Anthology Section
A Tribute to My Dad
By Madonna Jim
Mississauga, Ontario

It took my 10 year old son’s inquisitive mind and a speech project about his ancestors to get me to rediscover my roots. Well, at least what I managed to uncover.

My son wanted to do a speech on the Chinese Head Tax and what it meant to him. Coincidently, this came about a year and a half after the Canada Redress to the Chinese Head Tax.

Even though I knew my father paid the Head Tax, I never knew much about the subject. It was a topic that we didn’t talk about. Why? I don’t really know. Most likely it was something that happened that caused a lot of suffering and prejudice that they wanted to forget or protect us from. My father and his elders knew and understood the sacrifices that they had to endure to make a better place for their family and love ones.

My father came to Newfoundland on Aug 11, 1934 as #270, Head Tax Certificate No. 319 at the age of 13 from his birth place, Hoy Ping. His sponsor was his father, Sum Oue.

As a mother, I could not imagine sending my 13 year old son to a foreign country that did not speak the same language or have the same customs. My father did it without question. In so doing, he paved the way for making a better life for his family in China.

By age 21, my father had set-up his own restaurant in St. John’s, NL. By 25, Dad went back to China to marry. Dad spent two years in China. After which he went back to Canada to find work and to prepare a home for his wife and baby, my oldest brother, Tony. Because of the Head Tax and the law that Chinese women were not allowed to enter Canada, Dad had to secure some steady work to save money for his young family. My father was not able to find work in Newfoundland, so he went to Trenton, Ontario to find work. Eventually he landed work in Killarney, Manitoba, in 1951.

This was a very trying period in my Dad’s life. In 1952, Dad was making a very modest living but still able to send for Mom and my oldest brother. My 2 eldest sisters, Rita and Marie were born during this time. Things were very tight in Manitoba. They did not have a proper table to eat from or chairs to sit on. They used a cardboard box for a table and wooden drink cartons as chairs.

In 1954, Dad relocated the whole family to a rural town in Newfoundland called Bell Island where the rest of the Aue clan were born - Gordon (1955), Philip (1957), myself Madonna (1961) and Sheila (1963). Gordon, Philip and I were born in St. John’s because there was no hospital in Bell Island. It is a ½ hour ferry ride from Bell Island to St. John’s. Mom had to make the ferry ride each time to the nearest hospital in St. John’s. I was almost born on the ferry crossing. However by the time the youngest Sheila (1963) was born, a cottage hospital was established on the island.

I count myself lucky to have come from such a large family but not too large compared to a lot of other Newfie families. I affectionately call our family “organized chaos”. My father finally sent for his mother around 1956. So there we all were on Bell Island, my parents, grandma and 7 children living in a bungalow that consisted of 3 very small bedrooms, a kitchen, living room, a hallway which we used as a dining area and a little convenience store called Hamme’s Store. I remember it very clearly, a small forest-green building with 2 large windows. It was very tiny but it was filled with life and fond memories.

Because, the little store’s profits were not enough to sustain all 10 of us, Dad went away to Grand Falls, Newfoundland to work in a cousin’s restaurant to make ends meet.

It was not until 1969 before we were able to reunite as a family again. Dad purchased two attached houses and renovated one to make a Restaurant on Pleasant Street in St. John’s. My dad also ran the Ashton Motel Restaurant from 1969 - 1972. In 1972 – 1991 he opened another restaurant, Mei Mei Restaurant in the Gould’s, Newfoundland.

Even at the age 70, after the restaurants were closed, my father continued working by helping out my oldest brother, Tony who is a restaurant owner.

But who was Hamme Chow Aue? I know that being from a large family, everyone remembers Dad differently. It depends on what time in his life you got to know him. Since I am his 2nd youngest, I got his best part. He had worked and worked very long hours and finally was about to show something for the effort. He was a very hard working and very dedicated family man who never complained about life or what bad turns life dealt him. I found him less conservative than many other Chinese men from his generation. He was a jolly old man who liked to tease and play practical jokes especially on gullible me. He knew a lot about historical facts about China and Canada. He loved Newfoundland with its salty air and its easy-going life style on the “Rock”. He did not like to fuss or go out to dinner. He would always say “Isn’t it better to buy something and cook it at home the way you like it” than go out to eat. He loved to cook. Boy did he! He used to make homemade doughnuts and apple turnovers just for his family after having to cook and bake whatever he needed for the restaurants all day. People use to say, “Nothing better than Hamme’s apple or coconut pie.”

It was not until my son started asking me about his grandfathers did I reflect and understand another side of my father that I didn’t really understand or know about. My father met with a lot hardships, discrimination and disappointments along the way, but he continued with the spirit of hope for a better future for his family. He always persevered, even when faced with adversity.

The Head Tax affected my dad because he was separated from his family for a long time. He never again saw any of his other siblings because they died at an early age. He was separated from his own mother for more than 23 years. My only regret is not being able to get Dad’s personal accounts of these things. Dad passed away July 13, 2001 leaving a huge void in our family. I miss him dearly. I always told him how much I loved him but I forgot to say how proud I am of him. I forgot to thank him for giving me life, for leading me in life, not by words, but by example, for giving us a very strong sense of family, values and unselfishness. Because my father never told his story, it is up to me and other descendents of the Chinese Head Taxes to ensure that our children and their children will never forget what our parents had to endure. I want his story to be told. To let others know these men that came first, weren’t just a number but really people with stories that never got told. I want people to know how eternally grateful I am to this noble, honourable and humble man who endeavoured much to pave the way for a better life for his loved ones and family. Daddy, I will never forget. As the song went that day you and I danced to at my wedding “Unforgettable that’s what you are”.

Background Information


My name is Madonna Jim. I am a first generation Chinese Canadian, born in Newfoundland. I am the second youngest of 7 children. My father was Heam Chow Aue and my mother is Carol Jean Aue. I came to Toronto in 1984 to do my work term at IBM. I stayed on after my work term was completed because I found a job in I.T. I married in 1991 to William Jim also a Canadian born Chinese. We have 2 sons, Christopher and Brandon. All siblings live in Ontario except for my oldest brother who still lives in Newfoundland.

The article is about me paying tribute to my father for whom I am eternally grateful and proud of. I wanted to tell my father’s unspoken story about who he was and the sacrifices he endured to make a better life for his family. He was a true pioneer who persevered, even when faced with numerous adversities and disappointments along the way. He came from very humble beginnings and he left us as humble staying true to his roots. He was a man who gave us a very strong sense of family and values that will not be forgotten.