Updated Program (as at 9 January 2013)

  Connecting in Christchurch

Wong Family Reunion Program

St Michael and All Angels School

249 Durham Street

Saturday 19th January 2013

 

8:30 am            Hall opens

Setting up photo displays (boards, albums, electronic)

9:00 am            Registration

Getting to know you…

View Family Photos and Family Tree

10:00 am          Welcome

Early years in Christchurch Photo-story: Willie, Harry and George Qu Wong

 Ancestral Village in China (panel presentation)

 

10:30 am          Morning Tea

11:00 am          Who’s who … Introduction of families by members of each branch

12:30 pm          Lunch

1.30 pm            Group Photo Session

2.00 pm            Individual Families Photo Session

Mix and mingle

Fun ‘n’ games

 

3.00 pm            Afternoon tea

Remembrance time

Cutting the Reunion Cake

Mix and mingle

Fun ‘n’ games

6.30 pm            Reunion Dinner

                                                (North and South Restaurant - 300 Lincoln Road, Addington)

9:30 pm            Clubbing in Christchurch … (optional)

Sunday 20^th January 2013

10am – 12pm    Christchurch Red Zone bus tours 

10am/11:15am  Buses to cemetery

Morning Tea  

12:30pm           BBQ Lunch

2:30pm             Official Farewell

 

Time afterwards to continue to mix and mingle at the hall

 

6pm                  Hall Close

3rd March Newsletter

Connecting in Christchurch

                                  

Wong Family Newsletter

If you haven’t done so already, mark the date 19^th – 20^th January 2013 into your diaries now. We have an exciting weekend of formal and social events planned for you. As this is our first Wong family reunion our aim is for everyone to be able to mix and mingle as much as possible. For the older generation it will be a chance to meet all your relatives again. For the younger generation it is a wonderful opportunity to meet and socialise with new cousins.

Building our Database

We want to make sure that we reach every member of the Wong Family. A copy of the family tree has been included in this newsletter so that you can see who it involves. The family tree was last updated about 6 years ago so needs correcting and updating again. We hope to have printed copies available at the reunion. Please send updated NAMES & DATES of births, marriages & deaths to Cecil at cecilw88@ihug.co.nz

Communication is important. We need to be able to contact everyone. Email seems to be the best method. Please could everyone send an email to reply to this newsletter. We will then collate an up to date database of email addresses. If you know of any family member who does not have an email address, please let us know their postal address. A 100% response to this email would be greatly appreciated.

Please could you email to cecilw88@ihug.co.nz names and numbers now if you are planning to attend. An idea of numbers attending will be a great help for planning and logistical purposes and also for us to be able to finalise costs.

If you think you can help in any way with any aspect of the reunion please do not hesitate to let us know. If you have any suggestions then please also let us know. For starters dig out your old family photos now.

Make your accommodation plans now.

Accommodation can be a major cost of your trip to Christchurch. As you can see from our plans above, our reunion date is confirmed. We recommend that you make your accommodation arrangements early. Due to the earthquake there are a reduced number of hotel rooms. Motels are relatively expensive compared with other places around NZ!

Cost of the Reunion

A registration form will be sent to you soon. It will detail the registration costs per person. Our aim has been to keep these registration costs down. Hopefully there will be lots of volunteers for various jobs to avoid the cost of hiring.

We will also welcome donations. We need to cover many extra costs e.g. hire of hall, buses, bbq and audio visual/ sound equipment. Any surplus money will be donated to St Michael’s and All Angels School for their Earthquake fund. Many of the Wong families went to St Michael’s School.

LOOKING FORWARD TO A GREAT REUNION WEEKEND IN CHRISTCHURCH.

Regards,

Lillian Gin, Mary Young, Janice Sew Hoy & Cecil Wong

First Newsletter

WONG

FAMILY REUNION                                                                     Newsletter 1, September 2011

Dear Family Member,

There comes a time in the life of most families when a reunion, a gathering of the clan, would seem like a good idea.  A few of us have got together recently and thought it would be good to make that idea a reality.

Like all families, the Wong family has grown in number and many no longer live in the towns where they were born. Our busy lives and the distances that separate us have meant that we no longer keep in touch with all members of the extended family: our children may not know who their relatives are or what they look like. It is time to hold our first-ever reunion – to renew our family ties, to introduce the different generations to each other, and to remember where we come from.

We thought that we should meet again in the city where it all began for the Wong family – Christchurch. It was where both Harry and Willie Wong settled after emigrating from China and the initial port of entry for George Qu Wong.

The reunion would involve as many members of the different branches as possible, that is the descendants of Willie Wong, Wong Kwai Koon, Harry Wong, Aunty Wong/Mrs Low, and George Qu Wong.

It is always hard to decide on a date that would suit most people, but we thought that the weekend of

Saturday 19 – Sunday 20 January 2013 would be good as

• it gives us all sufficient time (over a year) to plan;

• schools and universities are still on holiday, giving everyone the option of spending extra days in Christchurch if they wish;

• the summer weather is pleasant enough to allow for outings and outdoor photo shoots;

• and holding the reunion at this time would mean avoiding any public holiday surcharges for restaurants, etc.

Although we are still in the very early stages of planning, we hope to keep you informed. So far, we have a small steering committee of four, and we are now looking for more people to help with the organization: preferably someone from each branch that is not represented yet. Please could you email us if you would like to join the organising group (contact details are as listed below).

So, please put the date, time and place for this reunion in your diary for 19-20 January 2013, CHRISTCHURCH and look out for more newsletters from us – we’ll be in touch!

Kind regards,

Cecil Wong  cecilw88@ihug.co.nz   Janice Sew Hoy pjsewhoy@gmail.com

Lillian Gin ginlk@hotmail.com    Mary Young  young5@xtra.co.nz