The Wong Family Experience

Frank was 9 years old when he immigrated to Canada under an assumed name, Woon Tong Chiu. He arrived in Vancouver in the spring of 1958, as the “son” of two other individuals posing as his parents, ‘Susan Chiu’ and ‘Mr. Chiu’.

That summer Frank joined his grandparents in Swift Current. He started school under the name of Frank Chiu. In 1963, after the death of his grandfather, Frank and his grandmother moved to Oyen, Alberta. His uncles owned the Star Café, where Frank worked when not in school. A portion of his earnings was sent to his parents in China. After high school, Frank took Architectural Technology at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology in Calgary.

In 1970, Frank took advantage of the amnesty program and reclaimed his family name of Wong. In December of 1971, Frank moved to Red Deer to work for the Red Deer Regional Planning Commission. He began the process of sponsoring his parents and siblings to move to Canada. For two years he worked at the Planning Commission, Silver Star Restaurant, the Club Café and John Horn Surveys to save enough money to support his family’s move. He applied for their immigration in 1975, and on January 7, 1977, his parents and younger brother and sister arrived in Canada and came straight to Red Deer. One sister stayed behind, as she was over 21 and married. She eventually immigrated in 1997.