Mike Hocevar will present rare and fascinating Japanese–Canadian ephemera of British Columbia, 1890s to 1940s. Collectors of British Columbia vintage paper know how scarce it is to find material representing the early years of the Japanese immigration period; perhaps this is largely due to the disposition and destruction of personal property seized by the government during the 1942 Evacuation from the BC Coast of all persons of Japanese ethnicity. Mike will include postcards, postal history , business letterheads and more. The highlight of this material centres on a selection found in an old trunk under a building on 200 block east Powell Street in the early 1970s. The featured image is a real photo postcard published by Broadbridge-Bullen Photo of “Japanese Cruiser “Soya” in Vancouver Harbour, B.C. – May 17, 1908″
I am wondering if Mr. Hocevar has made any attempt to find the rightful owner of the material he found “in the old trunk under a building on 200 block east Powell Street in the early 1970s.” As everyone who knows Japanese Canadian history, most families put their valuables that they were not allowed to take to internment in trunks and boxes and `hid’ them so that they may return to them at the end of the War. Of course, the Government of Canada did not allow them to return, and many settled `east of the Rockies’ or be deported to Japan. However, there may be descendants of the people who lived in the specific place where this trunk was found who had `lost’ their family history and memories in this way. There are however a few examples of such family treasures (like photographs and letters) returned through offering publicity and finding the rightful owners, with assistance from National Nikkei Museum. I hope Mr. Hocevar has taken this ethical step and cleared these archival materials especially when it is know where they were found. Surely there were some clues.