Now more than ever, Canadians have to understand and appreciate one another's stories and journeys, say members of the Port Coquitlam Heritage and Cultural Society.
And an exhibit being created to mark Canada's 150th birthday is aimed at doing just that.
This month, the heritage organization is gathering stories of how people came to live in PoCo and what they've done to stay connected to folks back "home."
The exhibit, called Journeys and Connections, will feature stories both recent and historic in a multi-media exhibit that will run from March to September at the Heritage at Leigh Square museum at 2248 McAllister Ave. in PoCo.
Two stories have already come to light that highlight the importance of staying connected with loved ones, no matter how far away they are.
Juliana Yung, a 42-year resident of PoCo and former Riverview Hospital psych nurse, made a point of learning to write using Chinese characters and, as a result, managed to stay in touch with her father back in Hong Kong over the years.
Irene McKinney, a recent immigrant from Scotland, reconnected with a boyfriend from her youth, Iain Maciver, and decided to move here to be with him. The spark of their connection was rekindled through letters and, eventually, email.
When she visited Canada a few years ago and he asked her to live with him, "I had no hesitation, I said yes."
Yung, who is a PoCo Heritage member, said she appreciates the effort to document people's stories to tell the story of the region's history.
Society president Julie Schmidt said the exhibit will also document how the community has changed over the years to become more diverse.
"We want to find out where people came from, the languages they speak and the challenges they faced and how did they get here, by sea, by air or by land."
Steve Smith, who will design the exhibit, said he is looking for a wide range of stories and will be collecting them even while the exhibit is running. He said unless people are from a First Nation, they came from somewhere and PoCo Heritage wants document it.
"It's really a changing story and, with the 150th, it gives us a chance to pause and look and what was good and the amount of enrichment we get for having all these influences," Smith said.
• The public is welcome to participate in Journeys and Connections by filling in a short questionnaire online at www.pocoheritage.org/my-journey.
