially with the men still in prison. The boat took them to a place named Can Tho. They disembarked with little more than the clothes they were wearing. “It’s a small town and they unloaded 500 people,” Kim Tran recalled. “We didn’t have money to get a hotel and there were a lot of us. There was my mom, all my sisters, my brothers, some of my younger cousins — 10 of us or something like that.” The family slept on a sidewalk in front of a pharmacy that night. It was raining and the pharmacy had an awning. The Trans were well-to-do when they lived in Saigon, with Phat Minh Tran owning a shipyard and the family living on an acreage. “We went from living a really good life right down to a beggar’s lifestyle, really. We didn’t know what the future was holding.” She smiles when she says they got robbed that night. “There were people worse off than us.” The family took a bus to Ho Chi Minh City the next day. Kim uses it and Saigon interchangeably. Her brother, Van, prefers she say Saigon. Van was in South Vietnam’s military during the war. Kim Tran said the family must have been quite the sight. “We hadn’t had a shower for three days and we hadn’t had a change of clothes. Usually, when we went to town, we dressed up nice and smelled good and you felt good about yourself. “That wasn’t the case. As a child, I felt so JW050101 James to get back to one of ashamed. We managed

my aunt’s houses. They hadn’t seen us for several months. There was no communication and they went to see some fortune-tellers and they told them we had all died.” SEEING A GHOST? Kim’s aunt got quite the shock seeing the family on her doorstep. “So we showed up at their door looking the way we looked, and she passed out because she thought we were ghosts.” Having spread their wealth before fleeing, Them Thi Tran was able to round up enough money to pay the registration fees to free male members of the family from the prison island. On Nov. 18, 1978, just three days before their release from prison, tragedy struck when the husband of one of Kim’s older sisters, Tam, died. Van Tran was with his brother-in-law that day. Long Tran told Van he wasn’t feeling well and went to sleep on a hammock. He never woke up. He was 25 years old, leaving behind Tam and a baby boy. Long Tran is buried on the island. With broken hearts, the men went back to the mainland to join the women and children. Them Thi Tran registered the family with the authorities in Can Tho. At that time the Vietnamese government was expelling those of Chinese descent, so when Them Thi Tran registered family members she gave everyone Chinese names. Kim’s name, for example, was Công Tần Tôn Nử Thị Kim Huê. In order to register, Them Thi Tran paid one gold leaf up front for each person. In order to board the boat bound for Malaysia, each adult was required to pay three or four more gold leaves and the children had to pay half that amount. The Vietnamese government was making money off the expelling of Chinese migrants who were in Vietnam. Many of these migrants were actually Vietnamese seeking to leave the country, but the corrupt government looked the other way in order to bring in much needed funds. Each gold leaf was worth approximately $400. The majority of the gold was held in trust by a general named Bien Hao. Documentation

was provided once the gold was paid. Since Phat Minh Tran was going to be the captain of one of the boats, the Trans would travel for half price. Not long after the boat set off, it ran into bad weather and was forced to dock at Con Dao Island on Christmas Eve in 1978. They were back on this horrible island again. They were detained again, this time because their payment hadn’t reached authorities. Gen. Hao had absconded with the gold from those 150 passengers. He was later arrested, but it didn’t do the Trans any good. In lieu of payment, the Trans had to build ships on the island. They were on the island for the next 17 months. They were no longer treated as prisoners, but were loosely supervised. Phat Minh Tran built two ships for the Communists. When he was building the third, he was making plans to leave. The island was believed to be escape proof, given its military presence and the fact it was two days by boat to land. THIRD SHIP LUCKY? Phat Minh Tran had the third boat just about completed. Once it was tested, it would have been taken out of his hands. As work on the boat progressed, he found places to store food and water. Van Tran was modifying a tractor engine to be put on the ship. They were slowly and efficiently stealing fuel for the ship. After chipping a hole in a thick clay roof, a small person was able to get into the room where fuel was stored. Kettle by kettle, they amassed enough fuel to get back on the ocean and head for freedom. It was dangerous work, with people in charge of covering oil drips in the sand and others signalling when soldiers were getting too close for comfort. Kim remembers throwing rocks at a thick metal door to warn others. The soldiers thought it was annoying child-play. As the time to attempt an escape got closer, Phat Minh Tran created a diversion. He told the government Van was going to return to the mainland and look for a place to live. He said the family had no plans to

escape, but was ready to resume life on the mainland. “My family is known to be very tight. They knew my dad would never leave one of his children behind,” Kim Tran said. Van Tran, his wife and his three sons left for the mainland, while his daughter remained with the rest of the family. With the motor installed, Phat Minh Tran chose a day in May 1980, when the ocean was at its calmest, to escape. Phat Minh Tran’s sons and nephews had disabled the military boats on the island. Fuel lines were cut, steering cables loosened and the nuts taken off propellers. It was time to leave. “Our instructions were we would walk to the beach as though we were going swimming, go in pairs of three or four, not in big groups. As soon as you get there, you hop on the boat and go under,” Kim Tran said. SOLDIER POSED THREAT Eventually, her father and one of his nephews – Nghia Tran – were the only two not on the boat. A soldier approached them. Phat Minh Tran was writing a letter to authorities apologizing for his actions and explaining why he was going to escape. A soldier wandered up and asked if he could use some of the oil the Trans had on the boat in order to do some work. Nghia Tran, who was holding an axe, thought the soldier was going to ruin their escape attempt and was prepared to kill him. Phat Minh Tran motioned to his nephew not to do anything and told the soldier to go get a container for the oil. When the soldier turned and walked away, the Trans headed to the boat. “My father and my cousin had about half a block to be at the beach. We got out and hadn’t gone very far and they were shooting at us. We got stuck on this sand and everybody said, ‘we’re done.’ “I remember there were bullets flying on the water very close by. I remember the tide came up and lifted up the boat and away we went.” The family’s quest for freedom was on again. (Brett Maki contributed to this story.)

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